Warming Watch

Countries · United States

Climate change in the United States

+1.7°C since 1951–1980

The United States has warmed 1.7 °C on average, faster than the world as a whole (+1.1 °C over the same period).

Further warming by 2040–2059
+1.9°C
vs 1995–2014, SSP2-4.5 · high emissions +2.4 °C
Extra days above 35 °C
+13/yr
national average, 2040–2059 vs 1995–2014
CO₂ per person (2024)
14.2t
world average 4.7 t · #4 of 60 countries here
Share of global CO₂
12.7%
23.5% of all CO₂ emitted since 1750

United States: national average temperature, 1950–2025 (°C)

91011°C1960198020002020
Copernicus ERA5, area-weighted national average, via World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.

1950 → 2025. The United States's warming stripes.

The United States's CO₂ emissions

United States: annual CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and industry (million tonnes)

0200040006000Mt1960198020002020
Global Carbon Budget via Our World in Data. Territorial emissions; excludes land use.

Cities in the United States

New York City
+1.6°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Yancheng
Los Angeles
+1.2°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Fes
Chicago
+1.4°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Daegu
Houston
+1.5°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Pune
Phoenix
+2.0°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Multan
Miami
+1.2°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Haikou
San Francisco
+0.8°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Cape Town
Seattle
+1.1°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Johannesburg
Washington
+1.6°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Shiyan
Boston
+1.6°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Seoul
Dallas
+1.5°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Peshawar
Atlanta
+1.5°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Yiwu
Denver
+1.6°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Ankara
Las Vegas
+2.0°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Aleppo
New Orleans
+1.2°C
since 1951–1980 · in 2050 like Nanning

Frequently asked questions

How much has the United States warmed?

Averaged over the whole country, the last ten years (2016–2025) were 1.7 °C warmer than 1951–1980 according to Copernicus ERA5 — faster than the global average of 1.1 °C over the same period. Land areas warm faster than the oceans, so most countries warm faster than the global figure.

How much warmer will the United States be in 2050?

Climate models project the United States to be about 1.9 °C warmer in 2040–2059 than in 1995–2014 under an intermediate scenario (SSP2-4.5; model range 1.3–2.7 °C), and 2.4 °C under very high emissions (SSP5-8.5).

How much CO₂ does the United States emit?

The United States emitted 4.90 billion tonnes of CO₂ from fossil fuels and industry in 2024, 12.7% of the global total, or 14.2 tonnes per person — 3.0 times the world average. Historically it has emitted 23.5% of all CO₂ since 1750.

Sources: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal; Our World in Data – CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Global Carbon Project)

Licence: Temperature: ERA5 (CC BY 4.0) and CMIP6 (CC BY-SA 4.0) via World Bank CCKP. Emissions: Our World in Data, CC BY 4.0 (Global Carbon Budget). · Generated 17 October 2026 · Methodology