Winter Home Emergency Index · 2026 edition
Seattle, WA: 29th of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches
Seattle has 16.2 typical December–February searches for furnace, frozen-pipe and emergency plumber help per 1,000 households, 1.3x the median city (12.3). That's 1.15x what its normal winter cold predicts, 38th of 99 cities on this measure.
Winter in Seattle
- Search demand typically peaks in January, when it runs 1.89x the city's yearly average.
- 9% of winter searches are for urgent problems: burst or frozen pipes, no heat, emergency furnace repair.
- Emergency plumber searches add up to about 15.3 per 1,000 households a year.
- A normal December–February brings 2,030 heating degree days at Seattle Sand Point weather station.
Homes in Seattle
- The median home was built in 1974.
- 54% of homes were built before 1980.
- 34% of households heat with gas and 60% with electricity.
- 44% of households own their home.
- 353,019 households in city limits (ACS 2023).
Seattle ranks 82nd in the Summer AC Emergency Index. See Seattle'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. "Seattle" 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, "Seattle, WA ranks 29th of 100 for winter heat and burst-pipe searches," October 24, 2026, https://homestatsdata.com/plumbing/frozen-pipe-statistics/seattle-wa/