JLARC — the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission — is the Virginia General Assembly's own oversight agency, and this page is the landing page for its study of the data center industry that has grown so heavily in the state. Lawmakers directed the review in 2023, so it answers to the legislature rather than to either side of the public argument, and it reports effects that cut both ways.

The page itself is framing, not findings. JLARC labels this an archived report and links out to five PDFs — a summary, the full report, recommendations, a presentation, and a consultant review of electric infrastructure and rate impacts — so the analysis sits behind those downloads, not in the page text.

The findings JLARC highlights run in both directions. The industry's footprint in Virginia comes out to roughly 74,000 jobs and a $9.1 billion contribution to state GDP. Against that, the study projects growing data center electricity demand could add $14 to $37 to a typical residential bill each month by 2040. The underlying work also covers siting decisions, effects on residents and natural resources, and the tax incentives the state offers the industry.

Treat the numbers as Virginia-specific. This is one state legislature auditing its own state's industry, grid and tax code, so the job counts, GDP figure and rate projections describe Virginia and won't transfer to another state or country.