Most people vulnerable to extreme heat, US states
US states ranked by the estimated number of people with three or more heat-related social-vulnerability risk factors in 2022, from the Census Bureau's experimental Community Resilience Estimates for Heat (experimental, modeled data). California leads at 11,397,743. 51 states qualify in total. The top 25 average 2,782,019, against an all-states median of 1,114,272.
UPDATED 2026-07-15 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR ESTIMATES
Frequently asked
Which state has the highest residents vulnerable to extreme heat?
California ranks #1 with 11,397,743 (2022 American Community Survey).
What are the top 5 states by residents vulnerable to extreme heat?
California, Texas, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania.
How many states are in this ranking?
51 states qualify after filtering for population minimums and data availability. The ranking covers 2022 ACS 5-year data.
How is residents vulnerable to extreme heat measured?
Estimated number of people with three or more heat-related social-vulnerability risk factors, from the Census Bureau's experimental Community Resilience Estimates for Heat. The raw-count companion to the heat-vulnerability rate. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2022).