09/13/2026
Data points on Data Centers…
It seems like many folks are weighing in on the expansion of Data Centers, especially when located in a general vicinity of their back yards. News coverage is increasing, as are yard signs indicating general discontent.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently published a report titled “2026 Data Center Impact; the data and the REALTOR® perspective on data centers and local markets.” The report is a deep dive into several aspects of this hot topic.
I’ll share a few of the interesting findings here, and will periodically toss out a few more to help offer an increased understanding. It also doesn’t mean that Data Centers caused a certain condition to come about. It simply measures a certain attribute present related to areas with data centers compared to those without.
This is not an attempt to sway your opinion one way or another about data centers. But it’s good to add to what you already may know.
Data Point 1: “Counties with more data centers tend to have higher home values. The median home value increases from about $174,500 in counties without a data center to $431,750 in counties with 10 or more facilities.”
Data Point 2: “Counties with more data centers tend to have stronger long-term employment growth. From 2014 to 2024, employment grew about 16% in counties with 10 or more data centers, compared with a 2% growth in counties without data centers.”
Data Point 3: “Residential electricity rates increased in all four (county) groups between 2020 and 2024. Counties with 10 or more data centers saw a larger increase than counties without data centers, 21.4% compared with 15.7%.”
Thomas Venable, Realtor, GRI, MRP, RSPS, SFR
Licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin
Baird & Warner Real Estate Services
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 262.818.2113
