Quincy’s Economic Growth Linked To Microsoft Data Centers

There is no doubt that the farming community of Quincy WA. Has benefited greatly from the construction and operation of Microsoft data centers. Currently, Microsoft claims to be employing around 400 individuals at their Central Washington operations looking toward fulltime employment of 700 workers by the end of this year. 

How did this start?

It was 20 years ago that Microsoft broke ground in Quincy for the first company owned data center. It’s hard to believe that Quincy’s city fathers understood the kind of expansion and benefits that this would bring to their town 20 years later. This Microsoft data center has expanded to two campuses with over 20 buildings and 2,000,000 square feet of servers and infrastructure. 

According to unlocked.microsoft.com,
Grant County’s population has grown by almost 33% over the last two decades, and Quincy’s poverty rate was cut in half between 2012 and 2023, falling from 29.4% heto 13.1%. Property tax rates for residents have dropped, even as a stronger tax base helped fund community necessities like a new hospital, new city hall, new library, new high school, and new public safety stations that anchor the community. 

It seems that the city of Quincy and its inhabitants have benefited greatly from the construction and operation of the Microsoft Data Center. It’s resulted in a higher tax base for Quincy and also a measurable higher standard of living. Quincy High School has started new trade programs, with Microsoft support including the state’s first high school data center technician program, expanded cyber security and computer science curriculum. 

And it’s spreading.

Microsoft is also hinting that there may be some similarities in growth in the Malaga area as construction continues on the Malaga data center. 

Microsoft is not only bringing the data center to Malaga, but also, they are bringing the power to make it run by partnering with Helion Energy. 

In many ways, this is a new era of growth for Central Washington. We will just have to wait and see if the upside outweighs the downside.