AI Data Centers: 53% of Americans Oppose Having One Nearby, but Virginia Votes Yes

More than half of Americans, 53%, don't want an AI data center built near their home. That is the finding of a Redfin survey published in July 2026. Yet through property taxes, those same buildings fund local schools in the areas where they are built.

What the Redfin Survey Found

The Redfin survey captured the central paradox of the AI boom: 53% of US residents oppose building an AI data center in their area, even though they generally support the development of the technology itself. The gap between broad support for AI and unwillingness to live next to its infrastructure is the study's key finding. Economists call this the NIMBY effect: "not in my backyard."

• 53% of US residents oppose an AI data center nearby, according to the Redfin survey, July 2026
• A majority nonetheless supports the AI boom in general
• Data centers fund local schools through property taxes
• The largest cluster of such facilities in the country is Northern Virginia

People usually cite the same reasons for opposing them: noise, growing strain on power grids and water systems, and the industrial look of buildings the size of several football fields. For many residents, this outweighs the abstract benefits of AI.

Why Virginia Says Yes

Northern Virginia accepts data centers because they fill local budgets and fund schools. The region around Loudoun County is the world's largest data center market, and taxes on this real estate make up a noticeable share of local government revenue. That is why the county has become a symbol of how AI infrastructure is changing local economies.

According to local authorities, data centers bring counties hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue a year. That money lowers the tax burden on ordinary residents and feeds school budgets, so where the facilities are already operating, resistance is noticeably weaker than the national average. Other states are offering similar deals, competing for the tax base that AI infrastructure brings.

"Americans want the AI boom, just not next to their homes," is how the

Redfin survey sums it up.

Why Disputes Are Multiplying

The number of data centers is growing with the AI race: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta* and OpenAI are investing tens of billions of dollars in compute infrastructure for training and running models. The more of these campuses are planned, the more often residents learn about construction next door, and the louder the NIMBY objections get.

Every new facility means hectares of land, new power transmission lines, and water consumption for cooling servers. The load on the power grid is becoming a separate point of contention. The Redfin survey shows which side public opinion is on for now: 53% against.

What This Means

The conflict between demand for AI and unwillingness to live next to its infrastructure will only sharpen as the number of data centers grows. Virginia shows a workable compromise: tangible local benefits, in the form of taxes and school funding, can outweigh residents' resistance. Where no such trade is offered, construction projects will stall. For the industry, this means that growth in compute capacity depends not only on chips and energy, but also on the consent of local communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Americans oppose AI data centers near their homes?

According to the Redfin survey, 53% of US residents don't want such a neighbor, even though they generally support the development of AI. The reasons usually cited are noise, strain on power grids and water, and the industrial scale of the buildings.

How do data centers help schools in Virginia?

Data centers pay property taxes into local budgets, and part of that money goes to education. In Northern Virginia, the world's largest cluster of such facilities, this revenue funds county schools and lowers taxes for residents.

*Meta is designated an extremist organization and banned in Russia.