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Datacenter Sites in Illinois

Illinois has 3,641 scored datacenter candidate sites averaging 53.6/100 DC Readiness. Industrial parcels lead the inventory (1,441 sites). Most sites interconnect through MISO. The state's candidate sites carry a catalogued aggregate of 166.4k MW and average a 4.8 yrs interconnection-queue wait.

At a glance

Illinois has 3,641 scored datacenter candidate sites, the 14th-most of the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, averaging 53.6/100 DC Readiness against a national average of 53.0. Its average score ranks 26th among states. The state also has 75 operating datacenters and 71 internet exchange facilities on record.

3,641
Candidate sites
53.6/100
Avg DC Readiness
166.4k MW
Catalogued capacity
theoretical aggregate
4.8 yrs
Avg queue wait
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≥ 7560–7540–60≤ 40
Top 25 in Illinois

How does Illinois compare with other states for datacenter sites?

By number of scored candidate sites, Illinois ranks 14th of the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico (3,641 of 147,272 nationally, 2.5%). Its average DC Readiness of 53.6/100 ranks 26th and is roughly in line with the national average of 53.0. The average interconnection-queue wait at its sites, 4.8-year, is the 44th-shortest of the group (national 4.2-year).

Across the five headline sub-scores, Illinois is strongest relative to the nation on water (87.4 vs 72.3 nationally) and weakest on speed to power (43.4 vs 50.0). Power and speed to power carry 20% of the score each, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.

Which counties in Illinois have the most datacenter sites?

Cook County (745 sites, average 53.1), Winnebago County (193 sites, average 51.1), and Stephenson County (127 sites, average 47.8) hold the largest inventories. Together the top 3 account for 29% of the state's scored sites. DuPage has the highest average score among counties with at least 10 sites (60.2/100). 101 counties have five or more scored sites and their own county page.

What kinds of sites and grid regions are in Illinois?

Industrial parcels are the largest category (1,441, 40%), followed by greenfield (913) and substation-adjacent (795). Sites span 2 grid regions; MISO covers 52% of them.

By site type

By grid region

Average sub-score profile

How Illinois's candidate sites score on each DC Readiness dimension (0–100 average).

Power availability
36.9
Speed-to-power
43.4
Fiber
70.6
Water
87.4
Hazard resilience
63.3

Top 25 datacenter sites in Illinois

Ranked by DC Readiness.

Top datacenter sites in Illinois
SiteTypeCountyVoltageCapacityQueue waitScore
UNKNOWN122269Substation-AdjacentCook County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs70.3
UNKNOWN121936Substation-AdjacentKenosha County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs69.5
UNKNOWN124436Substation-AdjacentCook County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs69.3
UNKNOWN133790Substation-AdjacentLake County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs67.8
UNKNOWN122285Substation-AdjacentCook County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs67.6
CAHOKIASubstation-AdjacentSt. Louis city345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs67.6
SUB 39Substation-AdjacentRock Island County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs67.2
PLANO (765 KV)Substation-AdjacentKendall County765 kV1,000 MW4.8 yrs67.0
FARGO 345 KVSubstation-AdjacentPeoria County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.6
RISER159741Substation-AdjacentTazewell County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.6
TAP139481Substation-AdjacentSt. Louis city345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.6
OAK GROVESubstation-AdjacentRock Island County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.6
STALLINGSSubstation-AdjacentMadison County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.5
JOLIETSubstation-AdjacentWill County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.5
BALDWIN STATIONSubstation-AdjacentRandolph County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.4
Solar Star Urbana Landfill Community Solar FarmBrownfieldChampaign—5 MW4.8 yrs66.3
POWERTON STATIONSubstation-AdjacentTazewell County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.2
UNKNOWN122603Substation-AdjacentTazewell County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.2
MAPLE RIDGESubstation-AdjacentPeoria County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.1
TAZEWELLSubstation-AdjacentTazewell County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs66.1
UNKNOWN121705Substation-AdjacentSt. Louis city138 kV100 MW4.8 yrs65.9
Electric JunctionBrownfieldDuPage County—304 MW4.8 yrs65.8
COFFEENSubstation-AdjacentBond County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs65.8
JOPPA 345Substation-AdjacentMassac County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs65.5
UNKNOWN122226Substation-AdjacentDuPage County345 kV600 MW4.8 yrs65.2

Counties in Illinois

101 counties with five or more scored sites.

