Heating degree days
A measure of how cold the year was, as a total over its days. A day whose average temperature is 50°F counts 15 heating degree days, the degrees it fell short of 65°F. A day at 65°F or warmer counts none. Homes often need heat on days below 65°F, so more degree days mean more heating weather. NOAA estimates them from its monthly temperatures for each county. A state's figure is the average of its counties, each weighted by its land area. Alaska and Hawaii are not covered.
Reported for3,108areas, in 49 states — none in AK, HI, PR
Link to density0.26not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.97Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typerate°F-days
How it has moved
Loading…
Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
Loading…
Where it comes from
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv · NOAA NCEI nClimDiv climdiv-hddccy, sum of the 12 months; states, counties averaged by land area
Each day adds how many degrees its average temperature was below 65°F; the year's total. An average over area, so combined areas are weighted by their size.
Combining areas: an average weighted by NOAA.LAND_SQKM.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 2 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Heating degree days and Freezing daysWhere Heating degree days is higher, Freezing days tends to be higher: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Freezing days by US county | +0.96 | +0.95 |
| Heating degree days and Winter nightly lowWhere Heating degree days is higher, Winter nightly low tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Winter nightly low by US county | -0.96 | -0.94 |
| Heating degree days and Summer daily highWhere Heating degree days is higher, Summer daily high tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Summer daily high by US county | -0.80 | -0.85 |
| Heating degree days and Days of 90°F or hotterWhere Heating degree days is higher, Days of 90°F or hotter tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Days of 90°F or hotter by US county | -0.73 | -0.80 |
| Heating degree days and Winter daily sunlightWhere Heating degree days is higher, Winter daily sunlight tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Winter daily sunlight by US county | -0.62 | -0.74 |
| Heating degree days and Daily sunlightWhere Heating degree days is higher, Daily sunlight tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Daily sunlight by US county | -0.53 | -0.70 |
| Heating degree days and Cloud coverWhere Heating degree days is higher, Cloud cover tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Cloud cover by US county | +0.47 | +0.64 |
| Heating degree days and High cholesterolWhere Heating degree days is higher, High cholesterol tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. High cholesterol by US county | -0.71 | -0.58 |
| Heating degree days and Clear daysWhere Heating degree days is higher, Clear days tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Clear days by US county | -0.37 | -0.56 |
| Heating degree days and High blood pressureWhere Heating degree days is higher, High blood pressure tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. High blood pressure by US county | -0.62 | -0.53 |
58 more pairs with heating degree days have a page: Loneliness · Returns claiming the earned income credit · Adults under 65 without health insurance · Diagnosed diabetes · Housing insecurity · Mobility disability · Food insecurity · Fair or poor self-rated health · Threat of utility shut-off · Medicare spending per enrollee · Black-white residential segregation · Sleeping less than 7 hours · Cancer other than skin cancer · Lacking social and emotional support · Share White, not Hispanic · Share Black, not Hispanic · Economic connectedness · Dental visit in the past year · Lack of reliable transportation · Binge drinking · Vision disability · Evangelical Protestant adherents · No leisure-time physical activity · Share separated · Motor vehicle crash deaths · Returns reporting unemployment compensation · Child poverty rate, ages 0-17 · Self-care disability · Returns claiming charitable contributions · Adult income rank of children raised poor here · Taking blood pressure medication · Mobility score · Any disability · Material security score · Current asthma · Disability-free score · People per tax return · Community resilience to disasters · Social connection score · Stroke · Children in single-parent households · Expected yearly hurricane loss · Firearm share of suicides, standardised · Independent-living disability · Prison population rate · Black Protestant adherents · Republican share of the two-party vote, 2008 · Premature mortality · Health score · Poverty rate (model-based) · Cholesterol screening · Share Hispanic or Latino, any race · Arrivals per 100 people staying · Social vulnerability to disasters · Environment score · Life expectancy · Yearly precipitation · Median household income (model-based).
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Heating degree days and Share White, not HispanicWhere Heating degree days is higher, Share White, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.48 | +0.44 |
| Heating degree days and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Heating degree days is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.52 | -0.44 |
| Heating degree days and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceWhere Heating degree days is higher, Share Hispanic or Latino, any race tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | -0.23 | -0.31 |
| Heating degree days and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | -0.09 | -0.08 |
| Heating degree days and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicWhere Heating degree days is higher, Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic tends to be higher: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | +0.20 | +0.15 |
Highest and lowest
Of 3,108 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Lake County, CO — 11,328
- San Juan County, CO — 11,210
- Summit County, CO — 10,987
- Sublette County, WY — 10,945
- Hinsdale County, CO — 10,865
Lowest
- Monroe County, FL — 83
- Miami-Dade County, FL — 85
- Broward County, FL — 108
- Collier County, FL — 167
- Palm Beach County, FL — 167
The middle area reports 4,167. The middle half of counties falls between 2,657 and 5,988 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
US Counties With the Highest Heating Degree Days · US Counties With the Lowest Heating Degree Days
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works