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↓ Download the 2-page PDF briefRankings reflect forward-looking site opportunity, not existing market concentration. Saturated markets may rank lower due to permitting complexity, grid constraints, and community opposition.
| # | State | Score | Market Tier | Grid Depth (S·M) | Load Growth | Permitting | BTM | Sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
† Incomplete data coverage — no EIA-861 utility load-growth data matched for this state, so the load-growth factor is floored (treated as a negative signal, not neutral). Hover the marker for the coverage level.
This index scores each state on its forward-looking viability for new data center development — not current market size or existing inventory. States with large existing concentrations (e.g. Northern Virginia) may rank lower due to grid saturation, permitting complexity, and elevated community opposition, all of which increase cost and timeline risk for new entrants. States with strong grid infrastructure, streamlined permitting, and lower opposition density rank higher regardless of current market maturity.
What this index measures. This report is a Generation Infrastructure Density Index. It measures where transmission and interconnection infrastructure exists based on active interconnection-queue activity — the concentration of utility-scale generation projects queuing to inject power at each substation. High infrastructure density indicates that transmission lines have been built or are being built, utilities have invested in that node, and power is moving through that location at scale.
What it does not measure. This index does not measure load-serving capacity — the ability of a utility to serve a new large power consumer at a specific location. A high-scoring state has strong transmission infrastructure but may still require a utility service availability study to confirm spare transformer capacity and large-load interconnection timelines.
How to use this report. Use this index to pre-screen markets before utility outreach. High-scoring markets warrant further diligence. Low-scoring markets signal thin grid infrastructure where large-load service timelines may extend 24–48+ months.
How the index is scored. Each market is scored 1–10 from five min-max-normalized factors: infrastructure density, STRONG+MODERATE grid depth, weighted utility load growth, market-saturation runway, and permitting ease. The permitting-ease factor tiers each state by large-load siting and generation-permitting friction — Streamlined, Standard, or Complex — rewarding states where projects clear faster.
Community sentiment. Permitting ease is adjusted by a daily sentiment read from news coverage of data-center development. The Sentiment column shows each state's current label.