Data center statistics in 2026 all point the same way: more capacity, more power and more people needed to build and run it. Global capacity is on track to roughly double by 2030, U.S. vacancy is at a record low even with record construction, and data center electricity use jumped 17% in 2025 alone.
Below are the numbers that matter most, grouped by topic, with the source and year for every figure.
Key takeaways
- Global data center capacity is about 103 GW and is projected to reach 200 GW by 2030 (JLL, 2026).
- Vacancy in North America’s primary markets fell to a record low of 1.4% in H1 2026, with 7,481 MW under construction and 80.4% of it already committed (CBRE, 2026).
- Data centers used about 485 TWh of electricity worldwide in 2025, and that figure is expected to roughly double to 950 TWh by 2030 (IEA, 2026).
- U.S. data centers used 4.4% of the country’s electricity in 2023 and could use 6.7% to 12% by 2028 (DOE and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2024).
- The U.S. data center industry directly employed 1,005,080 people in 2024 and supported 5.5 million jobs in total (PwC for the Data Center Coalition, 2026).
- 46% of data center operators say they struggle to find qualified candidates (Uptime Institute, 2025).
How big is the data center market?
The simplest way to measure the market is power capacity, because that is what operators build and lease. According to JLL’s 2026 Global Data Center Outlook, published in January 2026:
- Global data center capacity stands at about 103 GW and is projected to reach 200 GW by 2030.
- Building that capacity will take an estimated $3 trillion of investment over the next five years.
- The Americas hold roughly half of global capacity, and the U.S. accounts for about 90% of the Americas total.
- Global occupancy is 97%, and 77% of the construction pipeline is already pre-committed.
- AI workloads made up about 25% of capacity in 2025 and are expected to reach 50% by 2030.
The money behind that growth is coming mostly from the largest technology companies. The International Energy Agency reports that capital spending by five major tech companies exceeded $400 billion in 2025 and is expected to rise by another 75% in 2026.
How much data center capacity is under construction?
More than ever, and it is still not enough to loosen the market. CBRE’s North America Data Center Trends H1 2026 report, published in August 2026, tracks the primary colocation markets:
| Metric (North America primary markets, H1 2026) | Figure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Total inventory | 10,903 MW | Up 33.7% year over year |
| Vacancy rate | 1.4% | Record low, down from 1.6% in H1 2025 |
| Net absorption | 1,456.2 MW | Up 11.7% year over year |
| Under construction | 7,481.1 MW | Up 24.8% |
| Under construction capacity already committed | 80.4% | Up from 74.3% a year earlier |
Two markets dominate the pipeline. Atlanta now leads North America with 2,882 MW under construction, up 52.3% year over year, followed by Northern Virginia with 2,420.2 MW. Northern Virginia is still the largest market overall, with 4,496.5 MW of inventory and a vacancy rate of just 0.2%.
Atlanta’s build out is a big reason demand for electrical, mechanical and commissioning talent there has climbed, and our Atlanta engineering recruitment team sees it directly.
Tight supply is pushing prices up. CBRE found average rents rose 8.3% for 3 to 10 MW requirements, 7.9% for 500 kW to 3 MW, 6.7% for 10 MW and above, and 4.3% for 250 to 500 kW in H1 2026.
Counting every project, not only the primary colocation markets, the pipeline is far larger. JLL’s North America Data Center Report Midyear 2026 puts more than 66 GW of capacity under construction across North America, with 77% of it being built in frontier markets outside the traditional hubs. JLL also reports vacancy at 1% for the third year in a row.
Construction spending tells the same story. U.S. Census Bureau data, as reported by Data Center Knowledge, shows data center construction reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $50.7 billion in April 2026, up from $39.8 billion in April 2025, a gain of roughly 27%. That was enough to pass general office construction.
How much electricity do data centers use?
Power is now the main limit on how fast data centers can be built. The IEA found that data center electricity demand grew 17% in 2025, while global electricity demand grew only 3%. Its April 2026 report, Key Questions on Energy and AI, puts global data center use at about 485 TWh in 2025 and projects about 950 TWh by 2030, or around 3% of global electricity demand.
In the U.S., the most cited figures come from a Department of Energy report produced by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in December 2024.
| Year | U.S. data center electricity use | Share of U.S. electricity |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 58 TWh | Not stated |
| 2023 | 176 TWh | About 4.4% |
| 2028 (projected) | 325 to 580 TWh | About 6.7% to 12% |
That tripling in under a decade is why so many new sites now come with their own substations, and why electrical engineers who understand medium voltage distribution and utility interconnection are in short supply.
How is AI changing data centers?
AI is the main driver of new demand, and it changes what the buildings look like inside. AI hardware packs far more power into each rack, which means more electrical capacity per square foot and, increasingly, liquid cooling.
- Electricity use by AI-focused data centers surged 50% in 2025 and is expected to triple by 2030 (IEA, 2026).
- Roughly one third of data center owners and operators now perform some AI training or inference (Uptime Institute, 2025).
- The most common average rack density reached almost 9 kW in 2025, up from 8.3 kW in 2024, with growing use of racks in the 10 to 30 kW range (Uptime Institute, 2025).
