Data Center Workers Are Stretching Their Per Diem by Living in RVs

Key Points:

• Data center construction in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and other locations has led to an influx of workers living in RV parks, transforming them from tourist destinations to long-term housing hubs for hundreds of employees from companies like Google, QTS, and Meta.
• The demand for RVs from data center workers is helping stabilize the struggling RV industry, with dealerships reporting steady sales by targeting workers with advertising and offering cost comparisons between hotels and RV ownership.
• RV parks are adapting to the new long-term tenants, facing challenges such as increased maintenance, rent collection issues, and balancing space for transient tourists and permanent workers, leading to higher rates and operational changes.
• Corporate Mobile Housing and other providers have expanded capacity significantly to accommodate the surge in data center construction workers, with plans to repurpose infrastructure once projects conclude, reflecting the temporary nature of this housing trend.
• Political shifts in states like Texas and Michigan, including elected officials supporting moratoriums on new data center developments, may impact future construction projects and the associated demand for RV housing, while some RV parks risk losing value after worker departures.