Using year-round particle pollution data from the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report, Stacker identified U.S. cities with the worst air pollution and the at-risk communities affected. Cities are organized by the U.S. Census Bureau’s metropolitan statistical areas, which group cities, counties, and parts of states defined as “a core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core.” This is why some cities and states are grouped together in the following list. Read on to find out where America’s most polluted cities are. (J Dennis/Shutterstock)
#25. Redding-Red Bluff, California | Total population: 245,164 – Percent people of color: 24.0% (58,776) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.2% (15,141) – Percent children with asthma: 1.6% (3,984) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 26.8% (65,803) – Percent people living in poverty: 13.9% (33,992) (Cody Markhart/Shutterstock)
#24. Sacramento-Roseville, California | Total population: 2,639,124 – Percent people of color: 47.5% (1,253,696) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.1% (160,442) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (43,918) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 25.8% (680,909) – Percent people living in poverty: 11.5% (304,746) (Belyay/Shutterstock)
#20. Missoula, Montana | Total population: 119,600 – Percent people of color: 10.9% (13,095) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.1% (9,725) – Percent children with asthma: 1.2% (1,489) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 34.8% (41,624) – Percent people living in poverty: 11.5% (13,748) (Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock)
#20. Houston-The Woodlands, Texas | Total population: 7,253,193 – Percent people of color: 64.3% (4,665,418) – Percent adults with asthma: 5.2% (379,549) – Percent children with asthma: 1.8% (129,626) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 25.5% (1,852,232) – Percent people living in poverty: 12.8% (931,447) (John_T/Shutterstock)
#20. St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, Missouri-Illinois | Total population: 2,907,648 – Percent people of color: 25.8% (750,922) – Percent adults with asthma: 7.6% (220,535) – Percent children with asthma: 1.5% (44,574) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 35.0% (1,018,979) – Percent people living in poverty: 10.2% (297,846) (Public House Design/Shutterstock)
#20. New York-Newark, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania | Total population: 22,589,036 – Percent people of color: 51.9% (11,716,586) – Percent adults with asthma: 7.2% (1,632,452) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (379,882) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 28.8% (6,503,918) – Percent people living in poverty: 11.3% (2,551,734) (EQRoy/Shutterstock)
#19. Eugene-Springfield, Oregon | Total population: 382,067 – Percent people of color: 18.7% (71,475) – Percent adults with asthma: 9.2% (35,062) – Percent children with asthma: 1.3% (4,831) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 34.1% (130,297) – Percent people living in poverty: 13.6% (52,146) (Joshua Rainey Photography/Shutterstock)
#18. Shreveport-Bossier City-Minden, Louisiana | Total population: 433,046 – Percent people of color: 46.9% (203,039) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.1% (26,392) – Percent children with asthma: 2.1% (8,994) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 34.5% (149,359) – Percent people living in poverty: 21.4% (92,684) (Allen J.M. Smith/Shutterstock)
#17. Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware-Maryland | Total population: 7,209,620 – Percent people of color: 38.6% (2,780,639) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.0% (578,725) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (120,736) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 32.6% (2,348,439) – Percent people living in poverty: 11.3% (816,161) (gokturk_06/Shutterstock)
#15. McAllen-Edinburg, Texas | Total population: 933,340 – Percent people of color: 94.2% (879,594) – Percent adults with asthma: 4.8% (44,637) – Percent children with asthma: 2.2% (20,472) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 23.4% (218,350) – Percent people living in poverty: 27.0% (251,773) (Davy Lane Photography/Shutterstock)
#15. Chicago-Naperville, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin | Total population: 9,825,325 – Percent people of color: 46.6% (4,578,779) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.5% (643,461) – Percent children with asthma: 1.5% (151,346) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 31.0% (3,044,149) – Percent people living in poverty: 10.5% (1,035,588) (Etienne Pauthenet/Shutterstock)
#14. Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio | Total population: 3,586,918 – Percent people of color: 24.1% (864,495) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.8% (314,459) – Percent children with asthma: 1.6% (58,145) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 35.8% (1,283,854) – Percent people living in poverty: 13.0% (467,621) (Michael T Hartman/Shutterstock)
