Data centers becoming an economic engine in Wisconsin
Data centers are significantly boosting Wisconsin's economy, supporting nearly 85,000 jobs and generating billions in labor income and tax revenue. A major project by Vantage Data Centers in Port Washington, serving Oracle and OpenAI, highlights this growth. While acknowledging concerns about energy and water, the article emphasizes data centers as foundational infrastructure.
Data centers are rapidly becoming a crucial economic driver in Wisconsin, according to Tricia Braun, executive director of the Wisconsin Data Center Coalition. A PwC study indicated that the data center industry directly supported 13,720 jobs in the state in 2024, with total employment reaching 84,950 jobs when factoring in the broader supply chain.
The industry also generated over $7 billion in total labor income and contributed nearly $12.9 billion to Wisconsin's economy in 2024, a 20% increase from the previous year. This growth includes significant contributions to state and local tax revenues, estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars, which could support public services.
Illustrating this trend is a $15 billion, 672-acre data center campus in Port Washington being developed by Vantage Data Centers. The facility, expected to be completed by 2028, will serve major tech companies like Oracle and OpenAI.
Braun acknowledged valid concerns regarding energy, water, land use, and grid reliability, urging serious planning and transparency. However, she emphasized that data centers should be viewed as integral to a larger economic ecosystem, providing opportunities for private investment, tax base expansion, and skilled labor development.