Data Centers in Illinois
At least 63 data centers have been tracked across Illinois — the 8th state by data-center buildout in the country by capacity.
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Every one of those 63 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 63 we’ve pinned so far, so help us map the rest. Statewide totals: American Edge Project & TECNA, Dec 2025.
On the agenda: Pontiac Agenda — Data Center (Nov 2)
Monday, November 2 — in 5 days · The full record → · Read the agenda ↗
- Oct 27, 2026 On the agenda: Peoria County meeting — data center (Oct 27)
- Oct 27, 2026 On the agenda: Rolling Meadows meeting — DATACENTER (Oct 27)
- Oct 26, 2026 On the agenda: Hoffman Estates Public Works & Utilities Committee — Data Center (Oct 26)
- Oct 26, 2026 On the agenda: St. Clair County County Board 10-26-26 Agenda Department Meeting Schedules Date Modified 10/23/2026 — Data Center (Oct 26)
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 Oct 28, 10:20 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 63 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 #8 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: Arizona (64), Iowa (60), New Jersey (58), Washington (72).
The latest from Illinois
- Sterling, Illinois Plan Commission to Discuss Draft Data Center Ordinance Oct. 22
- Illinois Voters Weigh Data Center Referendums On November Ballot
- Woodford County Board Revisits Data Center Moratorium Oct. 13 Meeting
- Illinois representative introduces data center regulation bill
- Report: New data centers could create more than 120K Illinois jobs, though mostly temporary
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: