High Ozone Days
Particle Pollution - 24 Hour
Ranking
- Ranked 5 worst for high ozone days out of 227 metropolitan areas
- Ranked 13 worst for 24-hour particle pollution out of 223 metropolitan areas
- Ranked 7 worst for annual particle pollution out of 200 metropolitan areas
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A staggering 63.7 million people were living in counties with failing grades for daily spikes in particle pollution, marking the highest number ever reported under the current national standard.
- The report grades counties and ranks cities and counties based on their scores for ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution levels.
- Since 2000, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile the "State of the Air" report.
- Source: City Monitor
State of the Air report lists the cleanest
and most polluted US cities
The American Lung Association's State of the Air report provides an annual assessment
for cities that gather air quality data pertaining to ozone and particle pollution.
One of the positive findings in the report was a decrease in the number of Americans living in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
- The report noted that nearly 36% of Americans, approximately 119.6 million people, still reside in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution. While this number remains substantial, it represents a reduction of 17.6 million individuals compared with the previous year.
The improvement in air quality can be attributed to improvements in the ozone in many regions, demonstrating the continued success of the Clean Air Act in addressing pollution sources. This positive trend reflects decades of effort to reduce emissions from transportation, power plants and manufacturing facilities.
Despite the overall progress, the report sounded alarms about daily spikes in deadly particle pollution. A staggering 63.7 million people were living in counties with failing grades for daily spikes in particle pollution, marking the highest number ever reported under the current national standard. This concerning trend underscores the need for continued efforts to combat particle pollution, which poses significant health risks.
Cities with the worst and best air quality
Most polluted cities by ozone air pollution
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
- Denver-Aurora, CO
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- Houston-The Woodlands, TX
- Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem, UT
Most polluted cities by year-round particle pollution
- Bakersfield, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
- Fairbanks, AK
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
- Medford-Grants Pass, OR (joint #7)
- Phoenix-Mesa, AZ (joint #7)
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA (joint #7)
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN
Most polluted cities by short-term particle pollution
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA
- Fairbanks, AK
- Visalia, CA
- Reno-Carson City-Fernley, NV
- San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA
- Redding-Red Bluff, CA
- Sacramento-Roseville, CA
- Chico, CA (joint #9)
- Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (joint #9)
The report highlighted the compounding effects of climate change on air quality. Over the past few years, a changing climate has made it increasingly challenging to protect human health. The three years covered by the 2023 report ranked among the seven hottest globally recorded, leading to high ozone days and spikes in particle pollution due to heat, drought and wildfires. These climate-driven factors are putting millions of people at risk and creating additional challenges for state and city efforts to mitigate air pollution.
Disparities in air quality
The State of the Air report also emphasised that the burden of living with unhealthy air is not distributed evenly among the population.
- Although people of colour make up 41% of the US population, they represent 54% of the nearly 120 million individuals living in counties with at least one failing grade.
- In the counties with the worst air quality, where failing grades were assigned for all three pollution measures, 72% of the 18 million affected residents are people of colour.
However, some cities demonstrated exemplary air quality. . .
READ MORE:
Populations At Risk | Learn More |
|---|---|
| Total Population: | 4,999,734 |
| Children Under 18: | 1,145,926 |
| Adults 65 & Over: | 819,746 |
| Pediatric Asthma: | 92,379 |
| Adult Asthma: | 366,150 |
| COPD: | 211,696 |
| Lung Cancer: | 1,970 |
| Cardiovascular Disease: | 305,529 |
| Pregnancy: | 54,708 |
| Poverty Estimate: | 556,754 |
| People of Color: | 2,317,167 |
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