JPMorgan Chase Secures $77M in Tax Breaks for Orangeburg Data Center Expansion—Creating Just 1 Job

In 2024, JPMorgan Chase applied for financial assistance from Rockland County, New York, to expand a data center in Orangeburg—a hamlet with fewer than 4,300 residents. The Rockland County Infrastructure Development Agency (IDA) approved the request, granting the company nearly $77 million in state and local tax breaks for the project.

In exchange, the company pledged to create just one full-time job as part of the expansion, according to documents reviewed by government accountability group Reinvent Albany. The deal has since been labeled “the largest government subsidy ever recorded within the United States,” sparking scrutiny over public funding for projects with minimal job creation.

JPMorgan’s Orangeburg Data Center: A Timeline of Claims vs. Reality

JPMorgan Chase has owned the Orangeburg facility since 2017, transforming a former brownfield site into a data center. The company claims the site currently employs 70 people, though New York Focus reported the facility had only 25 workers at the time of its investigation. The original project proposal had promised just five jobs.

The 2024 expansion—funded by the $77 million in tax breaks—will add only one permanent job, a company spokesperson confirmed. While the expansion will generate 150 temporary construction jobs, critics argue these roles offer little long-term economic benefit to the community.

Data Centers: Short-Term Gains vs. Long-Term Costs

Data center projects frequently highlight job creation during construction, but research from the Brookings Institution suggests these projects deliver “relatively little . . . large-scale employment” beyond temporary roles. The economic contributions of such facilities often fall short of public investment, according to watchdog groups.

“The county is giving away quite a lot of public money in exchange basically for nothing,” said Kasia Tarczynska, senior research analyst at the subsidy watchdog Good Jobs First, in an interview with New York Focus.

Rockland County Defends the Deal

The Rockland County IDA defended the subsidy, arguing that while few permanent jobs would result, the data center would provide more than $100 million in local economic benefits. These benefits include ongoing work for electricians, contractors, and other tradespeople involved in facility upgrades.

JPMorgan Chase emphasized its role as one of New York State’s largest employers, noting the company contributes nearly $40 billion annually to the state’s economy.

Growing Public Opposition to Data Centers

When the Rockland County IDA held a public hearing on the subsidy in 2024, no one attended. The deal was approved just two weeks later. However, public awareness of data center controversies has since surged nationwide.

In 2025, Change.org saw a dramatic increase in petitions against data center projects: 113 petitions amassing around 50,000 signatures, compared to just one petition in 2024, according to Fast Company. Community opposition has intensified in response to concerns over environmental impact, water usage, and the lack of substantial local job creation.