The Southern United States accounts for approximately 48% of all planned domestic data center construction, with 754 facilities in development and 1,209 existing ones representing a projected 62% capacity increase for the region, according to Pew Research Center analysis published in April 2026.

Key regional and national data center market statistics:

- South US planned data centers: 754 (48% of total US construction pipeline) - South US existing data centers: 1,209 - Projected South US capacity increase from planned builds: 62% - Georgia planned data centers: 141 (among the fastest-growing Southeast markets) - North Carolina AWS hyperscale campus: 20 buildings at full build-out - Google announced $1.2 billion data center investment in Lenoir, North Carolina - Virginia, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, and North Carolina rank as the top five US data center hotspot states (Visual Capitalist)

The rural shift in data center siting reflects the exhaustion of capacity in traditional urban data center hubs. Pew Research documents that most new US data center development is now occurring in communities with available land, competitive power costs, and access to fiber networks, many of which are mid-sized and rural communities in the Southeast and Midwest.

Data centers have emerged as a significant local political issue in multiple Southern states, with communities and elected officials raising questions about tax incentive packages, water consumption for cooling, and impacts on local electrical infrastructure and rates.

The Georgia Public Service Commission's March 2026 data center fact sheet addressed electricity demand growth from the sector in the context of long-term utility resource planning.

Source: Pew Research Center -- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/04/13/most-new-data-centers-in-the-us-are-coming-to-rural-areas/