Data Centers Will Save NOVA Economy From The Federal Purge

[Anonymous]

I absolutely hate data centers and don't want one near my house. However, data centers seem like the only thing that will somewhat protect Northern Virginia from the massive wave of unemployment and economic decline due to a rapid decrease in the size of the federal workforce. My property rate in Loudoun county is going to decline around 7% this year and the county is projected to pull in close to a billion dollars in tax revenue from data centers in FY 2026. Loudoun and PWC seem to be the most insulated from this decline, but Fairfax will get some spillover employment benefits tax revenue from the data center boom. Unfortunately, Maryland and DC will not be as lucky and they will turn into the Detroit of the East Coast. Arlington is also going to be in very bad shape, but at least they have Amazon and some other large corporations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely hate data centers and don't want one near my house. However, data centers seem like the only thing that will somewhat protect Northern Virginia from the massive wave of unemployment and economic decline due to a rapid decrease in the size of the federal workforce. My property rate in Loudoun county is going to decline around 7% this year and the county is projected to pull in close to a billion dollars in tax revenue from data centers in FY 2026. Loudoun and PWC seem to be the most insulated from this decline, but Fairfax will get some spillover employment benefits tax revenue from the data center boom. Unfortunately, Maryland and DC will not be as lucky and they will turn into the Detroit of the East Coast. Arlington is also going to be in very bad shape, but at least they have Amazon and some other large corporations.

This may help the govt it folks but in general those are the ones able to keep their jobs because they are doing something. You think the data centers are going to hire a bunch of policy wonks from USAID who are good at extracting money from grants and other foreign aid

[Anonymous]

You are dreaming. Once the construction jobs end (and those aren't going to white collar feds), very few are actually employed at those massive sites that drain resources from their communities

[Anonymous]

OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are dreaming. Once the construction jobs end (and those aren't going to white collar feds), very few are actually employed at those massive sites that drain resources from their communities

+1

They don’t employ many people outside construction and then suck up resources.

[Anonymous]

I’m assuming OP is talking about revenues from data centers that help the counties, not jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

Mostly blue collar workers. Yuck, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m assuming OP is talking about revenues from data centers that help the counties, not jobs.

If you tax them enough, they will go somewhere else. Keep that in mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

Mostly blue collar workers. Yuck, right?

Actually, the people hired to run and maintain the DCs are highly skilled. Even if they weren’t, the DCs don’t need a lot of workers to function. It’s usually less than 50 per shift. These facilities are mostly lights out.

The construction workers are good for the region but they are not permanent unless we think they will continue to build or renovate DCs on a permanent basis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

Mostly blue collar workers. Yuck, right?

Actually, the people hired to run and maintain the DCs are highly skilled. Even if they weren’t, the DCs don’t need a lot of workers to function. It’s usually less than 50 per shift. These facilities are mostly lights out.

The construction workers are good for the region but they are not permanent unless we think they will continue to build or renovate DCs on a permanent basis.

Data centers are a maze of electrical and HVAC equipment that needs constant maintenance, repair, and upgrades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

Mostly blue collar workers. Yuck, right?

Actually, the people hired to run and maintain the DCs are highly skilled. Even if they weren’t, the DCs don’t need a lot of workers to function. It’s usually less than 50 per shift. These facilities are mostly lights out.

The construction workers are good for the region but they are not permanent unless we think they will continue to build or renovate DCs on a permanent basis.

Data centers are a maze of electrical and HVAC equipment that needs constant maintenance, repair, and upgrades.

No matter how you slice it, it’s still not a lot of people.

What’s your objective here? Are you trying to change zoning or something?

[Anonymous]

Sure it will create some jobs.

But the data centers are going to drive up the price of electricity in NoVA since the region doesn't have enough power generation capacity. So if you're a struggling former Fed who doesn't work at a data center, your bills will be going up to underwrite them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don’t think you realize how few people are actually employed at data centers

Mostly blue collar workers. Yuck, right?

Actually, the people hired to run and maintain the DCs are highly skilled. Even if they weren’t, the DCs don’t need a lot of workers to function. It’s usually less than 50 per shift. These facilities are mostly lights out.

The construction workers are good for the region but they are not permanent unless we think they will continue to build or renovate DCs on a permanent basis.

Data centers are a maze of electrical and HVAC equipment that needs constant maintenance, repair, and upgrades.

No matter how you slice it, it’s still not a lot of people.

What’s your objective here? Are you trying to change zoning or something?

There's constant posts on DCUM lately on how building data centers are going to save the DMV economy from DOGE chopping 50% of federal workers. Somehow no one with any knowledge of the economy here seems to believe that.

[Anonymous]

DCUM is frequently coopted by interest groups nowadays. It’s disappointing how the users have changed and makes the site much less useful.

[Anonymous]

Revenue from a data center won't help a dual-fed family that becomes unemployed due to DOGE and can't afford their 6% mortgage.