Northern Virginia data-center cluster
AWS, Digital Realty, Equinix, NTT and others
Who lives here?
Income: Loudoun County median household income: $156,821 (2023)
Race: This is not a uniformly White community; the case is included primarily as a high-income comparison.
Comparison class: Affluent; racially diverse, with a large White population
What the community may receive
Equipment-tax revenue has helped Loudoun lower real-property tax rates and fund services.
What the community may carry
Rapid load growth drives transmission, land-use, noise and visual-impact disputes across Northern Virginia.
Power, water and infrastructure
Virginia is the country’s largest data-center market; state reviews warn that future electricity demand could require major new generation and transmission.
Government response
Virginia’s JLARC completed a statewide impact study; Loudoun taxes computer equipment at a dedicated local rate.
Equity finding
A mature cluster in one of the nation’s wealthiest counties shows that data centers are not confined to poor or nonwhite communities. A deep tax base and long-running county oversight shape the local bargain.