These Are the 50 Hottest Beaches in the US

Summertime is upon us, and with it comes fun in the sun. Pools, splash pads, and beaches are all excellent places to cool off as the temperatures rise. Those who frequent the beaches know all too well how sand heats up quickly as the morning sun rises. Before looking at the hottest beaches, let’s dig deeper into the relationship between heat, sand, and water. (Read our list of the average summer temperature every decade since 1895.)

Before flocking to the beach this summer, grab your water shoes to avoid the miserable feeling when your feet come into contact with scorching sand. Making a mad dash into the ocean will give you instant relief, but why precisely does sand heat up so much faster than water? The answer is found in the specific heat capacity. Sand has a lower amount of specific heat, meaning it requires very little energy from the sun to heat up. Additionally, since the sand is high-density, it has a higher heat capacity. The higher the density, the higher the amounts of thermal energy being used. 

Another interesting tidbit: darker sand holds more heat than lighter sand.

The ocean water however, thankfully, takes longer to heat up because it has a higher specific heat capacity.

It is extremely important to protect yourself from the hot sun and hot sand. By wearing sandals or water shoes to the beach or coming earlier in the morning or later in the evening, you can be responsible and prepared for the heat, especially since it is possible that on a 90-degree day, beach sand may reach up to more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Now that you know why beach sand has the capability to heat up to scorching temperatures, let’s take a look at the hottest beaches around. 

To determine the hottest beaches, 24/7 Tempo reviewed tract-level data on land surface temperature from the USGS Landsat program and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey. Cities were ranked based on the average land surface temperature in July and August among census tracts intersecting U.S. coastline. Census tract data were aggregated to the Census place level using spatial boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Only cities with at least 1,000 residents and 15% of housing units vacant for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use were included.

50. Manasota Key, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 90.8°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 31.0%
• Total population: 1,718

49. Jamaica Beach, TX

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 90.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 48.1%
• Total population: 1,103

48. Redington Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.9%
• Total population: 1,320

47. Pass Christian, MS

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 21.0%
• Total population: 5,802

46. Morro Bay, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 16.4%
• Total population: 10,766

45. Key Biscayne, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 26.4%
• Total population: 14,572

44. Navarre Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.4°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 56.2%
• Total population: 1,594

43. North Myrtle Beach, SC

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.4°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 45.1%
• Total population: 18,850

42. Tierra Verde, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.4°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 21.2%
• Total population: 4,072

41. Miramar Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 52.9%
• Total population: 9,115

40. Hudson, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 17.7%
• Total population: 10,821

39. Sargent, TX

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.6°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 60.0%
• Total population: 1,240

38. Garden City, SC

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.7°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 42.9%
• Total population: 10,885

37. Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.7°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 21.4%
• Total population: 1,792

36. Del Mar, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 91.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 19.8%
• Total population: 3,956

35. Marco Island, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 50.5%
• Total population: 15,942

34. Cocoa Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.9%
• Total population: 11,334

33. Bal Harbour, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 52.1%
• Total population: 3,035

32. Surfside, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 29.3%
• Total population: 5,625

31. Malibu, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 17.1%
• Total population: 10,698

30. Panama City Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 54.5%
• Total population: 18,281

29. Naples, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 41.1%
• Total population: 19,315

28. Coronado, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.4°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 20.0%
• Total population: 18,871

27. St. Simons, GA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 22.1%
• Total population: 15,983

26. Bradley Beach, NJ

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.8°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 23.4%
• Total population: 4,268

25. Palm Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 92.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 42.7%
• Total population: 9,205

24. Cayucos, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 39.4%
• Total population: 2,361

23. Ocean Grove, NJ

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.3°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.2%
• Total population: 3,129

22. Lower Grand Lagoon, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 56.8%
• Total population: 4,733

21. Miami Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 22.0%
• Total population: 82,400

20. Surfside Beach, SC

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.7°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 40.4%
• Total population: 4,179

19. Indian Rocks Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.8°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 29.9%
• Total population: 3,689

18. Myrtle Beach, SC

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 19.1%
• Total population: 36,064

17. Hillsboro Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 93.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 44.4%
• Total population: 2,225

16. Avalon, CA

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 94.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 26.1%
• Total population: 3,441

15. Deerfield Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 94.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 16.4%
• Total population: 86,455

14. Pelican Bay, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 94.6°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 41.4%
• Total population: 6,380

13. Ocean Ridge, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 94.7°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 37.2%
• Total population: 1,712

12. Hallandale Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 94.9°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.6%
• Total population: 41,102

11. Siesta Key, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.0°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 43.1%
• Total population: 5,535

10. Port Aransas, TX

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 34.2%
• Total population: 3,072

9. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 45.6%
• Total population: 6,202

8. Destin, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.2°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 36.3%
• Total population: 13,923

7. South Padre Island, TX

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.3°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 77.3%
• Total population: 2,386

6. Highland Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.3°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 42.7%
• Total population: 4,261

5. South Palm Beach, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.6°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 46.6%
• Total population: 1,648

4. Indian Shores, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 95.7°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 60.4%
• Total population: 1,182

3. Cape Canaveral, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 96.4°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.9%
• Total population: 9,980

2. Galveston, TX

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 96.5°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 15.5%
• Total population: 53,265

1. Venice, FL

• Avg. summer land surface temperature of beach tracts: 98.1°F
• Housing units vacant for seasonal use: 24.0%
• Total population: 25,710