Earth Day: Fastest-Warming U.S. Cities and States

Analysis of NOAA data shows that all 50 U.S. states and 99% of 242 analyzed cities have warmed since 1970. Alaska was the fastest-warming state (+4.3°F), while Reno, Nevada, saw the highest city-level increase (+7.8°F). The contiguous U.S. has warmed by approximately 2.8°F, exceeding the global warming limit of 2.7°F (1.5°C). The document advocates for a clean energy transition through zero-emission vehicles, solar and wind power, and heat pumps to mitigate these trends.

• Since 1970, all 50 U.S. states and 240 out of 242 analyzed cities (99%) have experienced warming. Of the analyzed cities, 203 (84%) have warmed by at least 2°F.
• The contiguous U.S. average temperature has increased by about 2.8°F since 1970, which surpasses the long-term average global warming limit of 2.7°F (1.5°C).
• Alaska is the fastest-warming state, with an increase of 4.3°F since 1970. Other fastest-warming states include Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, each warming by 3.7°F.
• The most significant city-level warming occurred in Reno, Nevada (+7.8°F), followed by Las Vegas, Nevada (+5.9°F), El Paso, Texas (+5.7°F), Tyler, Texas (+5.3°F), and Burlington, Vermont (+5.2°F).
• Greenhouse gas concentrations, specifically CO2, rose to 425 ppm in 2024, a 30% increase since 1970. This pollution is primarily driven by burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, cooling, and transportation.

APA

Climate Central (2025). Earth Day: Fastest-Warming U.S. Cities and States. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-us-cities-and-states

Chicago

Climate Central. Earth Day: Fastest-Warming U.S. Cities and States. 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-us-cities-and-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Earth Day: Fastest-Warming U.S. Cities and States |date=16 April 2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-us-cities-and-states |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2025earth, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Earth Day: Fastest-Warming U.S. Cities and States}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/earth-day-fastest-warming-us-cities-and-states}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }