Winter Home Emergency Index · 2026 edition
Columbus, OH: 22nd of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches
Columbus has 19.1 typical December–February searches for furnace, frozen-pipe and emergency plumber help per 1,000 households, 1.6x the median city (12.3). That's 1.13x what its normal winter cold predicts, 41st of 99 cities on this measure.
Ranking check: Confirmed. Columbus ranks 22nd on households inside city limits and 11th on metro population: top 25 on both. How the check works
Winter in Columbus
- Search demand typically peaks in January, when it runs 2.14x the city's yearly average.
- 12% of winter searches are for urgent problems: burst or frozen pipes, no heat, emergency furnace repair.
- Emergency plumber searches add up to about 11.5 per 1,000 households a year.
- A normal December–February brings 2,956 heating degree days at John Glenn International Airport.
Homes in Columbus
- The median home was built in 1980.
- 51% of homes were built before 1980.
- 64% of households heat with gas and 34% with electricity.
- 44% of households own their home.
- 386,581 households in city limits (ACS 2023).
Columbus ranks 68th in the Summer AC Emergency Index. See Columbus's summer page.
About these numbers
Search demand from Google Ads, Oct 2022 to Sep 2026, for 30 heating and plumbing terms. Each month uses the median of that calendar month across four years. "Columbus" is the location as Google Ads defines it; households are city limits. This measures searches, not breakdowns or claims. Full methodology.
Cite: Home Stats Data, "Columbus, OH ranks 22nd of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches," October 24, 2026, https://homestatsdata.com/plumbing/frozen-pipe-statistics/columbus-oh/