Data centers can be big boost for local economy, says Wichita investor
A Wichita investor, Joe Tigert, argues that data centers can significantly boost the local economy through job creation and a strong tax base. He advises communities to prepare for these projects by understanding their economic impact and addressing concerns about power and water consumption proactively.
Joe Tigert, a private financial advisor and investor from Wichita, published an opinion piece in the Wichita Eagle asserting that data centers offer substantial economic benefits to local communities. Tigert highlights a PricewaterhouseCoopers study for the Data Center Coalition, which projects the industry will contribute 5.5 million American jobs and nearly $927 billion in economic output in 2024. He notes that each data center job supports an additional 4.5 jobs across the wider economy, spanning construction, electrical work, and local businesses.
Tigert emphasizes the significant tax contributions from data centers, citing $204 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2024, which helps fund schools, roads, and public safety. Addressing concerns about energy consumption, he references an E3 study that found no clear evidence of data centers increasing household electricity bills, as many firms, like Google in the Kansas City market, sign power supply agreements that place the full cost on the company rather than ratepayers. Tigert advises local businesses to understand these numbers, ask critical questions about power and water, and develop a skilled workforce to prepare for data center development.