AI data centers are edging out apartments as the development Americans least want next door. Nearly half of U.S. residents oppose construction of an AI data center in their neighborhood, while 38 percent support it, according to a Redfin-commissioned survey.
AI data centers are edging out apartments as the development Americans least want next door, a Redfin-commissioned survey found.
Nearly half, 47 percent, of U.S. residents oppose the construction of an AI (artificial intelligence) data center in their neighborhood, while 38 percent support it, according to the survey conducted by Ipsos in November 2025. The survey was fielded to 4,000 U.S. residents and carries a credibility interval of +/-1.9 percentage points.
TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX SURVEY
The opposition to data centers outpaces resistance to other types of development. Just 37 percent of respondents oppose a new apartment complex in their neighborhood, and 31 percent oppose a new mixed-use development. Opposition to converting single-family homes into multi-unit dwellings, a flashpoint in the national housing debate, came closest to data center opposition, at 46 percent.
The U.S. has more than 3,000 AI data centers, with thousands more in development as demand for AI grows. The survey found opposition is driven in part by concerns about electricity and water consumption, noise and environmental impact. Roughly three in five respondents in the same survey said they believe AI will eliminate jobs.
Data centers can also generate economic benefits, including jobs in IT and security, local construction employment and investment in energy and water infrastructure, according to reporting cited in the Redfin analysis.
Generational and political divides
Younger Americans are more likely to support data centers in their neighborhoods. Fifty percent of millennials and 48 percent of Gen Zers said they support data center construction nearby, compared with 38 percent of Gen Xers and 22 percent of baby boomers.
Political affiliation also tracks with opinion. Roughly half, 49 percent, of Republicans support AI data center construction in their neighborhood, compared with 36 percent of Democrats.
