01
Enterprise + edge
Smaller facilities close to users or dedicated to one organization.
Electricity15.9 TWh
Direct water2B gal
Build jobs82,500
Ongoing roles13,200
Back to guide U.S. NUMBERS
DCs
by the Numbers.
Compare enterprise and edge, colocation, hyperscale, and AI campuses. Adjust the assumptions, then see how power, water, jobs, taxes, and local purchasing roll up together.
4
facility types
one national view
01 / FEDERAL + INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS
Start with what is measured.
The latest comprehensive federal usage report is based on 2023 data. These are reference points—not outputs from the adjustable model below.
176TWh
U.S. data center electricity
2023 · 4.4% of U.S. electricity
Source ↗17.4B gal
Direct water consumption
2023 · 66 billion liters
Source ↗501Kjobs
Data center employment
2023 · up more than 60% since 2016
Source ↗5.5Mjobs
Total jobs supported
2024 · direct, indirect + induced
Source ↗DOE/LBNL 2028 electricity range
Open the LBNL report ↗325–580 TWh, or about 6.7%–12% of U.S. electricity.
02 / DC BY THE #’S
Build a transparent national scenario.
Starting values are calibrated to sit near the 2023 national electricity and direct-water benchmarks. They are not a verified count of U.S. facilities.
Sites represented
1,740sites
Annual electricity
174.2TWh
Direct water
17.3B gal/yr
Build job assignments
532,500jobs
Ongoing on-site roles
45,100roles
Annual local tax
$4.1Bmodeled
02
Colocation + regional
Shared facilities serving many customers from one building or campus.
Electricity73.3 TWh
Direct water9.1B gal
Build jobs200,000
Ongoing roles17,500
Edit per-site assumptions +
03
Hyperscale
Large cloud and platform facilities designed for massive scale.
Electricity59.1 TWh
Direct water4.4B gal
Build jobs180,000
Ongoing roles10,800
Edit per-site assumptions +
04
AI + GPU campus
Very high-density computing built for accelerated AI workloads.
Electricity25.9 TWh
Direct water1.8B gal
Build jobs70,000
Ongoing roles3,600
Edit per-site assumptions +
| Facility model | Sites | Connected load | Annual energy | Annual water | Build jobs | Ongoing roles | Annual tax | Vendor spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise + edge | 1,100 | 3,300 MW | 15.9 TWh | 2B gal | 82,500 | 13,200 | $550M | $880M |
| Colocation + regional | 500 | 13,500 MW | 73.3 TWh | 9.1B gal | 200,000 | 17,500 | $1.5B | $1.8B |
| Hyperscale | 120 | 9,000 MW | 59.1 TWh | 4.4B gal | 180,000 | 10,800 | $1.4B | $960M |
| AI + GPU campus | 20 | 3,600 MW | 25.9 TWh | 1.8B gal | 70,000 | 3,600 | $560M | $360M |
| Total | 1,740 | 29,400 MW | 174.2 TWh | 17.3B gal | 532,500 | 45,100 | $4.1B | $4B |