Winter Home Emergency Index · 2026 edition
Portland, OR: 16th of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches
Portland has 22.0 typical December–February searches for furnace, frozen-pipe and emergency plumber help per 1,000 households, 1.8x the median city (12.3). That's 1.56x what its normal winter cold predicts, 16th of 99 cities on this measure.
Ranking check: Confirmed. Portland ranks 16th on households inside city limits and 18th on metro population: top 25 on both. How the check works
Winter in Portland
- Search demand typically peaks in January, when it runs 2.77x the city's yearly average.
- 6% of winter searches are for urgent problems: burst or frozen pipes, no heat, emergency furnace repair.
- Emergency plumber searches add up to about 17.0 per 1,000 households a year.
- A normal December–February brings 2,029 heating degree days at Portland International Airport.
Homes in Portland
- The median home was built in 1966.
- 64% of homes were built before 1980.
- 47% of households heat with gas and 48% with electricity.
- 53% of households own their home.
- 287,030 households in city limits (ACS 2023).
Portland ranks 78th in the Summer AC Emergency Index. See Portland'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. "Portland" 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, "Portland, OR ranks 16th of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches," October 24, 2026, https://homestatsdata.com/plumbing/frozen-pipe-statistics/portland-or/