Data centers are foundational infrastructure for hyperscale technology companies and often lead to deeper local investment. We lose more than just jobs when such projects fail.
Maggie Brickerman
Special to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
When a data center project leaves Wisconsin, we don’t just lose buildings. We lose momentum, leverage and a real chance to shape our economic future. That sounds abstract and theoretical, but there is a real cost.
First, we lose jobs and their long-term economic impact.
Large-scale data centers require thousands of skilled workers during construction and hundreds of permanent, high-paying technical jobs once operational. National research shows that each of these jobs supports more than four additional local jobs, like healthcare workers, teachers, restaurants and service businesses. When a project leaves Wisconsin to be built elsewhere, those jobs land in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio or Indiana instead.
Second, we lose property tax relief for local communities.
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