By John Lippert | For the Chicago Tribune
PUBLISHED: October 1, 2026 at 8:00 AM CDT
Over the next decade, data centers currently being planned for Illinois could generate $57 billion in new investment, create 120,000 jobs, and boost property tax revenue – mostly for schools – by $300 million per year.
These are the headlines in a study released Thursday by a pair of labor-affiliated Illinois think tanks.
The coming construction boom would build on the state’s existing role as a data center powerhouse. The Chicago region already ranks as the country’s third-largest data center market. Illinois as a whole ranks 10th among the states, with 19 data centers per 1 million people, according to the study.
Of the 120,000 new jobs projected by the study, 39,000 would be skilled construction jobs, and 3,000 would be permanent positions inside the data centers. Suppliers and nearby retailers would create the rest.
Engineers and information technology specialists inside data centers can earn $186,700 a year, the study said, citing U.S. government figures. A typical U.S. data center employs 50 full-time workers, the study said.
In addition to highlighting the economic benefits of data centers, the study acknowledged an explosive bipartisan backlash. The authors cited a string of polls showing that 71% of Americans now oppose data center construction in their communities, nearly twice as many as in 2025.
Full Report Here – Data Centers in Illinois: Economic Impacts and Key Policy Considerations