Which of the 48 states needs the most heating?
🔎 Skip to the answer (ranking table)Guess
Which states need the most heating (the coldest year overall)? Tap them most-to-least. Alaska and Hawaii aren't in this one — NOAA publishes this score for the 48 connected states.
Tapping assigns 1→4 in order
I bet… Maine — way up in the snowy corner!
Answer
The real order is…
North Dakota beats Montana by a whisker — about 1.02×. (Alaska isn't in this race: NOAA publishes this score for the 48 connected states only.)
📚 Background A photo finish at the top of the cold! North Dakota edges out Montana by a hair. Note: NOAA publishes this score for the 48 connected states only — Alaska isn't in this race, and it would win it easily. (NOAA NCEI, Climate at a Glance) (opens in a new tab)
🔍 Explore more: 🌡️『Why Florida beats Arizona at being hot』→ I bet… Maine — way up in the snowy corner!
Compare
Heating degree days (by state, 2024; 48 states published)
Highest: North Dakota (8,187 heating degree days); lowest shown here: Florida (552 heating degree days).
Note: measured in heating degree days — a score that adds up how far below 65°F each day was. Weather changes year to year — this is 2024. All 48 states NOAA publishes for this score are shown (Alaska and Hawaii are not published for it).
Geography is destiny!
Recap
🏅 Today's discovery
🏅 North Dakota is the USA's #1!
🐕 States in Numbers
Quiz a friend!
📋 See the ranking table (top 48)
| Rank | State | Value |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Dakota | 8,187 heating degree days |
| #2 | Montana | 8,016 heating degree days |
| #3 | Wyoming | 7,573 heating degree days |
| #4 | Minnesota | 7,215 heating degree days |
| #5 | Vermont | 7,035 heating degree days |
| #6 | Maine | 6,846 heating degree days |
| #7 | South Dakota | 6,803 heating degree days |
| #8 | New Hampshire | 6,582 heating degree days |
| #9 | Utah | 6,549 heating degree days |
| #10 | Colorado | 6,547 heating degree days |
| #11 | Idaho | 6,463 heating degree days |
| #12 | Wisconsin | 6,293 heating degree days |
| #13 | Iowa | 5,748 heating degree days |
| #14 | Michigan | 5,560 heating degree days |
| #15 | Massachusetts | 5,458 heating degree days |
| #16 | Nebraska | 5,450 heating degree days |
| #17 | Washington | 5,353 heating degree days |
| #18 | New York | 5,255 heating degree days |
| #19 | Rhode Island | 5,246 heating degree days |
| #20 | Connecticut | 5,202 heating degree days |
| #21 | Illinois | 5,080 heating degree days |
| #22 | Oregon | 5,041 heating degree days |
| #23 | Pennsylvania | 4,988 heating degree days |
| #24 | Indiana | 4,731 heating degree days |
| #25 | Ohio | 4,703 heating degree days |
| #26 | New Jersey | 4,572 heating degree days |
| #27 | West Virginia | 4,306 heating degree days |
| #28 | Missouri | 4,165 heating degree days |
| #29 | Kansas | 4,140 heating degree days |
| #30 | New Mexico | 4,096 heating degree days |
| #31 | Delaware | 4,037 heating degree days |
| #32 | Maryland | 3,963 heating degree days |
| #33 | Virginia | 3,678 heating degree days |
| #34 | Kentucky | 3,667 heating degree days |
| #35 | Nevada | 3,286 heating degree days |
| #36 | Tennessee | 3,189 heating degree days |
| #37 | Oklahoma | 2,908 heating degree days |
| #38 | North Carolina | 2,897 heating degree days |
| #39 | Arkansas | 2,785 heating degree days |
| #40 | California | 2,717 heating degree days |
| #41 | Georgia | 2,388 heating degree days |
| #42 | Alabama | 2,267 heating degree days |
| #43 | South Carolina | 2,222 heating degree days |
| #44 | Mississippi | 1,952 heating degree days |
| #45 | Arizona | 1,910 heating degree days |
| #46 | Texas | 1,404 heating degree days |
| #47 | Louisiana | 1,308 heating degree days |
| #48 | Florida | 552 heating degree days |
All 48 states NOAA publishes for this score are shown (Alaska and Hawaii are not published for it).
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2024)
Sources
Data as of: 2024
NOAA NCEI: Climate at a Glance — statewide heating degree days, Jan–Dec 2024 (opens in a new tab) (2026-07-18) — Official published statewide values. This series covers the 48 contiguous states only (Alaska and Hawaii are not published for it).
↳ On the Climate at a Glance site, choose Statewide → Time Series → Heating Degree Days → 12-month period ending December 2024.