Chicago is a Tier 1 US data center market in IL on the PJM grid. Colocation inventory is about 911 MW (CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026, +37.7% YoY); CBRE H2 2025: 904.6 MW; JLL H1 2025: 882 MW). Vacancy is 2.2% (CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026); CBRE H2 2025 chapter: 1.9%). Typical colocation pricing runs $200-230/kW/month (CBRE Q1 2026, +14.7% YoY). GoDataCenters tracks 225 facilities from 13 operators in the metro.
Chicago data center market at a glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Operational colocation inventory | 911 MW | CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026, +37.7% YoY); CBRE H2 2025: 904.6 MW; JLL H1 2025: 882 MW |
| Under construction | 1,184 MW | JLL Midyear 2025 (1,184 MW); CBRE H2 2025 reports Chicago under-construction +169% YoY (no absolute) (H1 2025) |
| Planned pipeline | 2,950 MW | JLL Midyear 2025 (H1 2025) |
| Vacancy | 2.2% | CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026); CBRE H2 2025 chapter: 1.9% |
| Net absorption | 368 MW | JLL Midyear 2025 (H1 2025 absorption 368 MW) |
| Typical pricing (kW/month) | $200-230/kW/month (CBRE Q1 2026, +14.7% YoY); $155-165/kW 1-5 MW (JLL H1 2025) | |
| Grid operator | PJM | |
| Power utility | ComEd (Exelon) | |
| Facilities tracked by GoDataCenters | 225 | GoDataCenters facility database |
How available is power for data centers in Chicago?
Projects serviced by ComEd face power delivery delays until 2032 or later; ComEd now requires 10-year letters of credit backing transmission revenue on 50 MW+ projects; no contiguous 5 MW+ space available; development moving outside suburbs to 500 MW+ power sites (CBRE H2 2025).
Power is served by ComEd (Exelon). Grid operator: PJM.
Who are the major data center operators in Chicago?
Major operators active in the market: Digital Realty, Equinix, Meta, Microsoft, CyrusOne, Aligned, Prime Data Centers, CoreSite, T5, Compass Datacenters, STACK, PowerHouse, CoreWeave (tenant).
| Operator | Facilities in metro (GoDataCenters DB) |
|---|---|
| Prologis | 25 |
| CyrusOne Data Centers | 16 |
| Pioneer Development | 15 |
| Digital Realty | 12 |
| Lumen | 9 |
| Western Hospitality Partners | 9 |
| Savion Renewable Energy | 8 |
| NTT DATA, Inc. | 6 |
| Csquare | 5 |
| Equinix | 5 |
| Edged Energy | 4 |
| US Signal Company, LLC | 1 |
Facility concentration by city: Chicago (165), Aurora (60).
What does colocation cost in Chicago?
Typical pricing bands: $200-230/kW/month (CBRE Q1 2026, +14.7% YoY); $155-165/kW 1-5 MW (JLL H1 2025). Bands are brokerage-reported ranges for the market, not quotes. Actual rates depend on power density, term, ramp and redundancy.
Fiber and carrier presence in Chicago
Equinix CH1/CH2/CH4 (350 E Cermak) and Digital Realty ORD10 are the most popular interconnection facilities (Baxtel).
What tax incentives apply to data centers in IL?
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| State sales/use tax exemption | yes (new applications paused from Jul 1 2026 for two years) |
| Program | Illinois Data Center Investment Program |
| Threshold | $250M capital investment over 60 months + 20 FT jobs at 120% county median wage; 20-year exemption; carbon neutral/green building certification required; 20% construction wage credit in underserved areas |
| Note | Per Governor’s directive of June 5, 2026, DCEO stopped processing new applications as of July 1, 2026 (two-year suspension); existing agreements grandfathered. |
Chicago colocation by capacity band
Frequently asked questions
How much data center capacity is in Chicago?
About 911 MW of operational colocation inventory per CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026, +37.7% YoY); CBRE H2 2025: 904.6 MW; JLL H1 2025: 882 MW. A further 1,184 MW is under construction.
What is the data center vacancy rate in Chicago?
2.2% per CBRE Global Data Center Trends 2026 (Q1 2026); CBRE H2 2025 chapter: 1.9%.
What is the typical colocation price per kW in Chicago?
$200-230/kW/month (CBRE Q1 2026, +14.7% YoY); $155-165/kW 1-5 MW (JLL H1 2025).
Which grid serves Chicago data centers?
PJM. Utility: ComEd (Exelon).
Does IL offer a data center sales tax exemption?
yes (new applications paused from Jul 1 2026 for two years). Program: Illinois Data Center Investment Program. Threshold: $250M capital investment over 60 months + 20 FT jobs at 120% county median wage; 20-year exemption; carbon neutral/green building certification required; 20% construction wage credit in underserved areas.
Is Chicago a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 data center market?
Chicago is classified as a Tier 1 market, using the CBRE, JLL and Cushman & Wakefield market tracking conventions.
Related pages
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Sources
- https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/global-data-center-trends-2026
- https://www.cbre.com/insights/books/north-america-data-center-trends-h2-2025/chicago-data-center-market
- https://www.cbre.com/press-releases/northern-virginia-extends-lead-as-largest-u-s-data-center-market-in-2025
- https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/cbre-new-data-center-capacity-under-construction-in-primary-us-markets-declines-year-on-year/
- https://realestatedaily-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/JLL-North-America-Data-Center-Report-Midyear-2025-8.14.25.pdf
- https://baxtel.com/data-center/chicago
- https://dceo.illinois.gov/expandrelocate/incentives/datacenters.html
- https://www.constructionowners.com/insights/data-center-tax-incentives-state-by-state-whos-still-giving-whos-taking-back
Data compiled by GoDataCenters. Last updated 2026-09-02. Figures are market-level ranges from cited reports, not quotes.