Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Highest Cooling Demand in California
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.
California ranked
| # | County | Cooling degree days | Summer high | Monthly to own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inyo County | 5,533 | 114.9°F | $2,577 |
| 2 | Imperial County | 4,162 | 107.8°F | $2,201 |
| 3 | Riverside County | 3,880 | 106.9°F | $3,815 |
| 4 | San Bernardino County | 3,129 | 105.0°F | $3,521 |
| 5 | Kern County | 2,425 | 98.3°F | $2,438 |
| 6 | Fresno County | 2,209 | 97.7°F | $2,757 |
| 7 | Kings County | 2,134 | 98.7°F | $2,363 |
| 8 | Shasta County | 2,032 | 99.9°F | $2,637 |
| 9 | Tehama County | 1,926 | 98.0°F | $2,400 |
| 10 | Calaveras County | 1,842 | 97.1°F | $3,295 |
| 11 | Madera County | 1,749 | 97.7°F | $2,778 |
| 12 | Butte County | 1,747 | 95.8°F | $3,058 |
| 13 | Tulare County | 1,699 | 96.3°F | $2,338 |
| 14 | Stanislaus County | 1,624 | 95.0°F | $3,188 |
| 15 | Sacramento County | 1,576 | 94.4°F | $3,707 |
| 16 | San Joaquin County | 1,566 | 95.4°F | $3,681 |
| 17 | Sutter County | 1,499 | 96.2°F | $3,023 |
| 18 | Yuba County | 1,499 | 96.2°F | $2,880 |
| 19 | Los Angeles County | 1,481 | 88.9°F | $5,646 |
| 20 | Amador County | 1,431 | 93.4°F | $3,157 |
| 21 | Yolo County | 1,416 | 94.9°F | $4,374 |
| 22 | Solano County | 1,391 | 95.0°F | $4,335 |
| 23 | Glenn County | 1,364 | 95.9°F | $2,561 |
| 24 | Colusa County | 1,329 | 92.4°F | $2,817 |
| 25 | Orange County | 1,246 | 87.3°F | $6,537 |
| 26 | Lake County | 1,005 | 94.0°F | $2,433 |
| 27 | Merced County | 980 | 95.6°F | $2,775 |
| 28 | San Diego County | 957 | 90.8°F | $5,707 |
| 29 | Contra Costa County | 926 | 82.8°F | $6,069 |
| 30 | San Benito County | 920 | 95.9°F | $5,498 |
| 31 | Trinity County | 888 | 96.5°F | $2,466 |
| 32 | Alameda County | 847 | 87.7°F | $7,599 |
| 33 | Tuolumne County | 812 | 89.2°F | $3,035 |
| 34 | Siskiyou County | 704 | 93.4°F | $2,194 |
| 35 | Santa Barbara County | 657 | 93.2°F | $5,298 |
| 36 | Ventura County | 643 | 79.6°F | $5,542 |
| 37 | Santa Clara County | 624 | 81.4°F | $9,799 |
| 38 | Napa County | 604 | 84.6°F | $6,031 |
| 39 | El Dorado County | 594 | 90.3°F | $4,665 |
| 40 | Monterey County | 578 | 85.2°F | $5,210 |
| 41 | Nevada County | 552 | 77.8°F | $4,423 |
| 42 | Placer County | 552 | 77.8°F | $4,872 |
| 43 | Sierra County | 552 | 77.8°F | $2,567 |
| 44 | Marin County | 486 | 81.3°F | $9,864 |
| 45 | Lassen County | 456 | 88.0°F | $2,035 |
| 46 | Sonoma County | 410 | 84.1°F | $5,631 |
| 47 | San Luis Obispo County | 334 | 79.5°F | $5,610 |
| 48 | Mariposa County | 308 | 74.9°F | $2,705 |
| 49 | Mono County | 299 | 84.2°F | $3,819 |
| 50 | Plumas County | 283 | 89.0°F | $2,505 |
| 51 | Modoc County | 235 | 89.1°F | $1,699 |
| 52 | Mendocino County | 195 | 83.5°F | $3,593 |
| 53 | Santa Cruz County | 180 | 76.7°F | $7,185 |
| 54 | San Francisco County | 121 | 70.2°F | $9,756 |
| 55 | Alpine County | 29 | 80.4°F | $3,452 |
| 56 | San Mateo County | 12 | 66.4°F | $10,456 |
| 57 | Del Norte County | 4 | 64.5°F | $2,415 |
| 58 | Humboldt County | 2 | 64.0°F | $3,114 |
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.
Nationwide
Highest Cooling Demand across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in California