The importance of clean air
From pollutants to natural allergens, the quality of the air we breathe has a major impact on health. Air pollution exposure has been linked to a number of diseases, while seasonal allergies can impact breathing, energy levels, and more.[1]
According to the American Lung Association, more than 131 million Americans live in cities that received an F rating for ozone or particle pollution.[2] And more than one quarter of all adults and children in the country suffer from some type of allergy.[3]
But not all areas in the country are subject to the same air quality — which means your quality of life can be impacted by where you live.
The Zebra set out to find the worst cities for air quality by analyzing the 50 most populous MSAs in the U.S. using three data points:
- Number of ozone days: When current weather conditions paired with pollution creates harmful levels of ozone.
- **Allergy capital ranking:**The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's ranking of places where seasonal allergies are challenging.
- Number of good air quality days: A low number of good air quality days means there are more days with an EPA Air Quality Index value between 50 and 200.
Here are the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the U.S.
Methodology
The Zebra pulled three data points to analyze the top 50 MSAs (by population) in the U.S. related to air quality.
- Number of ozone days (EPA)[6]
- Allergy capital ranking (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America)[7]
- Number of good air quality days (EPA)[8]
MSA data was used where applicable, and we sometimes substituted county data as necessary.