What Are the Hottest US States?

Florida, which became a state in 1845, has always held the number one spot as the hottest state in the United States, with an average annual temperature of 72.9°F in 2024. Unlike Arizona and New Mexico, where cool nighttime temperatures bring down the average, Florida stays relatively hot and muggy 24 hours a day.  

Not only is Florida the hottest state, but it’s also home to the second- and third-hottest cities after Death Valley: Key West (79.8°F) and Miami (79.1°F). Summer is particularly brutal in Florida. In 2024, the beachside city of Fort Lauderdale recorded its hottest summer on record with an average temperature of 84.6°F from June to August. 

Like the rest of the United States (and the planet), Florida’s average annual temperature has risen considerably over the past 130 years. In 1895, the average temperature in Florida was 68.7°F, more than 4 degrees cooler than 2024.  

The Deep South is unquestionably the hottest region of the United States, with seven states ranking among the top 10 hottest in the country. Louisiana is the second-hottest state with an average annual temperature of 69.3°F in 2024.  

New Orleans is the hottest individual city in the Bayou State with an average temperature of 72.7°F in 2024. Summertime in New Orleans was never exactly “breezy,” but the average summer temperatures in 2024 were 4 degrees hotter than in 1970.

The year 2024 was the hottest on record for the Lone Star State, nearly 4 degrees hotter than the mean temperature of Texas over the entire 20th century. The border city of Brownsville was the hottest city in Texas with an average annual temperature of 78.4°F in 2024, but six Texas cities claimed spots among the top 20 hottest cities in 2024. Florida also had six cities in the top 20.

Hawaii (Native spelling: Hawai‘i) became a state in 1959, but NOAA has only been tracking temperature data there since 1991. A tropical paradise, it’s not surprising that the islands maintain a pleasantly warm temperature year-round. In 2024, Hawaii’s average annual temperature was 66.7°F, which made it the 12th-warmest year on record for the Aloha State.  

Like its Gulf Coast neighbors, Louisiana and Alabama, Mississippi has always been near the top of the list for the hottest states in the United States. The year 2024 was the second-hottest on record for the Magnolia State with an average annual temperature of 66.4°F. Only 2023 was hotter at 66.7°F.  

The hottest city in Mississippi in 2024 was Jackson, which brought up the state average with an annual temperature of 68.3°F. Back in 1964, Jackson was more than 3 degrees cooler on average than 2024.