Published
47 seconds ago
on
May 14, 2024 Graphics & Design The Most Polluted U.S. Cities in 2024
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths annually, and could cost the global economy between $18–25 trillion by 2060 in annual welfare costs, or roughly 4–6% of world GDP.
And with predictions that 7 in 10 people will make their homes in urban centers by mid-century, cities are fast becoming one of the frontlines in the global effort to clear the air.
In this visualization, we use 2024 data from the State of the Air report from the American Lung Association to show the most polluted cities in the United States.
What is Air Pollution?
Air pollution is a complex mixture of gases, particles, and liquid droplets and can have a variety of sources, including wildfires and cookstoves in rural areas, and road dust and diesel exhaust in cities.
There are a few kinds of air pollution that are especially bad for human health, including ozone and carbon monoxide, but here we’re concerned with fine particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns, or PM2.5 for short.
The reason for the focus is because at that small size, particulate matter can penetrate the bloodstream and cause all manner of havoc, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic pulmonary disease.
The American Lung Association has set an annual average guideline of 9 µg/m³ for PM2.5, however, the World Health Organization has set a much more stringent limit of 5 µg/m³.
The 21 Worst Polluted Cities in the U.S.
Here are the top 21 most polluted cities in the U.S., according to their annual average PM2.5 concentrations:
RankCity, StateAnnual average concentration, 2020-2022 (µg/m3) 1Bakersfield, CA18.8 2Visalia, CA18.4 3Fresno, CA17.5 4Eugene, OR14.7 5Bay Area, CA14.3 6Los Angeles, CA14.0 7Sacramento, CA13.8 8Medford, OR13.5 9Pheonix, AZ12.4 10Fairbanks, AK12.2 11Indianapolis, IN11.9 12Yakima, WA11.8 13Detroit, MI11.7 T14Chico, CA11.6 T14Spokane, WA11.6 15Houston, TX11.4 16El Centro, CA11.1 17Reno, NV11.0 18Pittsburgh, PA10.9 T19Kansas City, KS10.8 T19Las Vegas, NV10.8
Six of