Data Centers vs. The Wild

Explore the state-by-state map

Switch between the overall Environmental Pressure Index and the individual data points behind it. Hover or tap a state for a quick snapshot.

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Top 5 states by Environmental Pressure Index

State rankings

Compare how data center development, listed species, forest cover and drought pressure shape each state’s overall score.

Rank	State	Data Centers	Endangered Species	Forest Cover (%)	DSCI Score	Environmental Pressure Index

Ground-Level Impact

While our Environmental Pressure Index maps the systemic threat, these visualizations show illustrative examples of the types of landscape, habitat and water pressures associated with large-scale infrastructure expansion.

Illustrative Columbia River Gorge scene with data center buildings along the river

Before

After

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Cooling servers with the river's water.

The Columbia River Gorge is a protected scenic corridor, but the data centers built along its banks run hot and need a lot of water to stay cool. Every year they pull millions of gallons from local streams and aquifers, in a region that already swings between snowmelt and drought. Reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting found that one company's data centers now use close to a third of all the water the city of The Dalles consumes. That is the same water the fish, farms and forests of the Gorge depend on.

Illustrative Blue Ridge scene with a cleared high-voltage transmission corridor

Before

After

Blue Ridge, Virginia

High-voltage corridors through the Blue Ridge.

The Blue Ridge is supposed to stay wild, but powering the data center boom means cutting high-voltage transmission corridors through its forests. A living canopy gets replaced by a cleared strip of bare ground and steel towers. A 2026 report from the National Parks Conservation Association warns that this fast buildout is breaking up wildlife habitat across the Mid-Atlantic and pushing industrial infrastructure close to protected land.

Illustrative Sonoran Desert scene with data center infrastructure on desert land

Before

After

Sonoran Desert, Arizona

A water-hungry industry on drying desert land.

The Sonoran Desert around Tucson supports a remarkable range of wildlife, and it sits in a region facing severe drought as the Colorado River keeps shrinking. Data centers now compete for both the limited water and the open land they need to build on. As Grist has reported, Arizona's aquifers are running low even as large data centers move into the state, and in Tucson residents pushed back hard enough against one proposed complex that the city council rejected it.

Image disclaimer: These before-and-after visuals are illustrative scenarios, not documented photography of actual data center damage at these locations. They are designed to show the types of landscape fragmentation, water stress and habitat disturbance that can be associated with large-scale data center infrastructure, based on the sources cited above.

Methodology

Outforia created this index to compare where data center activity may overlap with existing environmental pressure at state level. The ranking combines a state-level data center count with three environmental indicators: threatened and endangered species, forest cover and drought pressure.

What went into the index

1. Data center countWe used Data Center Map to count total data centers by state. This replaced the original Pew table after review, because the Pew extract only covered a small subset of facilities. This input is used as the development pressure signal in the final score.

2. Threatened and endangered speciesWe counted federally listed threatened and endangered species by state using U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS state listing totals.

3. Forest coverWe used the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis report for forest-cover percentages. Forest cover was included as a habitat exposure signal. A higher forest-cover percentage is not treated as bad on its own, but it can indicate more natural landscape that may be sensitive to large infrastructure expansion.

4. Drought pressureWe used the U.S. Drought Monitor’s Drought Severity and Coverage Index, which runs from 0 to 500. Higher values indicate more widespread or more severe drought conditions.

How the score was calculated

Each input was converted to a comparable 0 to 100 scale so that states could be compared fairly across different types of data.

The three environmental indicators were averaged to create an environmental vulnerability base score. The data center count score was then applied as a development pressure multiplier.

Environmental Pressure Index = environmental vulnerability base × data center development multiplier.

Important context: This index is designed to compare state-level environmental pressure signals in a simple, journalist-friendly way. It highlights where data center activity may overlap with existing pressures on wildlife, forests and water resources. Individual projects can vary widely by location, design, water use, mitigation and local permitting.

Sources

Data centers: Data Center Map state-level data center counts.
Threatened and endangered species: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS state listing totals.
Forest cover: USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis report.
Drought pressure: U.S. Drought Monitor Drought Severity and Coverage Index data, using the latest state reading available for this study: June 9, 2026.

The ranking excludes states with no qualifying data center count in the Data Center Map input. These states are shaded gray on the map: Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.