Heat-related Deaths

Food & ShelterHealth
Written By Alysha Rashid

Heat-related deaths increased 88% in three years, reaching a high of 1,713 deaths in 2022. Heat-related death rates are highest among American Indians.

Heat-related deaths, U.S.

1999-2022

Source: CDC/Wonder. Notes: 2022 data is provisional. Rates are age-adjusted. AN=Alaska Native. Deaths are identified using ICD–10 underlying/contributing cause-of-death codes: P81.0, T67, and X30.

Last month, June 2023, was the hottest June ever recorded.1 And the heat is continuing. On July 14, 2023, the National Weather Service issued a heat alert affecting 15 states and 1 out of every 3 Americans.2 Older adults, young children, and pregnant women can experience damage to vital organs and even die from extreme heat.3 Extreme heat can also exacerbate medical conditions such as hypertension and heart disease. Drug overdose and alcohol-related deaths are more common during extreme heat days (Drug overdose deaths).4

Since 1999, men have experienced increasing rates of heat-related deaths and are twice as likely to die from excessive heat as women.5 Heat-related deaths jumped from 911 in 2019 to 1,156 in 2020. They increased again in 2021 to 1,602 and again in 2022 to 1,713. American Indians experienced by far the highest rate of heat-related deaths in 2022 at 2.4 per 100,000 population. Black Americans and Hispanic Americans experienced 0.6 and 0.5 deaths per 100,000 respectively. White Americans and Asian Americans experienced 0.4 and 0.2 heat-related deaths per 100,000 respectively.

Air conditioning is critical for keeping vulnerable people safe during extreme heat days. But lower-income households and renters are less likely to have air conditioning, even in the South where air conditioning is more widely available.6 The Inflation Reduction Act includes substantial funding that can be used for home weatherization, but only via tax credits for homeowners.7 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently approved a Medicaid waiver from the Oregon Health Plan to allow coverage of air conditioners, humidifiers, air filtration devices, generators, and refrigeration units when medically necessary.8

  1. “Earth just had its hottest June on record”. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July, 2023. https://www.noaa.gov/news/earth-just-had-its-hottest-june-on-record

  2. “Expanding heat wave prompts alerts for 115 million people”. Freedman. Axios. July, 2023. https://www.axios.com/2023/07/12/heat-wave-warnings-millions-southeast-to-southwest

  3. “About Extreme Heat”. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/heat_guide.html

  4. “Heat-Related Deaths – United States, 2004-2018”. Vaidyanathan, Malilay, Schramm, and Saha. CDC. June, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6924a1.htm#T1_down

  5. “QuickStats: Deaths Involving Exposure to Excessive Heat,* by Sex – National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1999-2020”. Miniño. CDC. August, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7134a5.htm

  6. “As extreme heat grips the globe, access to air conditioning is an urgent public health issue”. Mann, Schuetz. Brookings. July, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2022/07/25/as-extreme-heat-grips-the-globe-access-to-air-conditioning-is-an-urgent-public-health-issue/ 

  7. “The U.S. needs better, more accessible home weatherization programs”. Mann, Schuetz. Brookings. October, 2022. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2022/10/10/the-u-s-needs-better-more-accessible-home-weatherization-programs/  

  8. “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): OHP 1115 Medicaid Waiver for 2022-2027”. Oregon Health Authority. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/HSD/Medicaid-Policy/Documents/2022-2027-Waiver-FAQ.pdf

Alysha Rashid
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