The United States of America is comprised of beautiful cities that are among the top cities in the world. However, some of these cities are highly polluted which we know is harmful to residents of these cities. We have compiled the list of 15 most polluted cities in the us.
What Are The Most Polluted Cities In The US?
Has of 2022 Los Angeles-Long Beach remains the most polluted city in us and California is the most polluted state.
2022 United State Most Polluted Cities
According to the American Lung Association, the ten most polluted cities in the United States are:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Sacramento-Roseville, PA
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Houston-The Woodlands, TX
- New York-Newark, NY-NJ
Most Polluted Cities In US Base On Short-term Particle Pollution (24-hour)
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Bakersfield, CA.
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Yakima, Wash.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Logan, Utah-Idaho
- Redding-Red Bluff, CA
- Missoula, Mont.
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
Most Polluted Cities In US Base On Most Year-round Particle Pollution
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Visalia, Calif.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Medford-Grants Pass, Ore.
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
- Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, Pa.-Ohio-West Va.
- El Centro, CA
USA Most Polluted Cities by ozone
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, Utah
- Denver-Aurora, Colo.
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
Most Polluted Cities in the Us by Population 2022
| City | Population | State |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | 8,230,289 | New York |
| Los Angeles | 3,983,536 | California |
| Houston | 2,323,658 | Texas |
| Phoenix | 1,733,626 | Arizona |
| San Diego | 1,427,719 | California |
| San Jose | 1,009,345 | California |
| Fresno | 537,100 | California |
| Bakersfield | 389,007 | California |
| Newark | 282,529 | New Jersey |
| Visalia | 136,959 | California |
All Time Most Polluted Cities In US
A well-known fact is that humans produce the largest amount of waste due to several activities which are aimed to better our lives but in return, it causes damage to our surrounding such as air pollution, water, dirty and unkept environment, and son. Below is a highlight of the 15 Most Polluted Cities in the US.
- Bakersfield
- Fresno
- Visalia
- Modesto
- Fairbanks
- San Francisco
- Salt Lake City
- Logan
- Los Angeles
- Reno
- El Centro
- Lancaster
- Missoula
- Sacramento
- Anchorage
Cities With Most Air Pollution in the United States
1. Bakersfield
- Location: California
Bakersfield sits atop the list of Most Polluted Cities in America been rated for experiencing the highest average number of days with spikes in unhealthy air much more than any city in the country, thereby becoming one of the Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2022 at the number one spot. More so, the city ranked high in terms of short-term particle pollution, particle pollution, and high ozone pollution.
2. Fresno
- Location: California
Fresno city is also spotted at the top of our ranking for being the Most Polluted city in America. Constant traffic congestion, as well as industrial activities, contribute to the pollution problems experienced in the city. The dirty air caused by pollution is causing a lot of residents in the city a lot of health problems.
3. Visalia
- Location: California
Visalia is a town located in California and it suffers from congestion and hot-weather air pollution just like its other nearby towns. The city also received its fair share of the drought, oil drilling, intense agriculture, and traffic all contribute to dirty air just as other cities located along the Central Valley.
More so, the city experiences short-term particle pollution that is high for an average of 40 days annually, as well as nearly 100 high-ozone days annually. However, most of the pollution in this city comes from other neighboring towns especially since 10 percent of ozone pollution in the area comes from outside the state.
4. Modesto
- Location: California
Modesto is also another Californian city to be ranked among one of the Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2022 and it’s also located in the San Joaquin Valley, a region considered to be a hot spot for air pollution. The geographical location of this city combined with events such as drought and wildfires during the years contributed to the high levels of soot in the region and has consistently been ranked among the top 5 cities for both short-term and year-round particle pollution.
5. Fairbanks
- Location: Alaska
Fairbanks is the second city in Alaska to make the list and it is also the second-largest city in the state. The city is known to have one of the highest worst short-term particle pollution in the country with an average of 25 days with unhealthy levels of short-term particle pollution, from the year 2013 – to 2014. Nonetheless, the city experiences low levels of ozone pollution in the country.
