Electron excitation temperatures have been measured in a low‐pressure (0.05‐Torr Cs, 2‐Torr total pressure) argon‐cesium discharge that uses a heated cathode (900–1100 K). The excitation temperature determinations are based upon a model that allows calculation of cesium excited state densities for low electron density (<1011cm−3). The model assumes that the dominant creation processes for excited states are electron impact excitation from the ground state and radiative cascade from higher levels, while destruction is by spontaneous emission. Maxwellian electron energy distributions were used and the plasmas were considered to be optically thin. The model indicates that cascade contributions to the production of excited states can be as high as 50% for some cesium levels. Predicted emission spectra with cascade contributions to spontaneous emission intensities agree well with measured spectra except for radiation trapped transitions from low nP states to the ground state. Excitation temperatures are determined by fitting measured and calculated spectra.