On average 1 in 4 American households have three or more risk factors that make them socially vulnerable to exposure to extreme heat. The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) for Heat, which measures social vulnerability based on risk factors like but not limited to financial hardship, quality of housing and age.
The world experienced its hottest three months on record from June to August 2023 since humans began recording temperature, said the World Meteorological Organization in September. The hottest month on record was July 2023, followed by August 2023 which is estimated to have been around 1.5°C warmer than the preindustrial average for 1850-1900. At COP28 the WMO followed up on this and assured the world that 2023 will be the world’s hottest year in human history.
The effects of climate change have been felt the world over. The United States is no exception. Phoenix, Arizona experienced 100+ degree Fahrenheit temperatures for over 50 days, as did other states in the South.
The CRE for Heat is an experimental data set launched by the U.S. Census Bureau in partnership with Arizona State University. The index is produced using information on individuals and households from the 2019 American Community Survey and the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program.
La Salle County in Texas took first place, with 62 percent of its households with three or more risk factors. Oglala Lakota County in South Dakota and Kusilvak Census Area in Alaska followed, with around 59 percent of their households with three or more risk factors.
The data further show that 44.5 percent of households in the U.S. have one or two risk factors, and 31.7 percent of households have zero risk factors.
To learn more about the work La Isla Network does to protect workers from heat stress, please email us at
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