Good Jobs First
Washington DC non-profit tracking corporate subsidies; its Subsidy Tracker database documented 12 US states with active data-centre moratorium bills in 2026.
Last refreshed: 6 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Are states that give data centres billion-dollar tax breaks actually getting a good deal?
Timeline for Good Jobs First
Mentioned in: Mills vetoes Maine moratorium; House override fails
Data Centres: Boom and BacklashCounted at least 12 states with active moratorium bills in 2026 session
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Twinsburg and Ypsilanti use utility hookup denialPublished data on 12 in-session state moratorium bills and subsidy cost data
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Maine passes first US statewide DC freezePublished calculation of $1B+ annual state tax abatements to data centre operators
Data Centres: Boom and Backlash: Loudoun rezones 268,700 sq ft despite tax loss- How much do states lose in tax breaks to data centres?
- Good Jobs First calculated that Georgia, Virginia, and Texas each lose more than $1 billion per year in forgone state and local tax revenue through data centre tax exemptions. The organisation tracked active moratorium or exemption-reform efforts across 12 states as of April 2026.Source: Good Jobs First
- Do data centres create enough jobs to justify their tax subsidies?
- Good Jobs First argues data centres have poor subsidy-per-job economics because they require very high capital investment but relatively few permanent employees. Operators dispute this, citing property tax revenue and downstream economic activity.Source: Good Jobs First
- What is Good Jobs First and what does it do?
- Good Jobs First is a Washington DC-based non-profit research organisation, founded 1998, that tracks corporate subsidies through its Subsidy Tracker database. It publishes analysis of the fiscal costs of state and local incentive programmes, focusing on whether they produce commensurate employment and economic gains.Source: Good Jobs First public record
- How much do US states spend on data centre tax breaks?
- According to Good Jobs First, Georgia, Virginia, and Texas each lose more than $1 billion per year in foregone state and local tax revenue through data-centre exemptions. Virginia alone has directed over $1 billion annually towards data-centre development via tax abatements.Source: Good Jobs First / data-centres update 1
- How many US states have data centre moratorium bills in 2026?
- Good Jobs First documented at least 12 US state legislatures with active moratorium bills filed in the 2026 session. Vermont's S.205 proposes the longest freeze — through July 2030. Maine's bill was vetoed and the override failed; Seattle enacted a city-level 365-day freeze.Source: Good Jobs First / data-centres update 2
- Why is Good Jobs First data used in both conservative and progressive policy debates?
- Good Jobs First's analysis targets the fiscal cost of corporate incentives — a concern shared by anti-subsidy conservatives (wasteful government spending) and progressive labour advocates (public money with low employment return). Its data centres analysis shows high capital-to-employment ratios that make the subsidy-per-job calculation unfavourable.Source: Good Jobs First public stance
- Did Good Jobs First data influence the Maine data centre moratorium debate?
- Yes. Maine's LD 307 moratorium debate explicitly drew on Good Jobs First's fiscal cost analysis of DC tax exemptions. Governor Mills vetoed the bill on 24 April 2026, citing the $550 million Androscoggin Mill redevelopment; the House failed to override 72-65.Source: Maine legislature / data-centres update 2
Background
Good Jobs First is a Washington DC-based non-profit research organisation that tracks corporate subsidies through its Subsidy Tracker database. In the context of the US data centre boom, its analysis has become a primary reference for the fiscal cost of the incentive programmes states and localities use to attract data centre investment.
In April 2026, Good Jobs First documented that Georgia, Virginia, and Texas each lose more than $1 billion per year in forgone state and local tax revenue through data centre exemptions. The organisation has tracked moratorium efforts across 12 states, publishing that tally as the marker for how broadly resistance to data centre subsidies is spreading. The Maine moratorium debate specifically cited the fiscal cost of existing DC tax exemptions as a reason legislators backed the pause.
Good Jobs First's Subsidy Tracker is the most comprehensive public database of state and local corporate incentives in the United States. The organisation takes a critical stance on tax-incentive competition between states, arguing it transfers wealth to corporations without commensurate employment gains. Its data centre subsidy work has attracted attention because the employment density of data centres — very high capital investment per job created — makes the subsidy-per-job calculation unfavourable compared to manufacturing or distribution.