6. San Francisco
- Location: California
San Francisco is in no way among the Least Polluted Cities in the US as it is found among the Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2022. San Francisco along with other cities including the San Jose and Oakland area in the Bay Area of the United States of America is among the most polluted in the country, contributing to the short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution in the region. More so, not forgetting the high number of ozone days as well as extreme drought and the accompanying wildfires likewise contributes to the region’s high pollution levels.
7. Salt Lake City
- Location: Utah
Moving over to Salt Lake City in Utah State in America has been the seventh Most Polluted City in America. The city’s location is one of its major pollutants contributors. The city has one of the highest air pollution rates in the United States.
8. Logan
- Location: Utah
Logan is another city in Utah to make the list of cities that are highly polluted in the United States. However, the city is among the smaller cities on the list, notwithstanding, that the city still has the same level of pollution as other major cities enlisted in this article. The use of wood-burning as a source of heat during winter contributes highly to the spikes in short-term particle pollution which is experienced for a weighted average of 20 days per year.
9. Los Angeles
- Location: California
The city of Angels takes us back to the United States of California is one of the cities that is highly polluted. It is not strange to have Los Angeles enlisted that it has always been ranked among the Most Polluted Cities in the US. To start with, the city’s geographical location caused it to trap dirty air which is responsible for the dirty smog-filled air in the city.
Los Angeles is said to have the worst ozone pollution in the country, not forgetting also short-term particles which remain a big threat in the city despite the city’s drastic action to reduce the rate of pollution. Long Beach in Los Angeles is also known to generate a lot of pollution too.
10. Reno
- Location: Nevada
Reno city in Nevada State America is enlisted here because of its high rate of ozone and particulate matter which are the major pollution in this city. The occurrence of wildfires in the area also contributes to the pollution in the area and reduces air quality too.
11. El Centro
- Location: California
El Centro is located in the southern part of California, close to the border with Mexico. The city is known for its high levels of short-term particle pollution and also experiences 20 high ozone days per year. Thus, the unhealthy air days in the city have escalated from the usual.
12. Lancaster
- Location: Pennsylvania
Lancaster city is rated as a polluted city despite its large Amish population. Occasional spikes in short-term particle pollution which happens an average of nine times per year have landed this city on our list. One of the major reasons can be attributed to the coal-fired power plant used in the city. Nonetheless, the city experienced lesser ozone pollution compared to previous reports of ozone activities in the city.
13. Missoula
- Location: Montana
Seems like the rate of pollution in Missoula is gradually on a decline and no high ozone days. Nevertheless, the city still experiences poor air quality at an average of 8½ days annually.
14. Sacramento
- Location: California
Sacramento is also found among the Most Polluted Cities in US 2019 especially due to short-term particulate which often caused the city to experience a weighted average of eight days of alarmingly dirty air annually. More so, the city has one of the highest levels of ozone (or smog as it is popularly known) pollution in the country making it one of the cities with the Worst Air Quality in the US Today.
Campfire smoke from California also creates a rare and extremely dangerous air pollution episode for residents in Sacramento, forcing a mass closure of schools and other institutions.
15. Anchorage
- Location: Alaska
Anchorage in Alaska completes our list of Most Polluted Cities in America. The city is surrounded by mountains it is colorless and it is ranked here because of kg its odorless carbon-monoxide pollution. Due to the amount of short-term particle pollution which got to unhealthy levels, the city is seen as one of the Most Polluted Cities in the US in 2022. Also, contributing to the pollution in the city is the high reliance on wood-burning devices for heat during long, cold winters, which leads to air pollution and is one of the reasons for spikes in pollution.
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Conclusion
These are the cities that are considered to be the most polluted in the United States. The United State of California has the major chunk of cities on the list then it is safe to say that it is one of the Most Polluted States in the US. However, efforts are made to ensure that pollution is reduced drastically and ensure that the environment is safe for man, animals, and plants to survive.