Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Highest Cooling Demand in America
Cooling degree days are the mirror of heating degree days: how far and how long the temperature sits above 65°F. In the counties at the top of this list, cooling is the largest single line on the summer electricity bill. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Where does yours land?
Every county in America is somewhere on this scale, including the one you live in.
Top 100
| # | County | State | Cooling degree days | Summer high | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inyo County | CA | 5,533 | 114.9°F | $2,577 |
| 2 | Broward County | FL | 4,476 | 91.4°F | $3,112 |
| 3 | La Paz County | AZ | 4,453 | 108.7°F | $1,053 |
| 4 | Maui County | HI | 4,423 | 90.0°F | $5,839 |
| 5 | Webb County | TX | 4,341 | 100.9°F | $1,741 |
| 6 | Zapata County | TX | 4,281 | 99.1°F | $925 |
| 7 | Hidalgo County | TX | 4,269 | 98.2°F | $1,272 |
| 8 | Miami-Dade County | FL | 4,244 | 91.7°F | $3,410 |
| 9 | Starr County | TX | 4,232 | 99.4°F | $967 |
| 10 | Willacy County | TX | 4,220 | 97.2°F | $755 |
| 11 | Maricopa County | AZ | 4,202 | 106.5°F | $3,044 |
| 12 | Yuma County | AZ | 4,176 | 109.2°F | $1,589 |
| 13 | Palm Beach County | FL | 4,166 | 90.0°F | $3,294 |
| 14 | Imperial County | CA | 4,162 | 107.8°F | $2,201 |
| 15 | Cameron County | TX | 4,140 | 93.4°F | $1,224 |
| 16 | Collier County | FL | 4,136 | 92.6°F | $3,801 |
| 17 | Monroe County | FL | 4,136 | 92.6°F | $5,467 |
| 18 | Jim Hogg County | TX | 4,113 | 99.9°F | $1,248 |
| 19 | Jim Wells County | TX | 4,071 | 97.4°F | $1,067 |
| 20 | Kauai County | HI | 4,056 | 87.5°F | $5,616 |
| 21 | Lee County | FL | 4,046 | 91.7°F | $2,670 |
| 22 | La Salle County | TX | 3,951 | 100.3°F | $1,064 |
| 23 | Polk County | FL | 3,929 | 92.9°F | $2,008 |
| 24 | Hillsborough County | FL | 3,928 | 91.2°F | $2,725 |
| 25 | Duval County | TX | 3,890 | 97.2°F | $910 |
| 26 | Kleberg County | TX | 3,890 | 97.2°F | $1,487 |
| 27 | Riverside County | CA | 3,880 | 106.9°F | $3,815 |
| 28 | Pinal County | AZ | 3,877 | 104.9°F | $2,360 |
| 29 | Zavala County | TX | 3,838 | 99.1°F | $949 |
| 30 | Aransas County | TX | 3,774 | 92.4°F | $2,060 |
| 31 | Charlotte County | FL | 3,772 | 92.5°F | $2,421 |
| 32 | Nueces County | TX | 3,737 | 95.0°F | $1,845 |
| 33 | Hendry County | FL | 3,733 | 92.7°F | $1,646 |
| 34 | Manatee County | FL | 3,721 | 91.5°F | $2,910 |
| 35 | Pinellas County | FL | 3,701 | 90.6°F | $2,589 |
| 36 | Orange County | FL | 3,693 | 91.9°F | $2,895 |
| 37 | Brooks County | TX | 3,656 | 97.9°F | $894 |
| 38 | McMullen County | TX | 3,616 | 98.9°F | $1,166 |
| 39 | Honolulu County | HI | 3,609 | 85.6°F | $6,017 |
| 40 | Lavaca County | TX | 3,587 | 97.5°F | $1,928 |
| 41 | Sarasota County | FL | 3,581 | 92.5°F | $2,997 |
| 42 | Galveston County | TX | 3,571 | 92.0°F | $2,542 |
| 43 | Gila County | AZ | 3,559 | 103.7°F | $1,921 |
| 44 | Seminole County | FL | 3,554 | 92.7°F | $2,863 |
| 45 | Martin County | FL | 3,528 | 90.8°F | $3,113 |
| 46 | Dimmit County | TX | 3,494 | 99.9°F | $867 |
| 47 | Lake County | FL | 3,481 | 91.7°F | $2,375 |
| 48 | Sumter County | FL | 3,481 | 91.7°F | $2,891 |
| 49 | Frio County | TX | 3,456 | 97.8°F | $1,140 |
| 50 | DeWitt County | TX | 3,454 | 98.3°F | $1,504 |
| 51 | Osceola County | FL | 3,452 | 92.0°F | $2,594 |
| 52 | Brevard County | FL | 3,446 | 89.7°F | $2,475 |
| 53 | San Patricio County | TX | 3,419 | 94.6°F | $1,704 |
| 54 | Clark County | NV | 3,407 | 103.8°F | $2,897 |
| 55 | Indian River County | FL | 3,391 | 90.3°F | $2,557 |
| 56 | Okeechobee County | FL | 3,391 | 90.3°F | $1,559 |
| 57 | St. Lucie County | FL | 3,391 | 90.3°F | $2,547 |
| 58 | Fort Bend County | TX | 3,385 | 95.0°F | $3,216 |
| 59 | Maverick County | TX | 3,339 | 98.6°F | $1,453 |
| 60 | Glades County | FL | 3,337 | 91.4°F | $1,109 |
| 61 | Highlands County | FL | 3,337 | 91.4°F | $1,547 |
| 62 | Atascosa County | TX | 3,331 | 97.5°F | $1,491 |
| 63 | Live Oak County | TX | 3,317 | 96.6°F | $1,319 |
| 64 | Refugio County | TX | 3,308 | 95.2°F | $998 |
| 65 | Wharton County | TX | 3,307 | 96.1°F | $1,720 |
| 66 | Clay County | FL | 3,302 | 91.8°F | $2,315 |
| 67 | Duval County | FL | 3,302 | 91.8°F | $2,275 |
| 68 | Hardee County | FL | 3,300 | 92.0°F | $1,224 |
| 69 | Orleans Parish | LA | 3,292 | 90.8°F | $2,520 |
| 70 | Harris County | TX | 3,288 | 94.9°F | $2,350 |
| 71 | Jackson County | TX | 3,286 | 95.5°F | $1,595 |
| 72 | Victoria County | TX | 3,286 | 95.5°F | $1,837 |
| 73 | Goliad County | TX | 3,270 | 96.1°F | $1,649 |
| 74 | Suwannee County | FL | 3,254 | 93.5°F | $1,422 |
| 75 | Bee County | TX | 3,220 | 95.7°F | $1,066 |
| 76 | DeSoto County | FL | 3,217 | 91.6°F | $1,371 |
| 77 | Brazoria County | TX | 3,213 | 91.6°F | $2,536 |
| 78 | St. Charles Parish | LA | 3,206 | 91.4°F | $2,160 |
| 79 | Caldwell County | TX | 3,192 | 98.2°F | $1,955 |
| 80 | Karnes County | TX | 3,178 | 97.6°F | $1,290 |
| 81 | Wilson County | TX | 3,178 | 97.6°F | $2,509 |
| 82 | Montgomery County | TX | 3,172 | 95.8°F | $2,848 |
| 83 | Brazos County | TX | 3,169 | 96.6°F | $2,535 |
| 84 | Burleson County | TX | 3,169 | 96.6°F | $1,582 |
| 85 | Grimes County | TX | 3,169 | 96.6°F | $1,997 |
| 86 | Bradford County | FL | 3,157 | 92.4°F | $1,541 |
| 87 | Medina County | TX | 3,147 | 97.2°F | $1,986 |
| 88 | Uvalde County | TX | 3,147 | 97.2°F | $1,417 |
| 89 | Waller County | TX | 3,146 | 94.8°F | $2,568 |
| 90 | Bexar County | TX | 3,144 | 97.5°F | $2,279 |
| 91 | Guadalupe County | TX | 3,144 | 97.5°F | $2,552 |
| 92 | Flagler County | FL | 3,143 | 87.8°F | $2,712 |
| 93 | San Bernardino County | CA | 3,129 | 105.0°F | $3,521 |
| 94 | Dallas County | TX | 3,125 | 97.1°F | $2,530 |
| 95 | Tarrant County | TX | 3,125 | 97.1°F | $2,686 |
| 96 | Calhoun County | TX | 3,123 | 91.9°F | $1,442 |
| 97 | Volusia County | FL | 3,112 | 90.2°F | $2,299 |
| 98 | Marion County | FL | 3,104 | 92.0°F | $1,868 |
| 99 | Fayette County | TX | 3,092 | 97.4°F | $2,322 |
| 100 | St. Johns County | FL | 3,079 | 91.0°F | $3,630 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Highest Cooling Demand by state
The same ranking within a single state.
Alabama67Alaska26Arizona15Arkansas75California58Colorado64Florida67Georgia159Idaho44Illinois102Indiana92Iowa99Kansas105Kentucky120Louisiana64Maine16Maryland24Massachusetts14Michigan83Minnesota87Mississippi82Missouri115Montana56Nebraska93Nevada16New Jersey21New Mexico33New York62North Carolina100North Dakota53Ohio88Oklahoma77Oregon36Pennsylvania67South Carolina46South Dakota65Tennessee95Texas250Utah29Vermont14Virginia133Washington39West Virginia55Wisconsin72Wyoming23