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Census Data Shows Regional Gaps in Air Conditioning Access During Heatwave
Census Bureau estimates indicate wide differences in household air-conditioning availability across states as a heat dome covers much of the eastern United States. The data show the highest shares of homes without cooling in Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of the Northwest and Northeast.
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Census Bureau estimates show that 93 percent of Alaska households and nearly half of Hawaii households lack any form of air conditioning. More than one-quarter of Vermont households and more than one-third of Washington households also have no air conditioning, according to the same data.
Air-conditioning access is highest in the Southeast. Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana each report less than one percent of occupied households without cooling equipment.
The Energy Information Administration reported that almost 90 percent of U.S. households used air conditioning in 2020. Two-thirds of households relied on central systems or central heat pumps as their main equipment. The Midwest and South regions recorded the highest usage rates at 92 percent and 93 percent, respectively.
The West region recorded the lowest rate at 73 percent, with the marine climate zone along the Pacific Coast at 49 percent.
A heat dome has brought temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average across much of the eastern United States during the July Fourth weekend. Extreme heat warnings from the National Weather Service cover all or part of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.
AccuWeather forecasters stated that hundreds of millions of people remain under the conditions and advised residents to drink water, seek shade or air conditioning, and recognize signs of heat-related illness.
