Dallas-Fort Worth data center market to double by 2026
Texas is a leader in data center employment, with the second highest number of jobs nationwide, new data shows.
Why it matters: Companies, investors and the government are pouring millions of dollars into data centers to help power AI and other next-gen tech.
Texas saw a 38% increase in data center jobs from 2018 to 2024.
Zoom in: Travis, Dallas, Collin, Harris and Bexar counties accounted for nearly 76% of the state's total data center employment in the second quarter of 2024.
Based on projects under construction, the Dallas-Fort Worth data center market will double by the end of 2026, per a recent CBRE report.
Zoom out: D-FW's hold on the data center market is slipping. The region was second to Northern Virginia in market share in 2022.
Now Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix have surpassed D-FW's market share, according to CBRE.
The big picture: California, Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia collectively make up more than 40% of U.S. data center employment, per the U.S. Census Bureau's Quarterly Workforce Indicators.
At 17%, California has the highest share in the nation, followed by Texas, with 10% (47,856 jobs).
Between the lines: There's debate over how many jobs data centers actually create and whether they're worth the energy required to run them.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas forecasts that electricity demand from major users like data centers will jump nearly 60% from 2024 to 2025.
The intrigue: Microsoft is addressing its environmental impact.
The tech giant recently signed a 25-year deal with Chestnut Carbon to restore 60,000 acres in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana by planting over 35 million trees to offset its carbon emissions.
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