Data Centers in Illinois
At least 53 data centers have been tracked across Illinois — the 10th state by data-center buildout in the country by capacity.
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Every one of those 53 data centers draws power and water from the same grid you rely on — reshaping where Illinois rates, land use, and water go, whether or not anyone put it to a vote. Here’s what that means, and what you can do about it.
Statewide, an industry analysis counts about 232 operational and 142 planned or under‑construction data centers in Illinois, plus an estimated $924 million in projected 10‑year tax revenue — the map below shows the 53 we’ve pinned so far, so help us map the rest. Statewide totals: American Edge Project & TECNA, Dec 2025.
Every record for this area on the Docket → · nothing is ever deleted.
No new reports near Illinois in the last 30 days — checked hourly, last checked Sep 11, 15:14 UTC. Cameras only get on the map when someone looks: be the one.
What these facilities actually do
Hyperscale data centers aren’t ordinary warehouses. Each one draws megawatts of power and millions of gallons of water, and locks in decades of tax abatements — deals routinely approved with little public scrutiny. Across Illinois, that’s 53 facilities quietly reshaping the grid, water table, and tax base. See how the buildout works and where the power and water go.
How Illinois compares
Illinois ranks #10 of 52 states and territories by tracked data-center capacity — among the biggest buildouts in the nation. Nationwide, we have tracked over 2,000 megawatts and counting. Nearby by camera count: Georgia (39), Iowa (58), New Jersey (58), Pennsylvania (45).
The latest from Illinois
- Illinois city extends data center moratorium to 2027, waits on stalled state rules
- Data Centers Emerging as Key Issue in Illinois Governor’s Race
- PJM’s big new data center plan: Make the states figure it out
- Hut 8’s 500 MW Illinois data center stalls as Latham cancels zoning vote
- End run for data center developer - Illinois Times , the capital city weekly source of news , politics , arts , entertainment , culture
On camera in Illinois — each opens right here on GridWatch:
All data-center news → · All video & feeds →
What you can do in Illinois
You don’t have to accept it — and you don’t have to be anti-growth to demand accountability. File a public records request to learn a project’s power draw, water use, and abatement terms, speak up at a city-council meeting, and see the full playbook on our Take Action page.
Not sure what one looks like? See photographs of installed cameras before you go looking.
DeFlock Illinois — Statewide, Illinois
Statewide campaign to stop mass license-plate surveillance across Illinois.
Join the fight ↗Data centers by city in Illinois
We track 20 Illinois cities and towns with tracked data centers — each with its own local report: