Illinois data centers could support an estimated 39,000 skilled construction jobs as part of roughly $57 billion in planned investment through 2035, according to an October 2026 forecast by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR). Both figures are projections—not completed investment or a count of jobs already created.
What the 39,000-job estimate means
The estimate refers to skilled construction work during the data-center buildout. It does not mean 39,000 permanent data-center employees. Construction jobs arise while facilities are being built, and the forecast does not establish how many individual workers will be employed at once, how long each job will last, or how work will be distributed among projects.
The $57 billion figure is planned Illinois investment over roughly a decade, through 2035. The study announcement says about $16 billion was spent on construction between 2020 and 2024; that historical spending is distinct from the future investment forecast. ILEPI’s announcement describes the forecast and its headline estimates.
How the study separates construction, operating and induced jobs
The study’s public summaries describe different kinds of employment effects. They should not be treated as interchangeable: construction work is tied to building facilities, direct positions are jobs at operating data centers, and induced jobs are supported elsewhere through supply chains and local spending.
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| Employment category | Reported estimate | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 39,000 skilled construction jobs, projected by ILEPI and PMCR | Work associated with the buildout of planned projects through 2035; not permanent employment. |
| Direct, ongoing positions | 2,800 positions in Capitol News Illinois’ account of the total-investment scenario; ILEPI’s announcement describes 3,000 permanent positions per year | Jobs such as IT specialists and engineers once facilities are operating. The public summaries do not explain the difference between 2,800 and 3,000. |
| Induced employment | More than 41,000 jobs, according to ILEPI and PMCR | Jobs in supply chains and local businesses associated with the economic activity; not direct data-center payroll positions. |
Capitol News Illinois’ coverage reports the 2,800 direct-position estimate and discusses the study’s other projected effects. Because the published summaries use different figures for permanent/direct employment, neither should be silently substituted for the other.
Why the forecast is not a count of guaranteed jobs
ILEPI and PMCR say they assembled 75 data-center project case studies covering investment, project costs, job creation, energy and water use, and property-tax payments, then used the industry-standard IMPLAN model to forecast economic impacts. This is a modeled estimate based on planned development, not an observed employment tally. Projects may change, be delayed or not proceed, so the forecast does not guarantee that every proposed job will materialize.
A separate Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) annual-report estimate put construction-related employment across 27 active projects at 4,000–8,000 jobs, using a range of 150–300 jobs per project. That 2025 report describes 2024 activity and a different set of projects and period; it is not a direct confirmation or contradiction of the statewide forecast through 2035. DCEO’s 2025 annual report provides that separate estimate.
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Jobs are only one part of the local impact
The study and contemporaneous coverage also address electricity demand and potential household costs, water use, and property-tax revenue and abatements. These effects matter to communities weighing proposed projects alongside construction employment and ongoing operations.
In the study’s mid-level scenario, Capitol News Illinois reports an estimated additional 6.5 gigawatts of Illinois grid demand by 2035 and an average residential bill impact of around $12 per month. These are scenario estimates, not observed increases in electricity demand or household bills. They should not be read as outcomes that will necessarily occur in every location or for every customer.
Project-level questions remain important: what construction and operating jobs are expected locally, how much of the property-tax base would be available to schools and other public services, and what electricity, water and infrastructure demands would accompany the facility? The study’s statewide forecast cannot answer those questions for every proposed site.
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Illinois’ data-center incentive application status
DCEO says it stopped processing new applications for the Data Center Investment Program on July 1, 2026, following the governor’s June 5 directive. This is a pause in new applications; the available state information does not say that existing agreements or every planned project were canceled. DCEO’s program page lists the program’s terms and current application status.
Before the pause, listed eligibility requirements included at least $250 million in capital investment over 60 months, 20 or more new full-time-equivalent operating or maintenance jobs, and carbon neutrality or a green-building certification. For qualifying projects in underserved areas, the program offered a tax credit equal to 20% of construction-worker wages, in addition to tax exemptions. These were program provisions, not a guarantee that a particular project qualified or received benefits.
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What communities can weigh as projects are proposed
The study announcement presents possible policy approaches, including sharing the cost of new energy needs, investing in clean power, using more efficient water systems, deploying storage, recovering heat, and disclosing relevant project information. These are proposals and recommendations, not requirements established by the cited summaries.
For residents and local officials, the key distinction is between a statewide economic projection and a specific project’s commitments. Construction employment is temporary in nature; operating jobs are fewer and ongoing; and induced jobs are spread across the wider economy. Evaluating a proposal also means considering its local tax arrangements and its demands on power, water and infrastructure.
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