Who doesn't have AC? Maps show the places with the least

Air conditioning will be keeping millions of Americans safe and comfortable over the holiday weekend as a heat dome brings dangerous conditions to millions. But not everyone has access to the cooling power of AC.

An estimated 93% of the 127 million households in the United States had air conditioning in 2023, a figure that has gone up by about 16 percentage points since the start of the century, according to new experimental data from the U.S. Census Bureau and an earlier survey from the Energy Information Administration.

The 10 counties with the lowest percentage of households with AC in the continental United States were all located in coastal areas in California and Oregon, or in the higher elevations of Colorado. For example, San Francisco County was the lowest at 35%.

Meanwhile, a 17-household county, Kenedy in Texas, is an odd standout: the only one with 100% AC use.

Search for your neighborhood below:

Heat exposure can become deadly for people without access to cooling, particularly when prolonged and when night temperatures stay high.

The current heat wave is expected to bring the hottest temperatures of the year for many places and the lows are not going to be low.

"This has the potential to be lethal to over a thousand people when you take into consideration all the impacts across the country from this heat wave. Many of the deaths will not be reported as heat-related deaths," AccuWeather Founder and Executive Chair Dr. Joel Myers said in a note about the U.S. heatwave.

Historical data about the parts of the nation that use the most air conditioning shows a strong geographical trend. Data from the Energy Information Administration reveals that, with a few exceptions, air conditioning use increases as you head south in the United States.

This data takes a statewide look at how much air conditioning is used by an average household in each state:

Why do some areas have more AC than others?

Unsurprisingly, southern states use a lot more AC than homes in the north. Beyond some areas just being warmer, population, geography and infrastructure also make a difference in air conditioning use and adoption. Here are a few factors at play:

• Economics and demographics: Households without AC are more likely to be renters than owners, according to the Energy Information Administration. Minority-led households are also less likely to report AC, according to a separate analysis from KFF, a health policy research nonprofit. Take Apache County in Arizona: Roughly half of it is inside Navajo Nation and has a median income of $40,300. Only about 68% of households there have air conditioning. Other low-income counties in New Mexico, a state with many of the country's fastest-warming cities, show similarly low AC use.
• Population: Some neighboring states have widely varying AC use patterns, which can reflect where people live in the state. Arizona's population is concentrated in Phoenix and Tucson, which often reach triple-digit temperatures, while New Mexico's biggest city is Albuquerque, which is located in a comparatively mild high-desert climate.
• Infrastructure: Central AC is a newer feature of residential construction, having only gained popularity in the mid-20th century. In the Northeast and Midwest, pre-World War II homes comprise a large amount of housing. Most units in New York City, for example, have window AC units instead of central AC, likely contributing to the state's overall low AC consumption.

How else do Americans stay cool?

As climate change worsens and AC consumption accounts for over 10% of U.S. household electricity, according to air conditioner manufacturer Carrier. Alternative cooling measures have begun to rise in popularity.

Passive cooling, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, refers to ways to lower the indoor temperature that don't necessarily require mechanical technology, like AC. Such strategies include building green roofs and courtyards to help with shading and air circulation, and using dense materials such as concrete or brick that can stabilize indoor temperatures in heat.

Read more about the heat dome and tips on staying cool in this visual explainer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who doesn't have AC? Maps show the places with the least

Reporting by Ignacio Calderon, Swasti Singhai and John Heasly, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 3:04 AM.