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WSJ editorial board on "The Data-Center Dividend for Workers."
Hraness cites a source capture. The source author remains the source.
innovation policy analyst at @RSI & senior fellow with @TheFIREorg. Latest books: Permissionless Innovation (2016) & Evasive Entrepreneurs (2020).
WSJ editorial board on "The Data-Center Dividend for Workers."
Thanks to data centers, the citizens of Richland Parish in Louisiana have basically collectively won the lottery. Absolutely astonishing numbers here. Many other communities benefiting in a big fashion:
"Data centers can help to spread prosperity without government intervention and income redistribution. Could that be the real reason America’s political class is turning against them?" - @WSJopinion
don't miss this earlier WSJ editorial page essay on "The Data Center Panic and U.S. Decline." Very important piece:
Photo 1. WSJ OPINION. OPINION | REVIEW & OUTLOOK. The Data-Center Dividend for Workers. Jobs and wages are booming in counties that welcome AI. By The Editorial Board. Sept. 3, 2026 5:40 pm ET. Aerial photo caption: An Amazon Web Services data center in Stone Ridge, Va. ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES. Visible: suburban cul-de-sac of large homes in the foreground with massive beige AWS data-center buildings and rooftop cooling immediately behind.
Photo 2. Loudoun’s prosperity isn’t an isolated example. Meta’s massive data-center project in Richland Parish in Louisiana is helping revive that poor, rural farming community. Since the first quarter of last year, private employment in Richland has grown 41%, and average weekly wages have shot up 61%. Neighboring parishes have experienced little or no growth. Chart title: The Richland Parish (La.) AI Wage Boom. Subtitle: Average weekly wage in private employment, Q1 2020-Q1 2026. Teal bars mostly $600–$800 through mid-2025, then a sharp rise with Q1 2026 just above $1,300. Note: Q1 2026 is preliminary. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a single year, Richland’s construction workforce has risen more than 10-fold, with average weekly wages up 182%. That amounts to an annual $86,000 pay increase for construction workers. Employment in leisure and hospitality has increased 21.5%, with average weekly wages in the industry soaring 34%.