#13. Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, Indiana | Total population: 2,457,286 – Percent people of color: 26.0% (639,840) – Percent adults with asthma: 7.5% (185,299) – Percent children with asthma: 1.6% (39,618) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 33.5% (823,704) – Percent people living in poverty: 10.9% (267,098) (Sopotnicki/Shutterstock)
#12. Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, Michigan | Total population: 5,341,994 – Percent people of color: 32.1% (1,717,326) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.8% (469,545) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (89,947) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 35.5% (1,896,154) – Percent people living in poverty: 12.8% (683,924) (Daniel J. Macy/Shutterstock)
#11. Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana | Total population: 2,280,246 – Percent people of color: 20.6% (470,112) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.3% (190,117) – Percent children with asthma: 1.8% (40,787) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 35.0% (799,064) – Percent people living in poverty: 11.1% (253,186) (Anne Kitzman/Shutterstock)
#10. El Centro, California | Total population: 181,215 – Percent people of color: 90.0% (163,054) – Percent adults with asthma: 5.6% (10,134) – Percent children with asthma: 2.1% (3,787) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 23.4% (42,359) – Percent people living in poverty: 21.0% (38,020) (melissamn/Shutterstock)
#9. Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, Pennsylvania-Ohio-West Virginia | Total population: 2,603,259 – Percent people of color: 14.1% (367,959) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.8% (229,401) – Percent children with asthma: 1.5% (39,166) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 36.0% (936,469) – Percent people living in poverty: 10.9% (283,360) (trekandshoot/Shutterstock)
#8. Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona | Total population: 5,002,221 – Percent people of color: 45.2% (2,263,250) – Percent adults with asthma: 7.5% (376,533) – Percent children with asthma: 1.9% (93,953) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 31.6% (1,580,693) – Percent people living in poverty: 12.1% (603,864) (Tim Roberts Photography/Shutterstock)
#7. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, California | Total population: 9,665,887 – Percent people of color: 61.9% (5,984,401) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.2% (596,451) – Percent children with asthma: 1.6% (151,415) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 26.0% (2,516,455) – Percent people living in poverty: 8.6% (835,745) (Sundry Photography/Shutterstock)
#6. Fairbanks, Alaska | Total population: 96,849 – Percent people of color: 30.8% (29,785) – Percent adults with asthma: 7.5% (7,304) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (1,693) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 32.6% (31,557) – Percent people living in poverty: 6.9% (6,656) (FloridaStock/Shutterstock)
#5. Medford-Grants Pass, Oregon | Total population: 308,431 – Percent people of color: 18.1% (55,687) – Percent adults with asthma: 8.9% (27,541) – Percent children with asthma: 1.4% (4,323) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 34.1% (105,208) – Percent people living in poverty: 14.0% (43,276) (CSNafzger/Shutterstock)
#4. Los Angeles-Long Beach, California | Total population: 18,711,436 – Percent people of color: 69.6% (13,015,618) – Percent adults with asthma: 6.1% (1,135,903) – Percent children with asthma: 1.7% (308,886) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 25.5% (4,770,767) – Percent people living in poverty: 12.0% (2,244,694) (J Dennis/Shutterstock)
#3. Visalia, California | Total population: 466,195 – Percent people of color: 72.3% (337,240) – Percent adults with asthma: 5.4% (25,274) – Percent children with asthma: 2.2% (10,429) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 22.5% (104,895) – Percent people living in poverty: 18.6% (86,940) (Rui Serra Maia/Shutterstock)
#2. Fresno-Madera-Hanford, California | Total population: 1,309,368 – Percent people of color: 70.5% (923,184) – Percent adults with asthma: 5.6% (73,602) – Percent children with asthma: 2.1% (26,885) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 23.4% (306,174) – Percent people living in poverty: 19.0% (249,022) (stellamc/Shutterstock)
#1. Bakersfield, California | Total population: 900,202 – Percent people of color: 67.2% (604,487) – Percent adults with asthma: 5.5% (49,933) – Percent children with asthma: 2.1% (19,014) – Percent people who have ever smoked: 22.9% (206,478) – Percent people living in poverty: 18.3% (164,817) (Real Window Creative/Shutterstock)
