“This was back when we were all fighting for data centers,” O’Connor told Straight Arrow. Proponents of data center development from county commissions up to the White House often tout job creation, despite mixed signals on how many permanent roles the data center boom will actually create. But for some communities, the ratio of high tax revenue to more modest job creation is exactly why they want data centers to come. Brookings measured total private employment, which would include both direct and indirect data center jobs, finding that six years after major data centers were built, their home counties had added 2,000 to 4,000 jobs. And mayors are hopeful that data center revenue can help stave off increases to property taxes.