In Seattle, where temperatures reached a record 108 degrees on June 28, only 44% of all households have air conditioning.
Record heat blanketed the Western U.S. in June, with the Pacific Northwest in particular seeing dangerously high temperatures that broke records and resulted in hundreds of deaths. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center, another heat wave is coming.
Fortunately, 91% of U.S. households have air conditioning, according to a report by USAFacts based on 2019 U.S. Census Bureau data. But some areas, including many that have recently experienced record temperatures, have a significantly lower portion of the population with air conditioning.
In Seattle, where temperatures reached a record 108 degrees on June 28, only 44% of all households have air conditioning and about 15% of households have air conditioning in just one room, according to USAFacts. Seattle, accustomed to mild summers, has the lowest share of households with air conditioning among the 15 largest metro areas.
Portland, Oregon, broke records on June 28 as well, reaching 115 degrees, while only 79% of its households have air conditioning, according to USAFacts. In other major cities on the West Coast such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, the share of households with air conditioning was below the national average as well.
Nationally, air conditioning usage has increased in recent years, with usage rates rising from 89% of households in 2015 to 90% in 2017.
