US states by heating degree days
North Dakota had the highest heating degree days of 48 states in 2020, at 8,860 degree days (base 65°F). Florida had the lowest, at 493 degree days (base 65°F). The median was 5,113 degree days (base 65°F) and the figure for the United States was 3,920 degree days (base 65°F). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
All states, 2020
Full ranking
| Rank | States | 2020 | Change on 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 8,860 | -13.1% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 8,310 | -10.9% |
| 3 | Montana | 8,300 | -10.7% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 8,069 | -9.4% |
| 5 | Vermont | 7,481 | -11.7% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 7,376 | -14.5% |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 7,186 | -10.5% |
| 8 | Maine | 7,184 | -11.3% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 6,906 | -10.6% |
| 10 | Colorado | 6,814 | -9.1% |
| 11 | Utah | 6,693 | -10% |
| 12 | Idaho | 6,661 | -6.6% |
| 13 | Iowa | 6,583 | -10.4% |
| 14 | Michigan | 6,276 | -9.9% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 6,049 | -11.9% |
| 16 | Illinois | 5,774 | -10.2% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 5,535 | -11.4% |
| 18 | New York | 5,476 | -10.6% |
| 19 | Washington | 5,416 | -5.8% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 5,344 | -10% |
| 21 | Indiana | 5,279 | -7.8% |
| 22 | Ohio | 5,250 | -5.8% |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | 5,186 | -7.2% |
| 24 | Rhode Island | 5,184 | -11.2% |
| 25 | Oregon | 5,042 | -7.1% |
| 26 | Missouri | 4,765 | -8% |
| 27 | West Virginia | 4,665 | -1.5% |
| 28 | Kansas | 4,657 | -11.7% |
| 29 | New Jersey | 4,615 | -9.3% |
| 30 | New Mexico | 4,166 | -8.9% |
| 31 | Kentucky | 4,078 | -2.7% |
| 32 | Maryland | 4,021 | -8.8% |
| 33 | Delaware | 3,999 | -8% |
| 34 | Virginia | 3,763 | -5.7% |
| 35 | Tennessee | 3,432 | -1.5% |
| 36 | Nevada | 3,274 | -13.2% |
| 37 | Oklahoma | 3,264 | -12.8% |
| 38 | Arkansas | 3,190 | -7.6% |
| 39 | North Carolina | 2,904 | -5.2% |
| 40 | California | 2,570 | -12.9% |
| 41 | Georgia | 2,403 | -2.2% |
| 42 | Alabama | 2,284 | -4.8% |
| 43 | South Carolina | 2,164 | -7.4% |
| 44 | Mississippi | 1,983 | -12.9% |
| 45 | Arizona | 1,834 | -12.1% |
| 46 | Texas | 1,549 | -17.6% |
| 47 | Louisiana | 1,336 | -15.7% |
| 48 | Florida | 493 | -0.8% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Sum over January to December of the degrees by which the daily mean temperature falls below 65°F, a measure of heating demand. NOAA estimates monthly values from nClimDiv temperatures and weights areas by population (2010 Census).
NOAA publishes these for operational monitoring; they can differ from official degree day publications.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide (US states by heating degree days, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json
MLA 9
NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide, US states by heating degree days, 2020. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide. US states by heating degree days, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020.
Harvard
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide, US states by heating degree days, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{noaa_us_states_by_heating_2020,
author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide: US states by heating degree days, 2020}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide: US states by heating degree days, 2020
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
PB - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB - Invokely
UR - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/heating-degree-days/us-states?period=2020.
N1 - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/statewide/time-series/32/hdd/12/12/1895-2025/data.json. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
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Rank US states by heating degree days using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"heating_degree_days_annual","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=heating_degree_days_annual&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10Questions
Which state has the highest heating degree days?
North Dakota, with 8,860 degree days (base 65°F) in 2020, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
Which state has the lowest heating degree days?
Florida, with 493 degree days (base 65°F) in 2020.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December heating degree days (base 65°F), contiguous US and statewide. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
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