Data centers in Ohio: 71 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Most of Ohio's big data centers sit around New Albany, in Licking and Franklin counties, where Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, QTS and Vantage have campuses running or under construction. Towns elsewhere are pushing back: at least 138 Ohio towns and townships had data center moratoriums in force on September 17 and 23 had effectively banned them, by an Ohio Capital Journal count. A Bowling Green State University poll found 78% of Ohioans support a pause until more is known.

In Licking County, Pataskala City Council voted unanimously on August 25 to deny Aligned Data Centers' 200-megawatt plan, after hours of testimony. "We don't need a four-story building," resident Brandyn Bernard told the council. In Cleveland, the city rejected Lakeland Equity Group's $1.6 billion, 150-megawatt campus in Slavic Village in May. Jackson Township in southwestern Franklin County, next to Grove City, passed a one-year moratorium covering all its unincorporated land. Urbana, Lordstown and Commercial Point are being sued by developers over the moratoriums they passed.

Who pays for the power has been settled mostly by state regulators. Since July 2025, new data centers served by AEP Ohio must pay for at least 85% of the power capacity they reserve, whether they use it or not, and a House bill would extend that rule statewide. Pataskala voters decide in the November 3 election whether to allow data centers that use more than 25 megawatts.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.