Studies Find 770 Data Centers Often Miss Job Projections as Virginia Got $1.9 Billion Incentives
Updated
Updated · Conduit Street · Jul 2
Studies Find 770 Data Centers Often Miss Job Projections as Virginia Got $1.9 Billion Incentives
3 articles · Updated · Conduit Street · Jul 2
Summary
A Brookings review of 770 data centers across 93 counties found permanent job creation often came in well below the employment numbers pitched to local governments.
Colocation facilities help explain the gap: these landlord-style sites typically need only 20 to 30 permanent workers per 100 megawatts, while higher-employment hyperscale campuses usually cluster in established tech hubs.
Virginia’s Department of Taxation reported the industry added 1,610 jobs statewide in fiscal 2025 while receiving about $1.9 billion in tax incentives, and Georgia later revised down an audit that had overstated data-center-linked jobs.
The findings are pushing local governments to verify what type of facility is proposed, demand enforceable hiring commitments and compare results from similar projects before approving incentives.