Data centers overwhelmingly concentrated in urban areas across the USA

In the United States, a recent study published in Nature Cities on July 31 revealed that the majority of data centers are situated in urban areas, with 97.5 percent of these facilities located in cities. This finding challenges the common belief that data center growth is primarily occurring in rural regions. The research indicates that nearly three-quarters of all U.S. data centers are found within Census-defined urban areas, while an additional 24 percent are in economically integrated surrounding counties. The study highlights metropolitan areas with the highest concentrations of data centers, including Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, among others. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria leads with 610 facilities, significantly outpacing other cities. Factors influencing the location of data centers include local electricity infrastructure, the availability of information technology workers, broadband quality, and state tax incentives. The study also notes that projects under development are more likely to be situated in areas affected by coal plant closures, allowing companies to utilize existing transmission infrastructure. As the demand for electricity from data centers continues to rise, concerns about environmental impacts, noise, and pressure on power grids have emerged. Some states have begun to scrutinize data center development more closely, while others actively recruit data center investments through incentives. The researchers predict that future growth will remain concentrated in existing urban hubs, reinforcing the current distribution rather than promoting a wider geographic spread.