With data center development continuing to be a major issue in Virginia, new research from the National Association of REALTORS® offers useful context for REALTORS® and local decision-makers.
NAR’s 2026 Data Center Impact Report finds that the effect of data centers on housing varies significantly by community. Counties with large concentrations of data centers often have higher home values, incomes and job growth, but NAR cautions that this does not mean data centers caused those trends. Many of these areas were already strong technology and employment markets.
REALTORS® surveyed by NAR also reported mixed residential impacts. Concerns included energy costs and water use, while commercial real estate impacts were viewed more positively. Importantly, NAR notes that county-level statistics cannot show what happens to an individual property located near a data center, reinforcing the importance of local market knowledge and credible data when communities evaluate these projects.
For REALTORS® working in a region where data center proposals are increasingly part of land-use and economic development discussions, the full report is worth a look.
Read NAR’s 2026 Data Center Impact Report and associated research documents to explore the findings, county-level data and REALTOR® perspectives.