Data center deal terms, from the source

Know what a data center deal is worth before you get to the table.

Switchboard reads the signed agreements, hearing records and tax rolls behind 3,400+ U.S. data center projects. We pull out what was promised and what was paid: taxes and PILOTs, water limits, grid upgrades, environmental commitments, jobs and community benefits. Then we track how those terms are trending, across states and over time.

Request a briefing See how much deals differ →
66,000+deal terms, each linked to the line in its source
9,400+agreements, resolutions and filings read
305counties in 31 states with signed terms
6,300+community asks tracked to their outcome

Ctrl+F Every figure links to the page it came from, and the quote is there to find. No estimates presented as fact.

Built for anyone who touches a data center deal: county and city leaders, planning boards, development authorities, utility commissions, school districts, utilities and developers.

For Public Officials

Don’t give away the farm.

Two communities, the same kind of data center, very different deals. See what your neighbors gave up, and what they got in return.

Taxes

Tax breaks run from none at all to every dollar.

Same state, same abatement law, three different answers.

Best

Brenham, Texas voted down a tax break for a high-performance computing hub. No council member present voted yes. “Mayor Kenjura called for a vote. The motion failed with Council voting as” Council minutes ↗

Middle

San Antonio, Texas gave CyrusOne a 50% abatement for six years. “50% abatement of ad valorem taxes on Real AND Personal Property Improvements for six (6) years” City ordinance ↗

Worst

Childress County, Texas abated 100% of county property taxes for ten years. “the Abatement percentage of value of Eligible Property to be abated each year is 100%.” Executed agreement ↗

Infrastructure

Who pays for the grid, roads and water lines?

Public share of infrastructure improvement ranges from $3,000 to $179,000 per megawatt.

Low$3,000
High$179,000

Public dollars per megawatt for upgrades the data center needs. Some communities make the developer pay for all of it.

Environment

Some promises come with penalties. Some are best effort.

A water cap matters only if going over it costs something.

Best

Caldwell County, Texas ties its tax break to water use. If the data center goes over its annual water limit, the abatement shrinks and its payment in lieu of taxes rises. “the amount of the Taxes abated as determined pursuant to Section 3.01 shall be reduced” Abatement agreement, p. 86 ↗

Worst

Mitchell County, Texas granted an abatement whose water-efficient cooling, non-potable water and sound study commitments are all best effort. “agrees to make commercially reasonable efforts to:” Executed agreement ↗

Our Data

Public-benefit benchmarks on every issue

Taxes and PILOTs, water caps, ratepayer protections, road and utility upgrades, noise and generator limits, jobs and community funds.

What developers are agreeing to now

Which terms are becoming standard, by state and deal type.

Promised vs. collected

The revenue a deal projected, against what the treasurer actually received.

Compliance on the record

The enforcement terms in signed deals, and the inspection and violation history of operating sites.

Best-practice case studies

Deals that secured strong terms and can enforce them.

A link behind every number

Each term opens the agreement, resolution or filing it came from.

Get the comparables

Bring the right numbers to your next deal.

Tell us the site and the stage. We’ll show you the deals most like it, with the documents behind them.