US Siting Matrix
A national table of county-level scores for data center site suitability. Composite score is a weighted combination of seven sub-scores covering water, power, regulation, climate, and incentives. v3.2 launch covers ~30 hand-curated counties spanning the major US data center clusters and emerging markets. Full scoring methodology →
How to read this. Higher composite scores indicate locations more suitable for new data center load under default weights. Defaults: water availability 25%, watershed stress 20%, grid water intensity 20%, regulatory friction 15%, power availability and cost 10%, climate efficiency 5%, incentives 5%. Each sub-score runs 0–100, higher = better for siting (more headroom, less stress, less friction). The composite is not an endorsement — it's one model with one weighting. Click any row for sub-score citations. The "Run full WaterMark analysis →" link opens the calculator pre-populated for jurisdictions where detailed water and grid data is available.
State Heatmap — average county composite
Each tile represents one US state, sized equally regardless of geographic area (a "tile grid map," common in data journalism). Color reflects the average composite score of WaterMark-tracked counties in that state. Click a state to filter the matrix below to its counties. Tile-grid layout removes geographic distortion that would otherwise overweight large empty states (Wyoming, Nevada) and underweight dense small states (RI, NJ, DC).
Top 10 — highest composite under default weights
Bottom 10 — lowest composite
| # | County / State | Grid | Composite ▾ | Water | Stress | Grid H₂O | Reg. | Power | Climate | Inc. | Flags |
|---|
All scores are 0–100 (higher = better for siting). Scores are estimates based on USGS Water Use 2020, EIA Form 923, NOAA NCEI climate normals, ISO/RTO interconnection queue reports, and manual ingestion of state ordinances and incentive programs. Full per-county source disclosure in the row drawer. Composite scores are not endorsements. Adjust weights for your project context — a hyperscale operator and an edge developer will weight differently.
Coverage in v3.4 is 30 hand-curated counties matching the calculator's location database. Every row links into the full assessment tool with the location pre-loaded. v3.5 will expand to all CONUS counties using automated USGS / EIA / NOAA / ISO ingestion. Send corrections to ravi@standardwater.co.