Kansans Doubt Data Centers Will Help Local Economies

Kansas cities will vote on data center limits in November as tax-incentivized projects face community resistance.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Data Centers

Wide photograph of a windowless data center building with rooftop cooling units on flat Kansas prairie, harvested wheat stubble in the foreground under an overcast sky. — Kansas voters will decide on data center limits in November as the state's 20-year sales tax exemption for large projects draws skepticism from residents. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you think a new data center would hurt or help your community's economy?

Fort Hays State University released Kansas Speaks survey results on October 26, showing more Kansans view new data centers as negative for community economies than positive. The research-stage survey of 603 Kansans, fielded September 23 to October 16, reflects public opinion rather than a policy change.

Why it matters

The findings arrive as Kansas has already offered large data center developers a 20-year state and local sales tax exemption under Senate Bill 98, passed by the Legislature in 2025 to attract large-scale projects. Public skepticism is now measurable, and it is spreading into local ballots.

The survey asked respondents to rate the economic impact of a new data center on a community, and ranked 13 public affairs issues with each respondent selecting a top five. Data centers ranked 12th of 13, with less than 10% placing them in their top five, while groceries (89.5%) and housing costs (86.7%) dominated.

The players

Fort Hays State University

A Kansas public university whose Kansas Speaks program conducts recurring statewide public opinion research.

Kansas Legislature

The state legislative body that passed Senate Bill 98, the 2025 sales tax exemption for large-scale data centers.

The details

Respondents rated the expected economic effect of a new data center on their community, and separately ranked 13 public affairs issues by picking their top five. The survey measures stated opinion, not realized outcomes, so it captures how residents expect data centers to affect local economies. Senate Bill 98 removes state and local sales taxes on qualifying large-scale facilities for 20 years, a tax incentive that shapes the financial case developers present to communities.

2025: The Legislature passed Senate Bill 98 with the 20-year sales tax exemption.
July 2026: Officials touted data center benefits at a data center summit.
September 23 to October 16, 2026: The Kansas Speaks survey was fielded with 603 respondents.
October 26, 2026: Survey results were released, and Topeka petitions were filed.
November 2026: Three Kansas cities hold data center-limiting ballot questions.

The Tech Race

Kansas is competing with other states for large-scale data center projects by offering long-term tax exemptions, a strategy the Legislature adopted in Senate Bill 98. The survey suggests that the incentive is meeting resistance at the community level before projects have been built.

Kansas residents in the cities with November ballot questions will vote directly on whether to limit data center development in their communities. Residents across the state face the same trade-off between tax-incentive-driven projects and the energy and water concerns that most respondents said worry them.

The takeaway

Watch the November 2026 ballot results in the three Kansas cities for a direct test of whether public skepticism translates into local limits on data center development. Residents who want to follow the issue can track Topeka's petition process as a possible next ballot question.

What happens next

Three Kansas cities will hold data center-limiting ballot questions in November 2026, and Topeka residents have filed petitions for a similar question.