NAR is taking a closer look at the growth in its newly released report, “2026 Data Center Impact,” which measures data centers up against county-level performance in home values, employment, electricity costs and more, as well as survey feedback from real estate agents. On Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. CT, hear from Dr. Lawrence Yun, Dr. Terry Clower, Nadia Evangelou and Matt Christopherson as they explore the economic and housing impacts, what the data shows and what REALTOR® members are seeing in their markets. Register now for this free virtual Research Summit.

Overall, “there is no single data center effect,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Instead, the story varies significantly depending on the local market. … We do not see evidence of weaker housing markets in counties with a large data center presence. But these are county-level numbers, and they can’t tell us what happens to an individual home next to a facility. That’s why local knowledge and credible data matter so much right now.”

While real estate pros share varying opinions about the residential impact of data centers, 50% of agents surveyed report an increase to commercial property values in proximity to data centers, and 42% report an uptick in demand for nearby commercial space. Growth appears to be clustered in limited areas, led by Northern Virginia, notably Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties. Other hubs emerging for data centers include Silicon Valley, central Ohio, the Phoenix metro area and central Washington.

Go deeper on the data center boom and learn more about how they’re affecting property values and local communities.