The Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.

The Most Polluted U.S. Cities

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is responsible for seven 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, using data from the 2024 State of the Air report from the American Lung Association and ask, what are the most polluted cities in the U.S.

Key Takeaways

• Six of the top seven cities are in California, and four in the state’s Central Valley, a 450 mile flat valley that runs parallel to the Pacific coast, which traps pollution that is blown inland from the big population centers.
• The American Lung Association has set an annual limit of 9 µg/m3 for PM2.5, a level just below Las Vegas’ result of 10.8. However, the World Health Organization has set a more stringent limit of 5 µg/m3 meaning that Las Vegas, NV was over twice recommended levels.
• The EPA recently updated a cost-benefit analysis of the Clean Air Act, the main piece of federal legislation governing air quality, and found that between 1990 and 2020 it cost the economy roughly $65 billion, but also provided $2 trillion in benefits.

Read the full article on the Decarbonization Channel, sponsored by the National Public Utilities Commission.