Rising Extreme Heat Impacts Black Americans More, Research Indicates

The intensifying summer heat across the United States disproportionally impacts Black Americans. Factors such as living in the hottest urban areas, limited access to home air conditioning, and higher prevalence of chronic conditions that increase the risks associated with extreme heat are contributing to this problem. This has resulted in a higher rate of hospitalizations and deaths among Black Americans due to heat-related illnesses.

A study from One Earth in January 2026 projected the future heat exposure across U.S. counties until 2100 and found that exposure is expected to rise everywhere. However, the projection showed that the gap in heat exposure would widen significantly, especially in the South and among the elderly and Black communities. The study also found that racial disparities in exposure to urban heat existed in 71% of U.S. counties, even after adjusting for income levels.

The Implications of Heat Exposure

The consequences of extreme heat are severe and tangible. Heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States. In 2023, a record-breaking 2,300 death certificates mentioned excessive heat as a cause of death. The CDC reported over 119,000 emergency department visits due to heat-related illnesses in the same year.

According to KFF, communities of color face higher risks of mortality from extreme heat compared to white populations due to underlying inequities in heat exposure and access to protective measures.

Factors Contributing to Racial Disparities in Heat Exposure

Urban Heat Island Exposure

A comprehensive analysis in One Earth and related studies illustrate that Black residents have the highest average surface urban heat island (SUHI) exposure across all climatic zones. Historical residential segregation or redlining has led to Black households being concentrated in neighborhoods with high pavement density, low tree cover, and fewer parks, which contribute to urban heat islands.

Access to Air Conditioning

Analysis by KFF on home air conditioning access found that over 35 million Americans live without air conditioning. Research by the Brookings Institution revealed significant racial disparities in AC access in major U.S. cities.

Chronic Disease Burden

Studies, including one published in PMC, show that Black Americans are more likely to have chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. These conditions significantly heighten the risk for hospitalization or death from extreme heat.

Where the Disparities Are Most Pronounced

The cities and metro areas where the combination of urban heat, low AC access, and high chronic disease burden is most severe include Houston, Phoenix, and Atlanta. The 2026 One Earth study also identified the South as the region where the growth of heat disparities will be most pronounced in the coming decades.

What Experts and Doctors Propose

Rachel Licker, a principal climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told ABC News that ensuring access to air conditioning in homes is crucial. She stressed that rising energy bills are making it more challenging for low-income households, including communities of color, to run air conditioning.

Public health experts are emphasizing the need for effective heat resilience planning that includes equity analysis. This would help identify communities with the least protection and direct resources towards them accordingly, according to KFF\’s analysis.

The Evidence and Uncertainties

The connection between heat exposure, limited AC access, heat-related mortality, race, and income is well established across multiple independent research teams, methodologies, and geographies. However, the future widening of disparities, which depends on various assumptions about the climate trajectory and societal developments, is less certain.

Most Vulnerable Groups

Those who are most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses include Black Americans in urban neighborhoods with high pavement density and low tree canopies, low-income households without air conditioning or the means to run it, and adults over 65 with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. Other vulnerable groups include people on medications that reduce heat tolerance, outdoor workers, people without transportation, and incarcerated individuals.

Symptoms of Heat-Related Illnesses to Look Out For

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are common heat-related illnesses. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, cold or pale skin, a fast and weak pulse, nausea, weakness, muscle cramps, fatigue, and dizziness. Heat stroke requires immediate medical attention and is characterized by a body temperature above 103°F, hot, red, dry, or damp skin, rapid, strong pulse, and confusion or altered consciousness.

What Can Be Done

Knowing the locations of cooling centers in your city before a heat emergency, checking on elderly neighbors, family members, and people without air conditioning during heat events could help. Community organizations and cities can also take measures such as planting trees in heat island areas, providing portable AC units to at-risk residents, and including heat vulnerability data in emergency response plans.

Financial Assistance for Cooling Costs

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides financial aid for cooling costs to eligible low-income households. Many cities also offer programs that provide portable air conditioning units to qualifying low-income or elderly residents.

What Lies Ahead

The 2026 summer heat season is expected to be intense across the South and Southwest. Federal climate equity investments from the Inflation Reduction Act had directed funding toward urban greening and cooling in underserved communities; the status of those programs in 2026 depends on ongoing appropriations decisions. MedicalDaily will continue tracking heat-related illness and mortality data through the summer.

Key Takeaways

Extreme heat is the most fatal weather hazard in the United States, and its impact is disproportionately felt by Black Americans due to higher heat exposure, lower rates of home air conditioning, and higher prevalence of conditions that increase the risks associated with heat. According to projections, this disparity will only widen as temperatures continue to rise, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions and policies.