Independent research conducted by Sandy Dall’Erba, PhD, an economic impact advisor, CEO of Illinois-based consulting firm Greener Impacts, and professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
T5 Data Centers’ Cornerstone Development represents a major investment in Lake County, generating nearly $10 billion in economic impact across Illinois, supporting thousands of jobs and delivering significant new tax revenue.
This independent economic impact study quantifies the development’s benefits to Lake County and the broader Illinois economy, including billions in economic output, wages and tax revenue through 2031.
Importantly, these benefits come without a single tax incentive, abatement or tax break from the Village of Grayslake or Lake County.
$9.94 BILLION in economic output across Illinois, including $7.27 billion in Lake County.
$1.45 BILLION in tax revenue generated through 2031.
$3.92 BILLION in wages and earnings statewide, including $3.08 billion in Lake County.
13,100 jobs supported annually in Lake County, on average, during Phase 2 construction.
| Lake County | Illinois | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time-equivalent jobs supported each year | 940 | 1,232 |
| Labor income generated each year | $120.2 million | $138.9 million |
| Phase | Timing | Lake County | Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 construction | FY2024 – early FY2026 | $156.1 million | $227.0 million |
| Phase 2 construction | Late FY2026 – FY2028 | $5.49 billion | $7.69 billion |
| Phase 3 operations | FY2027 – FY2031 | $1.63 billion | $2.02 billion |
Over FY2024–FY2031, combined construction and operations are estimated to support about 49,800 full-time-equivalent job-years across Illinois (6,200 jobs per year), including 38,200 in Lake County. Combined county, state and federal fiscal revenues reach $952.0 million in the Lake County analysis and $1.45 billion statewide.
Illinois figures include Lake County. All monetary values in 2026 dollars. One FTE job-year represents one full-time-equivalent job supported for one year; employment estimates include direct, indirect and induced effects and do not necessarily represent distinct individuals employed. Tax incentive information was provided by the Village of Grayslake and was not independently verified as part of the analysis.