“Data centers drain local water supplies.”
Depends on designEvaporative sites can consume millions of gallons a day; closed-loop sites use about as much as an office building. See water facts.
Facts · Last reviewed November 7, 2026
The facts, issue by issue
For each issue: the key numbers, the strongest sourced evidence supporters and critics point to, and what is still uncertain. Every figure links to its source.
Water
How much water a data center uses depends mostly on how it is cooled. Evaporative systems consume water continuously; closed-loop systems recirculate the same water. Power plants that supply data centers also use water.
17.4B galDirect water consumed by all U.S. data centers in 2023
38–73B galProjected direct consumption by 2028
~211B galIndirect water used in 2023 to generate their electricity — about 12× direct use
Supporters point to
~8,000 gal/day
Microsoft’s closed-loop Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin site — about 2.9 million gallons a year, roughly 1/39th of a typical 18-hole golf course.
Source: Daily Reporter; WGLT, May 2026
Critics point to
2.8M gal/day
Average water consumed per day in 2024 by Google’s Council Bluffs, Iowa data center — about 1 billion gallons for the year.
Source: MOST Policy Initiative, Apr 2026
Still uncertain: most companies do not report water use site by site, and national totals rely on estimates. Closed-loop designs save water but use somewhat more electricity.
National figures: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 2024 report, via The Conversation; MOST Policy Initiative.
Electricity & power bills
Data centers are the fastest-growing source of U.S. electricity demand. Whether that raises or lowers household bills depends on spare grid capacity and how utilities divide the cost of new plants and power lines.
4.4%Share of U.S. electricity used by data centers in 2023
11.8%Projected share by 2030 (range 9.5–15.3%)
Supporters point to
~6% lower rates
An EPRI study found residential rates would have been about 6% higher without data centers built from 2019 to 2024, because large steady customers spread fixed grid costs.
Source: EPRI study, via Startup Fortune, Jul 2026
Critics point to
+8% by 2030
Estimated average household bill increase from data centers and crypto mining — over 25% in central and northern Virginia. Capacity-market costs already add about $16–18 a month in parts of Ohio and western Maryland.
Source: Pew & CRS, via ConsumerAffairs, Aug 2026
Still uncertain: the EPRI result covers a period with spare grid capacity; the same study warns the benefit may disappear in the busiest markets as AI demand grows.
Share of electricity: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2025 update.
Jobs & taxes
Data centers can pay large local property taxes while states forgo sales tax on their equipment. Construction employs many people; operations employ relatively few.
$2.7BVirginia sales tax exempted for data centers, FY2015–FY2024
50 jobsTypical minimum to qualify for Virginia’s incentive
Supporters point to
$1.2B · 39%
Loudoun County, Virginia collected $1.2 billion in property taxes from data centers in FY2026 — 39% of its budget.
Source: Loudoun County
Critics point to
$1B in one year
Virginia’s data center sales tax exemption cost about $1 billion in FY2024 alone, up from $685 million the year before. Most industry jobs are temporary construction work.
Source: JLARC, via Virginia Business, Nov 2025; Axios
Still uncertain: local tax benefits are concentrated where data centers cluster; it is debated whether state incentives decide where they locate or simply subsidize choices already made.
Noise
Cooling equipment, fans and backup generators produce both ordinary noise and low-frequency sound. Average decibel readings capture the first well and the second poorly.
55 dBProperty-line cap in Kent County, Delaware’s 2026 ordinance
+10 dBSounds roughly twice as loud
Supporters point to
40–59 dB
Virginia’s legislative auditors found data center noise typically ranges between library-quiet and normal conversation.
Source: JLARC 2024, via Broadband Breakfast, Jul 2026
Critics point to
24/7 hum
Residents in Prince William County, Virginia report noise routinely above 60 dB, and neighbors in Virginia and Arizona describe a constant low-frequency drone that standard meters struggle to measure.
Source: EESI, Mar 2026
Still uncertain: few local codes regulate low-frequency sound, so complaints and compliance readings often don’t match.
Kent County limit: Technical.ly, Jul 2026.
Air quality
Data centers keep diesel generators for power outages and test them regularly. Their permits allow far more running time than they normally use.
138Northern Virginia data centers mapped in a 2026 VCU study
+111%Growth in generator nitrogen-oxide emissions, 2015–2023
Supporters point to
4–7% of permits
Generators run about 5% of the time, and data centers emit only about 4–7% of what their permits allow. Today they produce roughly 3% of the region’s point-source particulate pollution.
Source: VCU, Feb 2026
Critics point to
74% of NOx
At full permitted levels, data center generators would produce about 74% of the region’s point-source nitrogen oxides. Some clusters already exceed a nearby power plant’s emissions.
Source: VCU, Feb 2026
Still uncertain: how often generators would run during a long grid emergency, when many could start at once.
Land
Data center campuses are growing fast in size, and developers increasingly look to rural and farm land with access to power lines.
200+ acresNew typical campus target, up from about 15 acres
150 MWNew typical campus power, up from about 40 MW
Supporters point to
$40K–50K/acre
Offers to farmers in Kentucky have reached about five times what land was bought for decades ago, a major windfall for landowners who choose to sell.
Source: Farm Policy News, Mar 2026
Critics point to
Farmland lost
Farmers in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have turned down offers of $10–80 million to keep land in farming. Large campuses can include 40-acre electrical substations plus new power lines.
Source: Farm Policy News; Langan
Still uncertain: no national count of farmland converted to data centers exists yet.
Campus trends: Mission Critical.
Common claims, checked
Claims heard on both sides, rated against the evidence above.
“Data centers raise everyone’s power bills.”
ContestedThey lowered rates in many states from 2019 to 2024, but forecasts show increases ahead, especially in Virginia and the PJM grid region. See electricity facts.
“Data centers bring lots of jobs.”
Partly trueConstruction employs many workers for a few years; permanent operating jobs are relatively few for the investment. See jobs & taxes.
“Data centers pay their way in taxes.”
Partly trueTrue locally where they cluster — 39% of Loudoun County’s budget — while states give up large amounts in sales tax. See jobs & taxes.
“Data centers are quiet.”
Partly trueTypical readings are moderate, but low-frequency hum near some sites is real and poorly measured by standard meters. See noise facts.