Surging US data center land purchases trigger community backlash and proposed moratoriums

The short version

• Purchases of U.S. land for future data center construction reached roughly $6 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 79% year-over-year surge.[CNBC]
• Data centers accounted for 27% of all U.S. development sites in 2026, driving site costs above $8 million per acre in Northern Virginia and the Northeast.[CNBC]
• The rapid expansion has strained electricity markets, adding an estimated $23.1 billion to capacity revenues through 2028 and provoking severe local backlash.[CNBC]
• Up to nine states are now considering development moratoriums following New York's one-year pause on new hyperscale facilities.[CNBC]

Key facts

• U.S. land acquisitions for future data centers totaled approximately $6 billion across the first half of 2026, a 79% increase over the previous year.[CNBC]
• Data center projects represented 27% of U.S. development sites in 2026, ranking behind only apartment buildings.[CNBC]
• Site prices in Northern Virginia and the Northeast climbed beyond $8 million per acre last year, with land offers in Loudoun County reaching $4.4 million per acre.[CNBC]
• A market monitoring report attributed a $23.1 billion rise in regional electricity capacity auction revenues through 2028 primarily to data center power demand.[CNBC]
• Local officials in Saline Township, Michigan, resigned after receiving death threats over a proposed multi-billion dollar facility for Oracle and OpenAI.[CNBC]
• Up to nine U.S. states have pending moratoriums on data center construction following a one-year freeze enacted in New York.[CNBC]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• AI data centers are transforming rural land markets — and fueling a backlashCNBC