September study of 3,142 U.S. counties finds technology-specific patterns in community sentiment and permitting conditions
PORTLAND, OREGON. — Communities resisting data centers are not necessarily resisting energy development, according to a new nationwide analysis from Learnewable. Comparing solar, battery storage and data centers across 3,142 U.S. counties, the company found that negative sentiment and development restrictions frequently apply to data centers alone.
Of the 802 counties rated unfavorable for data centers, 578—72%—are neutral or better for both solar and battery storage. Only 13 counties, or 0.4% of those analyzed, have an enacted prohibition or moratorium covering all three technologies. By comparison, 282 restrict data centers alone.
The findings challenge the assumption that a community’s response to one technology reliably predicts its response to another.
Limited overlap, consistent differences
Learnewable’s September county-level feasibility analysis evaluates the three technologies on a common scale from −2 to +2. Correlations between their feasibility scores range from 0.2 to 0.3, indicating a weak relationship between a county’s rating for one technology and its rating for another.
Public sentiment reveals a similar distinction. Among the 974 counties with negative sentiment toward data centers:
- 58% have positive sentiment toward solar.
- 74% have positive sentiment toward battery storage.
- 49% have positive sentiment toward both.
These results suggest that data center opposition should not be treated as a general measure of resistance to solar or storage development.
Existing facilities and population are associated with data center resistance
Counties hosting 10 or more operating data centers record negative sentiment toward additional data centers 66% of the time. Twenty-nine percent fall into the most unfavorable sentiment category, compared with 9% of counties without operating facilities—approximately a threefold difference.
However, sentiment toward solar and storage in those same counties is statistically indistinguishable from sentiment in counties without data centers.
Population exhibits another technology-specific pattern. Negative data center sentiment rises from 13% of counties in the least-populous quarter to 55% in the most-populous quarter. The corresponding increases are smaller for solar, from 12% to 29%, and battery storage, from 4% to 14%.
The median population of counties experiencing a data-center-specific backlash is approximately 60,000, compared with a national county median of approximately 26,000.
These are county-level associations; they do not establish that population or existing facilities cause opposition.
State and regional results reinforce the divide
Twenty-one states with at least 10 counties average positive feasibility scores for solar and storage while averaging negative scores for data centers.
Florida shows the widest separation: +0.27 for solar, +0.30 for storage and −0.84 for data centers. Thirty percent of its counties have a data center restriction. New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania also average positive for solar and storage and negative for data centers.
The Northeast is the most restrictive region for data centers, with 34% of counties subject to a restriction. Its average feasibility score is −0.75 for data centers, compared with −0.02 for solar and +0.09 for storage.
Battery storage ranks highest in every U.S. region. Nationally, it has an average feasibility score of +0.23, a restriction rate of 2.2%, and negative community sentiment in fewer than one in 10 counties.
For developers, the nature of the constraint matters
The analysis identifies 363 counties where supportive data center sentiment coexists with restrictive zoning, concentrated in Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Kansas.
In those jurisdictions, regulatory conditions—not negative public sentiment—are the principal identified constraint. Distinguishing between the two can help developers determine whether to prioritize ordinance changes, community engagement or alternative locations.
For solar and storage developers, the findings offer a different lesson: highly visible data center resistance does not necessarily indicate an unfavorable environment for their projects.
County-level findings provide a screening tool, not a guarantee of project approval. Site-specific rules and community responses still require evaluation.
Dickens County, Texas, is the only county rated favorable for all three technologies this month.
About Learnewable
Learnewable provides AI-powered stakeholder intelligence and project-siting tools for energy, data center and infrastructure development. Its platform helps teams evaluate community sentiment, permitting conditions and the stakeholders influencing project outcomes.
Contact Learnewable to learn more about the September analysis or request a complimentary Site Scout™ report and platform demonstration.