- AI workloads are expected to grow from about 25% of global data center capacity in 2025 to 50% by 2030 (JLL, 2026).
How efficient and reliable are data centers?
Efficiency has stalled. The Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2025, based on responses from more than 800 owners and operators, found an average power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.54. That is the sixth year in a row the figure has barely moved, largely because older facilities and hot climates limit cooling efficiency.
Outages remain a real business risk. The same survey found:
- 50% of operators had at least one impactful outage in the past three years.
- 20% of significant outages cost more than $1 million.
- About one in ten outages still causes serious or severe disruption.
This is why operators care so much about who runs their sites. Uptime and cost both depend on experienced engineers following procedure on live power and cooling systems. Our guide to what a data center engineer does covers that work in detail.
How many jobs do data centers create?
Far more than most people expect. A 2026 study by PwC for the Data Center Coalition, covering 2023 and 2024, found:
| U.S. data center industry | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Direct employment | Not stated | 1,005,080 |
| Total jobs supported | 4.7 million | 5.5 million (up 17%) |
| Contribution to GDP | $768 billion | $927 billion (up 21%) |
| Tax contributions | $165 billion | $204 billion (up 24%) |
PwC also found that each direct data center job supports more than 4.5 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy. Many of those are in construction and the skilled trades, since every new campus needs electricians, pipefitters, controls technicians and commissioning engineers long before the first server is installed.
Is there a data center workforce shortage?
Yes. According to the Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2025, nearly two thirds of operators have trouble hiring, keeping staff, or both:
- 46% have difficulty finding qualified candidates.
- 37% struggle to retain staff.
- 35% say staff are being hired away by competitors.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not track data center jobs as a separate occupation, but the trades and engineering roles that build and run them are all projected to grow. These are the closest official benchmarks, from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook:
| Occupation | Median pay (May 2025) | Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | Average openings per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | $63,190 | 9% | 72,700 |
| HVAC mechanics and installers | $61,010 | 11% | 40,600 |
| Electrical engineers | $120,630 | 10% | 16,300 (with electronics engineers) |
These are national figures across all industries. Data center roles in tight markets, on night shifts or on large AI campuses often pay above these medians.
Recruiter tip: With vacancy near 1% and most new capacity pre-leased, operators are under pressure to open sites on schedule. The hires that slow projects down most are rarely entry level. They are the experienced critical facilities engineers, commissioning agents and electrical supervisors who already know UPS, switchgear and cooling systems. Start those searches before construction ends, not after.
What do these data center statistics mean for employers?
Put together, the numbers describe a market where capacity, power and people are all scarce at once. Record construction has not pushed vacancy up, electricity demand is rising faster than almost any other load on the grid, and nearly half of operators cannot find qualified candidates.
For employers, that means competing hard for a limited pool of electrical, mechanical, controls and IT infrastructure talent, and planning hiring as early as site selection.
Specialist recruiters can shorten that search. Our electrical engineering recruiters and mechanical engineering recruiters place the power and cooling engineers that data centers depend on.
Where can you find more data center data and hiring guides?
This page is the hub for our data center series. Each guide below goes deeper on one part of the market:
- Data center workforce shortage statistics: hiring difficulty, retention and the electrician gap
- Top US data center markets by city: capacity, pipeline and vacancy by market
- Data center construction statistics: spending, lead times and the trades each project needs
- AI data center power and cooling skills: what high density and liquid cooling change for engineering teams
- Data center jobs: 12 roles from construction to operations
- How to hire data center engineers: roles, skills, pay benchmarks and interview questions
- Critical facilities engineer job description template: a copy-ready template for employers
- Data center technician interview questions: technical, safety and behavioral questions with answer notes
Frequently asked questions
How many data centers are there in the U.S.?
There is no official government count of data center buildings, and private estimates vary widely depending on whether small server rooms are included. Capacity in megawatts or gigawatts is a more reliable measure. JLL estimates the U.S. holds about 90% of the Americas’ capacity, and the Americas hold about half of the global total of roughly 103 GW.
What percentage of U.S. electricity do data centers use?
About 4.4% in 2023, according to the Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They project 6.7% to 12% by 2028, depending on how quickly AI hardware is deployed.
Which U.S. market has the most data center construction?
Atlanta, with 2,882 MW under construction in H1 2026 according to CBRE, ahead of Northern Virginia at 2,420.2 MW. Northern Virginia remains the largest market by existing inventory.
How many people work in data centers?
PwC found the U.S. data center industry directly employed 1,005,080 people in 2024 and supported 5.5 million jobs in total once suppliers and related spending are counted.
Is it hard to hire data center staff?
For most operators, yes. Uptime Institute’s 2025 survey found 46% struggle to find qualified candidates and 35% lose staff to competitors. Experienced critical facilities engineers are the hardest to find because most are already employed.
Building a new site or scaling an operations team? Our data center recruiting team places electrical, mechanical, controls and IT infrastructure engineers for data center builds and operations across the country.
Statistics last checked September 2026. Figures come from the public reports linked above; we update this page as new editions are released.
