A new report from Facebook has set out to quantify how a data center can contribute to regional economic development.

The social media giant conducted a study, from 2011 to 2013, to gauge the economic impact of its Forest City data center on the local North Carolina economy in which it resides.

According to the 2014 Facebook Forest City Economic and Fiscal Impact Report, the presence of its data center helped to catalyze the creation of 4,700 jobs in North Carolina and US$526m in capital spending statewide, generating $680m in economic output.

Much of the economic impact is generated by the construction of a data center, according to the report.

In 2013, the non-construction-related activity associated with Facebook's data center operations in Forest City accounted for $17m in operational expenditures, which it claimed has generated $27m in economic output.

This, according to RTI International - the independent company that compiled the report for Facebook - helped to support ‘approximately’ 310 jobs statewide.

According to the report, every $1m of output resulting directly from direct operating expenditures (of its data center) creates $600,000 in economic output elsewhere in the region.

Overall, according to its estimates, Facebook's 2013 operations in North Carolina and the related economic activity have generated over $1m in state and local taxes.

In total, in the period from 2011-2013 studied in the report, the data center generated a total gross economic impact of $707m and supported 5,000 jobs across North Carolina.

Facebook’s data center manager for Asheville, North Carolina Keven McCammon said: “At Facebook, we believe in making connections near and far, and that includes investing in the places where we live and work.”

“Since we broke ground in 2010, our Forest City data center has grown into a multi-building campus. None of this would have been possible without the support of Forest City and the surrounding Rutherford County,” McCammon said.