VIRGINIA DATA CENTER COMMUNITY GUIDE
Virginia Data Centers. Public records in context.
Virginia has the DMV region’s most mature data center market. A useful public review separates temporary construction activity from operating jobs, local tax value from statewide estimates, and proposed safeguards from enforceable conditions.
01 / DOCUMENTED SNAPSHOT
Read each figure with its geography and date.
The figures below describe different geographies and should not be added together. JLARC reports statewide economic estimates; Loudoun County reports local assessed value, revenue, jobs, and land-use controls.
Virginia jobs supported
JLARC estimate using average industry spending from FY2021–FY2023: 59,000 construction-supported and 15,000 operations-supported jobs.
annual Virginia GDP
JLARC’s statewide economic-impact estimate, paired with $5.5 billion in annual labor income.
Loudoun real-property value
Loudoun County’s reported 2024 data center real-property value after $16 billion was added that year.
Loudoun ecosystem jobs
A county estimate covering the broader data center ecosystem—not only workers inside operating facilities.
02 / QUESTIONS TO ASK
Move from headline numbers to project evidence.
Use project filings, permits, engineering studies, utility records, development agreements, and current public records to replace general assumptions.
Power and grid costs
Request maximum and average demand by phase, interconnection milestones, grid upgrades, backup generation, and who pays each cost.
Virginia power questions →Groundwater and cooling
Identify potable, reclaimed, surface-water, and groundwater sources; distinguish withdrawal from consumption; and document peak-day and drought operations.
Virginia water-use guide →Siting and neighborhood compatibility
Review the full campus footprint, including substations, transmission, generators, equipment yards, construction routes, sound receptors, and future phases.
Virginia siting guide →03 / OFFICIAL SOURCES
Follow the public record.
Open the original source and confirm the current date, scope, definitions, and project status before quoting a figure.