Most Americans Say “Not in My Backyard” to AI Data Centers

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Most Americans Say “Not in My Backyard” to AI Data Centers

Published on July 22nd, 2026 by Dana Anderson

53% of U.S. residents oppose building a data center in their area, while 34% support it, per a recent Redfin survey.

U.S. residents are more likely to oppose data centers in their neighborhood than any other type of building; for instance, 39% oppose a new apartment complex nearby.

AI data centers are controversial because they strain electricity and water resources, and can disrupt communities with noise and large structures.

But a Redfin analysis found that AI data centers have benefits: In northern Virginia, taxes on data center equipment are likely contributing to a surge in education spending. Meanwhile, individual homeowners’ property-tax rates are declining.

Data center hubs Loudoun County, VA and Prince William County, VA have seen education spending nearly double over the last decade.

More than half (53%) of U.S. residents oppose the construction of an AI data center in their neighborhood, according to a recent Redfin survey. Roughly one-third (34%) support it.

This is according to a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos in May 2026, fielded to 4,000 U.S. residents. The results for this combined group of survey respondents have a credibility interval of +/-1.9 percentage points. This report focuses on a question about how respondents feel about building certain types of properties in their neighborhoods. The building types are listed in the chart in the final section of this report. Respondents could select “strongly support,” “somewhat support,” “strongly oppose,” “somewhat oppose,” or “no opinion.” For this report, we combined the strongly/somewhat responses.

AI data centers are controversial largely because they strain electricity and water resources, which can push up energy costs and spark environmental concerns, per various news sources. They can also disrupt communities with noise and large, industrial-looking structures. One example of opposition is New York’s recent statewide ban on building large data centers. For some people, AI data centers also represent broader fears about AI: Nearly three in five (58%) of U.S. residents believe that advances in AI will eliminate jobs and make it harder to afford homes, according to the same survey.

“A buyer recently asked me, unprompted, to make sure there wasn’t a data center planned near a home she was considering,” said Matt Ferris, a Redfin Premier agent in northern Virginia. “I have another client who recently moved into a community in Gainesville, in Prince William County, where there are several data centers. About a year after they moved in, they said they probably would have chosen a different location had they known there were so many data centers nearby. People are concerned about noise, increased traffic, heavy water and electricity use, and how a large industrial building might change the feel of their neighborhood. Right or wrong, the perception is that data centers will change neighborhoods in a negative way.”

Broken down by age, older generations are more likely than younger generations to oppose data centers in their area. Roughly two-thirds (65%) of baby boomers and 60% of Gen Xers oppose the construction of an AI data center in their neighborhood, compared with 42% of Gen Zers and 43% of millennials.

Additionally, Americans are more likely to oppose data centers in their neighborhood than any other type of building we asked about. More than half of U.S. residents oppose construction of a data center near their home, while 39% oppose a new apartment complex and 32% oppose a mixed-use development. Forty-eight percent oppose converting single-family homes into smaller dwellings to increase supply in their area.

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