Poll: Support mixed for data centers, state asked to take lead

North Dakotans see value in having data centers in the state, particularly if developers cover infrastructure costs, but remain split on whether they’d welcome them in their communities, a new North Dakota Poll has found. 

Poll respondents also said they were more welcoming to traditional data centers – those providing digital services such as messaging, GPS navigation, banking transactions and storage for things like hospital records – than they were data centers primarily used for powering artificial intelligence computations. 

Among those polled, 57% said they supported the development of traditional data centers, while 19% opposed and 24% were undecided. 

A total of 45% opposed development of artificial intelligence data centers in North Dakota, compared to 35% who supported that development, with 20% who remained undecided. 

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A total of 74% said they would support development of traditional data centers in the state if developers cover all local infrastructure costs, with 12% opposed and 14% undecided, the poll commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative found. 

“This is good news, because regardless of AI, we’d need to double data center capacity in the next five years in the U.S. to keep ecommerce, streaming, and the other tools we’ve been relying on for the last decade to keep the modern economy going,” said Arik Spencer, CEO of the Greater North Dakota Chamber representing businesses across the state. 

“Investing in this infrastructure means more accessibility, stronger businesses, and greater opportunities for growth,” Spencer said. 

Traditional data centers, which can include colocation data centers where companies rent server racks for storage or computation, centers used for crypto mining, and institutional data centers, currently comprise the majority of data centers built, under construction, or planned for the state. 

Larger data centers, sometimes referred to as hyperscale, are more specialized and support large computing needs for artificial intelligence. 

According to the U.S. Data Center Map project, a total of seven such data centers are built, under construction or planned in North Dakota, comprising 19% of the state’s data center total. 

Robert Mayo, an economist and researcher at North Dakota State University’s Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth, said he wasn’t entirely convinced that people understand the difference between traditional data centers and the newer, hyperscale ones focused on AI. 

“It’s good that they asked it both ways,” Mayo said of the poll. “One of the things that I think is a big problem in this debate is that there is one name … data center … but that name covers massively different kinds of things.”

Mayo said he felt there was a general lack of understanding about the differences among data centers. 

“Until people understand it, they’re not going to be able to make informed decisions,” he said. “And that’s what concerns me, and that’s what I see in this data. A lot of people just don’t know what they are … good, bad, or indifferent.” 

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Where to build data centers is one of the biggest areas of opposition. Many respondents don’t appear to want them in or near their communities. 

A total of 40% said they would oppose the development of even a traditional data center in their community, with 36% supportive and another 24% on the fence as undecided. 

“I think the parts on data centers and zoning are really essential, but I don’t know that the people surveyed understand the roles of zoning very well,” said state Sen. Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, remarking on the large numbers of undecided. “I think a lot of people don’t understand the critical stance that zoning at the township, the city, the county levels plays.” 

Among respondents, 69% said they had either a lot or some information about proposals to expand data centers in North Dakota, and 62% felt traditional data centers were very or somewhat important for the economy of the state. 

Another 59% said they believed data centers were important for creating jobs in the state, either during construction or for facility operation. 

In addition, there is a good understanding that industrial projects like data centers have a considerable importance for generating local tax revenue, with 52% responding that data centers were very important or important for expanding the local tax base. 

While self-identified Republican and Democrat respondents were fairly even in their belief that tax revenue from data centers was important, self-identified independents veered the other way. A total of 36% of independents said tax revenue from data centers was not important at all when considering local impact. 

“It’s very good for taxation, and in some places that’s a major selling point,” Hogan said. “But it’s not perceived here, I mean it’s over 50% for most, but independents are less likely to see it as an advantage.” 

The North Dakota Poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida, from Oct. 19 through Oct. 21, 2026. A total of 625 North Dakota adult residents were interviewed statewide by telephone as part of the survey. 

Among respondents, 40% identified as Republican, 39% as independent, and 21% as Democrat, with an even representation among age groups and genders. 

Geographically, 25% were from Fargo and Cass County, 25% from other parts of eastern North Dakota, 19% from the Bismarck-Mandan region, and 31% from western North Dakota. 

The North Dakota Poll, sponsored by the North Dakota News Cooperative, is the only regular, nonpartisan statewide survey of eligible North Dakota voters and consumers.

The North Dakota Poll, sponsored by the North Dakota News Cooperative, is the only regular, nonpartisan statewide survey of eligible North Dakota voters and consumers.

The North Dakota News Cooperative is a nonprofit news organization providing reliable and independent reporting on issues and events that impact the lives of North Dakotans. The organization increases the public’s access to quality journalism and advances news literacy across the state. For more information about NDNC or to make a charitable contribution, please visit newscoopnd.org. Michael Standaert can be reached at [email protected].