Cook County745 · 53.1Winnebago County193 · 51.1Stephenson County127 · 47.8Madison County112 · 55.9St. Clair County100 · 54.4Lake89 · 54.8Vermilion County88 · 51.9LaSalle87 · 50.7Will82 · 55.6Sangamon County72 · 53.1Macon County71 · 51.8Rock Island County68 · 58.0DuPage67 · 60.2Williamson County60 · 53.8Peoria County58 · 58.0Ogle County57 · 55.0Saline County56 · 53.6Kankakee County48 · 50.6Randolph County47 · 54.3Tazewell County47 · 58.4Champaign44 · 58.1Fulton County43 · 53.6Kane County42 · 56.7Perry County37 · 51.3White37 · 53.2Pike County35 · 53.4Whiteside County35 · 52.4Franklin County34 · 54.6Jackson34 · 53.6McHenry County33 · 53.9Knox County29 · 55.3Clinton County25 · 54.4McLean County25 · 56.4Fayette County24 · 52.5Gallatin County24 · 51.5Grundy23 · 54.7Hancock County22 · 52.0Lee County22 · 52.4Boone County21 · 52.6Edwards County21 · 53.4Monroe County21 · 56.3Putnam County21 · 54.6Christian20 · 55.9Mason19 · 55.4Richland County19 · 52.6Jasper County18 · 54.2Morgan County18 · 54.8McDonough County17 · 52.2Montgomery County17 · 54.6Crawford County16 · 53.3Jefferson County16 · 53.4Wayne County16 · 54.6DeKalb County15 · 57.4Jo Daviess County15 · 53.0Warren County15 · 50.2Adams County14 · 54.5De Witt County14 · 56.5Hamilton County14 · 54.6Livingston County14 · 52.7Pope County14 · 54.2Moultrie13 · 55.1Bond County12 · 54.4Clark County12 · 54.1Coles County12 · 54.8Hardin County12 · 52.5Kendall County12 · 57.3Logan County12 · 55.9Scott County12 · 54.2Washington County12 · 55.7Bureau County11 · 53.3Clay County11 · 55.0Marshall County11 · 55.4Woodford County11 · 56.3Carroll10 · 52.2Douglas County10 · 57.2Effingham County10 · 53.4Wabash County10 · 55.0Edgar County9 · 57.0Ford County9 · 54.4Macoupin9 · 55.1Greene County8 · 55.4Jersey County8 · 55.7Pulaski County8 · 53.2Schuyler County8 · 52.9Calhoun County7 · 51.7Henry County7 · 57.5Iroquois County7 · 54.9Lawrence County7 · 51.9Marion County7 · 54.6Massac County7 · 60.0Alexander County6 · 49.3Cumberland6 · 56.8Johnson County6 · 56.8Shelby County6 · 53.9Cass5 · 55.5Henderson County5 · 54.4Menard County5 · 55.6Mercer County5 · 53.6Piatt County5 · 55.0Stark County5 · 54.8Union County5 · 53.3

Sites in Illinois counties with fewer than five sites

3 scored sites sit in counties too small for a county page of their own.

Operating datacenters in Illinois

75 operating datacenter facilities in Illinois are on record, the 9th-most of any state. Chicago has the largest cluster (19 facilities). The operators with the most facilities here are Digital Realty (7), Equinix (5), NTT (4). Footprints are recorded for 44 of them, totalling about 22.2 million square feet.

Chicago (19)

Elk Grove Village (14)

Aurora (5)

Itasca (3)

Wood Dale (3)

Mount Prospect (2)

Oak Brook (2)

Alsip (1)

Arlington Heights (1)

Bannockburn (1)

DeKalb (1)

Franklin Park (1)

Lisle (1)

Lombard (1)

Metropolis (1)

Peoria (1)

Rochelle (1)

Vernon Hills (1)

West Chicago (1)

Westmont (1)

Internet exchange and peering facilities in Illinois

71 peering and colocation facilities in Illinois are listed in PeeringDB. Chicago has the most (26). The best-connected facility hosts 329 networks; the median facility in the state hosts 2 networks.

Chicago (26)

Elk Grove Village (10)

Oak Brook (5)

Aurora (4)

Mount Prospect (4)

Northlake (4)

Wood Dale (2)

Alsip (1)

Arlington Heights (1)

Bannockburn (1)

Itasca (1)

Lisle (1)

Lombard (1)

Metropolis (1)

Peoria (1)

Rochelle (1)

Westmont (1)

Illinois datacenter site selection FAQ

How many datacenter sites are in Illinois?

GridCensus catalogs 3,641 scored datacenter candidate sites in Illinois, with an average DC Readiness score of 53.6/100. That is the 14th-largest inventory of the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico.

How many operating datacenters are in Illinois?

75 operating datacenter facilities in Illinois are on record, the 9th-most of any state. Chicago has the most (19). Digital Realty operates the most facilities in the state (7).

What is the average interconnection-queue wait in Illinois?

Candidate sites in Illinois average a 4.8-year interconnection-queue wait, with an average queue depth of 159 projects. The national average across all scored sites is 4.2-year, and Illinois has the 44th-shortest average wait of the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico.

Which county in Illinois has the most datacenter sites?

Cook County has the most scored candidate sites in Illinois (745), followed by Winnebago County (193) and Stephenson County (127). Among counties with at least 10 sites, DuPage has the highest average DC Readiness (60.2/100).

What kind of datacenter sites are most common in Illinois?

Industrial sites are the most common category in Illinois (1,441 sites, 40% of the inventory), and most sites fall within the MISO grid region.

How many internet exchange facilities are in Illinois?

71 peering and colocation facilities listed in PeeringDB are in Illinois. Chicago has the most (26). The best-connected one hosts 329 networks.

Looking for a specific record? The directory lists every scored datacenter site in Illinois, A to Z.

More Illinois infrastructure

About this data

Source: GridCensus composite of HIFLD transmission and substation data, EIA, FEMA National Risk Index, FCC broadband data, PeeringDB and ISO interconnection queues, as published November 12, 2026 — GridCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.

Cite as: GridCensus, “Datacenter candidate sites in Illinois”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/illinois (data as of November 12, 2026).

Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.

Go deeper than the public screen

Every site and score for Illinois is free to browse. Pro adds Watchtower on 25 sites, alerts when new candidate sites, datacenters or interconnection-queue requests appear in your markets, score and capacity history, and CSV export. Enterprise adds team seats, weekly data files for all 147,272 sites, the REST API and an MCP server for AI tools.

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