Ohio has emerged as a hotspot for data center development, with tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft pouring billions into new facilities. However, a concerning trend is emerging: these massive investments are receiving equally massive tax breaks—approximately $3.7 billion in subsidies—while creating surprisingly few permanent jobs. According to Business Insider’s analysis, these data centers are generating just one job per $10 million in tax incentives, raising serious questions about the economic value these deals truly bring to local communities.
The disparity is striking when compared to other industries. Manufacturing plants typically create one job per $100,000 in tax incentives—making data centers 100 times less efficient at job creation relative to their tax benefits. While these facilities do generate significant construction jobs temporarily and provide some property tax revenue, critics argue the long-term economic impact doesn’t justify the enormous tax breaks. As AI development continues to drive unprecedented demand for data center capacity, communities across America face a critical question: are these tech infrastructure investments worth the massive public subsidies they’re receiving?
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/data-centers-tax-subsidies-jobs-ohio-2025-5