MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Over 600 people died because of heat-related reasons in 2023 in Maricopa County and experts say 2024 could see even more heat-related deaths.
The county tracks heat-related deaths and releases the data weekly on Tuesdays via a new dashboard. The data includes the total confirmed heat deaths, a breakdown of heat-caused versus heat-contributed deaths, how many deaths are still under investigation, and the demographics of those who have died from heat.
12News is keeping track of the data you need to know about heat-related deaths in Maricopa County.
Explaining the terminology
When reviewing data from the county dashboard, it's important to know how the county categorizes different types of heat-related deaths. Here's a breakdown:
- Total confirmed heat deaths: The number of total confirmed heat deaths includes both heat-caused and heat-contributed deaths, and it is based on official death certificate data. This number can change based on information from the Office of the Medical Examiner.
- Heat-caused deaths: If death is listed as "heat-caused," that means heat exposure is listed as a direct cause of death on the death certificate.
- Heat-contributed: If death is listed as "heat contributed," that means heat exposure is listed as a contributing factor.
- Under investigation: If death is listed as "under investigation," that means the county medical examiner suspects a heat-related death.
Weekly updates
Oct. 1
The county has confirmed 313 heat-related deaths as of Oct. 1. There are 180 deaths labeled as heat-caused and 133 labeled as heat-contributed. There are also 353 deaths under investigation, according to country data.
The largest group of people dying of heat-related death is those who are 35-49 years of age, county data shows. Of those who have died of heat-related deaths, 78% were male and 46% were unhoused.
This time last year, 331 deaths were confirmed and 380 deaths were under investigation.
Sept. 25
The county has confirmed 283 heat-related deaths as of Sept. 25. There are 161 labeled as heat-caused and 122 labeled as heat-contributed. There are 381 deaths still under investigation.
As of this time last year, 295 deaths had been confirmed and 423 were under investigation.
Sept. 18
The county has confirmed 256 heat-related deaths as of Sept. 18. There are 144 labeled as heat-caused and 112 labeled as heat-contributed. There are 393 deaths still under investigation.
As of this time last year, 289 deaths had been confirmed and 424 were under investigation.
Drug use was a contributing factor in 55% of heat-related deaths.
Sept. 11
The county has confirmed 209 heat-related deaths as of Sept. 11. There are 118 labeled as heat-caused and 91 labeled as heat-contributed. There are 427 deaths still under investigation.
As of this time last year, 202 deaths had been confirmed and 497 were under investigation.
Currently, 78% of heat-related deaths in 2024 have been men and 22% are women. By age, 31% of heat-related deaths are people aged 35-49, and 27% are people aged 50-64.
The county noted that nearly half of the people who have died heat-related deaths were homeless.
Sept. 4
There are 177 total confirmed heat-related deaths as of Sept. 4. There are 103 labeled as heat-caused and 74 labeled as heat-contributed. There are 436 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were 194 total confirmed deaths and 493 under investigation.
Of the confirmed heat-related deaths so far in 2024, 30% are people ages 35-49 and 78% are men.
Aug. 28
As of Aug. 28, there were 20 additional cases under investigation. There are 443 deaths under investigation and there are 150 total confirmed heat-related deaths.
Of the 150 confirmed heat-related deaths, 88 are labeled as heat-caused and 62 are labeled as heat-contributed. The data from the county shows that 48% of those deaths of people who are homeless and 57% of those deaths involved some sort of drug use.
There are more heat-related deaths of men then there are of women: 77% of heat-related deaths recorded so far are men and 23% are women.
Aug. 21
As of Aug. 21, there were two additional confirmed heat deaths that were listed as heat-caused and 31 additional deaths under investigation.
Aug. 14
As of Aug. 14, Maricopa County has confirmed 96 heat-related deaths. There are 57 deaths labeled as heat-caused and 39 labeled as heat-contributed. There are 462 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were 89 total confirmed heat-related deaths and 525 deaths under investigation.
According to county data, 30% of heat-related deaths are reported to be people between the age of 50 to 64 years old, and 65% of the deaths confirmed are men.
Aug. 7
As of Aug. 7, Maricopa County has confirmed 66 heat-related deaths. There are 36 deaths identified as heat-caused and 30 have been identified as heat-contributed. There are 447 deaths under investigation.
July 24
As of July 23, Maricopa County has confirmed 27 heat-related deaths. Nineteen of those deaths have been identified as heat-caused and eight have been identified as heat-contributed. There are 396 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were 25 total confirmed heat deaths and 359 deaths under investigation.
According to the data from Maricopa County, 67% of heat-related deaths have been men and 33% have been women. Of the heat-related deaths recorded, 37% of those who died were unhoused.
July 16
As of July 16, Maricopa County has confirmed 23 heat-related deaths. Seventeen of those deaths are heat-caused and six of the 23 are heat-contributed. There are 322 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were 18 confirmed heat-related deaths and 168 under investigation.
July 9
As of July 9, Maricopa County has confirmed 14 heat-related deaths. Nine of the 14 are heat-caused and five of the 14 are heat-contributed. There are 234 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were 12 confirmed heat-related deaths and 106 under investigation
June 18
As of June 18, Maricopa County has confirmed six heat-related deaths. Two of the six are heat-caused and four of the six are heat-contributed. There are 87 deaths under investigation.
At this time last year, there were six confirmed heat-related deaths and 58 under investigation.
An inside look at how Maricopa County is tracking heat-related deaths
The first heat-related death of 2024 in Maricopa County was reported on April 18, six days before the first heat-related death was reported in 2023, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
The county debuted a new heat-related death dashboard, allowing residents to see how many people are dying because of heat-related factors, how many cases are under investigation, heat-related death data from 2023 and even heat-related hospital visits.
The dashboard will replace the weekly heat surveillance reports previously published on the public health website. Now, users can interact with data updated weekly on Tuesdays.
Heat-related deaths on the rise in the Valley. Where are they happening and how?
Heat-related deaths increased by 52% in Maricopa County in 2023, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
According to the report released in April, 80% of those who died were Maricopa County residents and three-fourths were male. Heat-caused deaths have slowly increased since 2013 from 57% to 59% in 2023, according to the report.
'We're definitely going to be saving lives out here this summer': Circle the City provides hydration for homeless Phoenix residents
Perla Puebla describes last summer working street medicine to help the unhoused as "brutal."
"We saw a lot of patients, especially in July, that were moderately to severely dehydrated, that were not feeling well. They had some heat exhaustion," Puebla, a family nurse practitioner and the Associate Medical Director for the of Street Medicine Central at Circle the City, said. "But they did not want to go to the emergency room. They did not want to leave their pets or their belongings behind."
On their first day offering the IVs last week, Circle the City provided IVs to 20% of the 14 patients seen by one team.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
Heat Beat
Here are several videos about Arizona's extreme heat and how you can stay safe during the state's summer months.
