Ranked: U.S. States by AI and Data Center Jobs

Ranked: U.S. States by AI and Data Center Jobs

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The AI boom isn’t just about chatbots and software. It’s also creating thousands of jobs tied to the physical infrastructure that powers large-scale computing.

As companies race to build data centers and expand AI capacity, employment tied to AI infrastructure has climbed to 482,716 jobs nationwide, according to 2025 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

This map ranks all 50 states by AI and data center employment, highlighting where this fast-growing segment of the tech economy has taken root—and which states have built the deepest talent bases.

The AI and Data Center Boom: Jobs by State

California leads the nation with 81,577 AI and data center jobs, accounting for about 17% of the U.S. total.

While California dominates in total jobs, Washington ranks first on a per capita basis, with 289.8 roles per 100,000 residents. This is partially thanks to being home base to companies like Microsoft and Amazon.

Rank	State	Data Center and AI Jobs (2025)	Per capita (Jobs per 100k population)
1	California	81,577	204.5
2	Texas	48,029	148.2
3	Florida	28,682	118.0
4	New York	27,849	138.4
5	Georgia	24,137	211.5
6	Washington	23,650	289.8
7	Virginia	20,434	228.0
8	Illinois	16,625	129.4
9	New Jersey	16,047	164.7
10	Missouri	14,520	229.7
11	Colorado	13,290	219.0
12	Pennsylvania	13,060	98.9
13	Ohio	13,016	108.5
14	North Carolina	12,439	109.3
15	Arizona	10,936	140.2
16	Michigan	10,214	99.6
17	Massachusetts	10,128	139.2
18	Wisconsin	8,377	139.1
19	Utah	8,276	228.3
20	Tennessee	7,918	107.2
21	Oregon	7,653	177.6
22	Minnesota	7,313	124.5
23	Maryland	5,491	86.4
24	Connecticut	4,408	117.9
25	Arkansas	4,048	129.5
26	South Carolina	4,010	70.8
27	Indiana	3,931	56.1
28	Alabama	3,791	72.4
29	Kentucky	3,684	79.0
30	Iowa	3,545	107.8
31	Louisiana	3,234	70.0
32	Nevada	3,045	90.3
33	Kansas	2,537	84.3
34	Nebraska	2,205	108.1
35	New Hampshire	2,128	149.6
36	Oklahoma	1,650	39.7
37	District of Columbia	1,636	233.7
38	Idaho	1,271	61.6
39	West Virginia	1,195	67.6
40	Mississippi	1,132	38.5
41	New Mexico	998	46.5
42	Maine	809	57.1
43	Rhode Island	696	61.6
44	Hawaii	534	36.7
45	Delaware	516	47.6
46	Montana	516	44.9
47	Vermont	484	74.7
48	South Dakota	404	43.1
49	North Dakota	313	38.6
50	Wyoming	216	36.4
51	Alaska	119	15.9
—	U.S. Totals	482,716	139.2

More populous states like Texas (48,029), Florida (28,682), and New York (27,849) are all at the top of the leaderboard in absolute terms. That said, the latter two (Florida and New York) are actually below average in per capita terms.

Silicon Slopes and the Data Center Capital of the World

When sorting the list in per capita terms, the states Utah, Missouri, and Virginia stand out—all making the top five.

Virginia has the world’s largest concentration of data centers (Northern Virginia’s “Data Center Alley”), driven by hyperscalers, federal demand, and dense fiber connectivity.

Utah is known in the tech industry as “Silicon Slopes”, with a budding startup ecosystem, strong SaaS presence, and tax-friendly policies for data center investment.

Finally, Missouri is an emerging Midwest tech hub with growing cloud, geospatial intelligence, and defense-tech activity, supported by low-cost power and central U.S. connectivity.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Learn more about data center electricity demand by region in this visualization on Voronoi.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-states-by-ai-data-center-jobs/