AI data centers aren’t just eating electricity and GPUs, they’re also creating a serious economic boom in the places where they’re built.
Meta’s massive Louisiana data-center project saw private-sector employment jump 41% in its first year, while average weekly wages surged 61%.
And the money is spreading beyond construction. Leisure and hospitality jobs increased 21.5%, with wages in the sector rising 34%.
Meta’s expanded project is now worth more than $50 billion, spans nearly 10 million square feet and is expected to create around 7,500 construction jobs.
Once construction ends, only about 1,000 permanent operating jobs are expected to remain.
