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Data: Climate Central; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals

It’s not just you. Boston’s summers are getting hotter.

Driving the news: The city’s average summer temperatures increased by 2.4°F between 1970 and 2022, per a new analysis by climate research group Climate Central.

Average temperatures were 74.1°F in 2022, compared to 71.7°F in 1970.

Why it matters: Extreme heat is a serious health risk, leading to both immediate acute effects (such as exhaustion and heat stroke) as well as longer-term complications due to reduced air quality.

A particularly deadly "heat dome" phenomenon was linked to dozens of deaths across the Pacific Northwest and beyond back in 2021, lending fresh urgency to the problem of rising city temperatures.

Zoom in: Boston launched a task force last year to oversee heat mitigation and climate resiliency strategies.

The city also launched a grant program to help property owners swap out dark roofs that attract more sunlight with lighter, “cooler” roofs. It also gave out 30 pop-up cooling kits for community groups hosting public events.

The big picture: Between 1970 and 2022, summer temperatures rose across nearly 230 locations — 95% of the locations the group analyzed. The average increase was 2.4°F.

Average temperature increases were highest in Reno, Nevada (+11.1°F); Boise, Idaho (+5.8°F); Las Vegas (+5.8°F); Salt Lake City (+5.5°F); and El Paso, Texas (+5.3°F).

Last year was the third-warmest summer between 1970 and 2022 for Boston.

The bottom line: "As carbon pollution traps more heat in Earth's atmosphere, the summer season is warming, summer temperatures are arriving earlier in the year, and risky heat extremes are becoming more frequent," per Climate Central.

Boston's hot summers are here to stay

It’s not just you. Boston’s summers are getting hotter.Driving the news: The city’s average summer temperatures increased by 2.4°F between 1970 and 2022, per a new<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-summer-package" data-vars-content-id="03bc7b39-fcec-4250-8bb7-df5678a993a5" data-vars-headline="Boston&#x27;s hot summers are here to stay" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-summer-package" target="_blank"> analysis</a> by climate research group <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Climate Central" data-vars-click-url="https://www.climatecentral.org/what-we-do" data-vars-content-id="03bc7b39-fcec-4250-8bb7-df5678a993a5" data-vars-headline="Boston&#x27;s hot summers are here to stay" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.climatecentral.org/what-we-do" target="_blank">Climate Central</a>.

Climate

Credit line: Data: RentCafe; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals

Apartment developers looking to attract high-income renters say they’re thinking beyond gyms and pools when it comes to amenities.

Why it matters: The push comes as many would-be homebuyers rent longer, incentivizing properties to compete for a growing cohort of high-income renters.

State of play: Developers have touted dog spas, in-home grocery delivery and other perks to attract luxury renters in the Boston area, where rents are among the highest in the nation.

The Ink Block apartment complex in the South End lists a botanical garden, rooftop pool, pet groom station and a pet park among its amenities.

By the numbers: The number of metro-area renters earning $150,000 or more grew 100% between 2016 and 2021, per U.S. Census data.

That's higher than the national average increase of 87.5%

The big picture: Apartment construction is booming nationwide. Historically, new rental housing tends to hit at the higher end of the market, Chris Salviati, senior economist at Apartment List, tells Axios.

That trend has become more pronounced in recent years as rising project costs squeeze developers, he says.

Between the lines: High listing prices and mortgage rates aren’t making home buying as desirable as it once was, Salviati says.

"A lot of folks in that high-income band, who in the past would have owned homes, are now continuing to rent — whether that's for lifestyle reasons or because they are feeling like it's not a good time to buy," he says.

Boston's high-income renter population is growing

Developers are thinking beyond gyms and pools to attract this demographic.

Apartment developers looking to attract high-income renters say they’re thinking beyond gyms and pools when it comes to amenities.Why it matters: The push comes as many<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" would-be homebuyers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/22/mortgage-applications-plummet" data-vars-content-id="7277cacc-d9b7-4f76-8db6-7e0c4bc44d80" data-vars-headline="Boston&#x27;s high-income renter population is growing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/22/mortgage-applications-plummet" target="_self"> would-be homebuyers</a> rent longer, incentivizing properties to compete for a growing cohort of high-income renters.

Tory Lysik

Featured stories

Boston's hot summers are here to stay

Boston's high-income renter population is growing