Data Centers in Cincinnati

Cincinnati – Your Low-Risk Midwest Hub

Executive Summary

Cincinnati is an excellent market for enterprises prioritizing uptime, low natural disaster risk, and cost-effective colocation. With 15 data centers and strong regional connectivity, it provides a reliable footprint for disaster recovery sites and latency-sensitive applications serving the Ohio Valley and greater Midwest. This market delivers stability and performance without the high costs of primary coastal hubs.

Cincinnati: At A Glance

Network & Connectivity Ecosystem

Cincinnati's connectivity is solid, providing reliable access for businesses serving the American Midwest. The market is well-suited for enterprises that require resilient network infrastructure without needing direct on-ramps within the city limits.

• Carrier Density & Carrier Neutrality: With 13 providers operating in the market as of September 2025, Cincinnati offers healthy carrier diversity. This competition ensures competitive pricing and provides multiple options for building redundant network architectures.

• Direct Cloud On-Ramps: The market has no direct, public cloud on-ramps as of September 2025. Businesses connect to major cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure via the nearest hubs in Columbus or Chicago through private network interconnects or wavelength services.

• Internet Exchange Points (IXPs): Public peering is limited within Cincinnati itself. Most interconnection occurs through private peering arrangements inside carrier-neutral data centers or by connecting to major exchange points in Chicago.

• Bare Metal: Bare metal server options are available from providers, giving businesses dedicated, high-performance computing resources. Providers like Hivelocity offer solutions for companies needing direct hardware control.

Power Analysis

Cincinnati offers reliable and competitively priced power, making it an attractive location for managing long-term operational expenses for data center deployments.

• Average Cost Of Power: Industrial electricity rates are estimated between $0.08 and $0.10 per kWh, as of 2023. This competitive pricing can significantly reduce total cost of ownership for high-density compute environments. The state's power mix is primarily Natural Gas (59%) and Coal (19%).

• Power Grid Reliability: The regional power grid is well-engineered to support industrial and commercial operations. Data centers in the area benefit from redundant power feeds and substation diversity, contributing to high levels of uptime.

Market Access, Business & Tax Climate

Cincinnati provides a strategic geographical advantage combined with a favorable business environment, making it a smart choice for regional operations.

• Proximity To Key Business Districts: Data centers in the Cincinnati area are located near the central business district and surrounding commercial hubs. This proximity supports low-latency connections for local financial, healthcare, and manufacturing firms.

• Regional Market Reach: From Cincinnati, organizations can effectively serve a large population across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its central location makes it an ideal hub for content delivery and application hosting for the entire Ohio Valley region.

• Tax Advantage For Data Centers: Ohio provides meaningful tax incentives for data center development and operations. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority can award negotiated credits, which helps reduce the financial burden of large-scale capital investments.

Natural Disaster Risk

Cincinnati has a very low natural disaster risk profile, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 19.5 out of 100, as of September 2025. This makes it a prime location for critical infrastructure and disaster recovery sites where uptime is essential.

Key risks are primarily weather-related and typical for the Midwest region. The main hazards to consider in infrastructure design and operational planning are tornadoes, riverine flooding, ice storms, and strong winds. Other risks like earthquakes and hurricanes are exceptionally low.