Data Centers and Disinvested Communities

Data Centers and Disinvested Communities

Data centers, data centers, data centers, these days you can’t turn on the news or open social media without seeing and hearing about AI data centers. People are fired up about data centers and their real and perceived harms. In fact, 7 in 10 Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their local area, including nearly half, 48%, who are strongly opposed.¹ This undermines the rapid development of data centers as the not-in-my-backyard chorus echoes increasingly loudly.

There are 1,306 data centers already active and another 2,091 are under construction or planned.² Residents, however, are concerned about the noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, strain on local utilities, cost of utilities, and air quality issues associated with them.³ Communities with adequate resources have the ability to fight against the construction of these centers, and they are doing so with gusto.  However, data centers proposed in disadvantaged communities do not often have the tools to fight back.⁴ According to a recent Kapor Foundation report, 82 percent of California data centers are located in communities already facing poor air quality.⁵

This pollution has real consequences for many Americans. Noise pollution matters, with people who live near data centers reporting anything from a consistent ringing to noise measuring around 60 decibels, which is loud enough to increase stress, blood pressure and disrupt sleep.⁶ Furthermore, backup generators for these data centers run on diesel, a harmful pollutant that has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses.

Majorities of all demographic groups, and those of all party affiliations, say they oppose having a data center built where they live.⁷ Data centers should not be relegated to disinvested communities. People matter more than AI. This includes those living in poor communities.

Sources

1. Jones, Jeffrey M. “Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 13 May 2026, https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx. ↩︎
2. “US Data Center Map — Project List & Tracker.” Cleanview, 2026, https://cleanview.co/data-centers/us. ↩︎
3. Greenfield, Nicole. “AI Data Centers: Big Tech’s Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More.” Consumer Reports, 20 Mar. 2026, https://www.consumerreports.org/data-centers/ai-data-centers-impact-on-electric-bills-water-and-more-a1040338678/. ↩︎
4. Marrinan, Cecilia. “Data Center Boom Risks Health of Already Vulnerable Communities.” Tech Policy Press, 12 June 2025, https://www.techpolicy.press/data-center-boom-risks-health-of-already-vulnerable-communities/. ↩︎
5. The Unequal Burden of Data Centers. Kapor Foundation, 2 Dec. 2025, https://kaporfoundation.org/datacenters-envt-health/. ↩︎
6. Yanez-Barnuevo, Miguel. “Communities Are Raising Noise Pollution Concerns About Data Centers | Article | EESI.” Eesi.Org, 23 Mar. 2026, https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/communities-are-raising-noise-pollution-concernsabout-data-centers. ↩︎
7. Jones, Jeffrey M. “Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their Area.” Gallup.Com, Gallup, 13 May 2026, https://news.gallup.com/poll/709772/americans-oppose-data-centers-area.aspx. ↩︎

About the author

Jonah Richardson

Produces RDM's video and runs its social channels. Political science at DePaul, and convinced most of this is solvable with common sense.