After reading this, you may want to avoid these polluted US cities!
Air pollution happens to be the worst pollution-related epidemic worldwide and one of the most significant environmental issues of our lifetime. It’s responsible for the death of at least seven million people each year.
Over 90% of the planet’s population currently lives in cities where air quality levels exceed the World Health Organization’s limits. This doesn’t have to happen to you, though!
The American Lung Association published its annual State of the Air report regarding the most polluted US cities, which analyses data from recent years. The study found that about 135 million people in our nation live in places with unhealthy air.
Caused by high ozone and smog, the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles with motors and power plants, and climate change-induced weather events like wildfires, air pollution has only been heightened by global warming changes with prolonged pollen seasons and increased heatwaves.
Here is a list of the 7 most polluted US cities according to particulate matter (PM 2.5) levels. You might want to avoid them if you wish for your golden years to be blissful!
Los Angeles, California
Notorious for its air pollution, the city of Los Angeles has unsurprisingly won a spot on our list, primarily due to its high number of dangerous ozone days.
It has remained the city with the most alarming ozone pollution in the nation for only one of the 22 years since the State of the Air report first started.
It also ranked 4th for annual particle pollution and 6th for daily particle pollution exposure, with just over 1 million adult residents with chronic asthma.
The inferior air hasn’t gone overlooked by city officials, though, who implemented a Sustainable Cities Plan back in 2015 to cut down unhealthy air pollution days from 40 to zero in the next few years.
Denver, Colorado
The Colorado capital, along with nearby Aurora, ranked 8th for ozone, 33rd for daily particle pollution, and 36th for annual particle pollution last year.
In 2020, federal records revealed that Denver residents inhaled hazardous air pollution at dangerous levels for over 260 days yearly for the prior two years.
Back in 2019, the state Air Pollution Control Division revealed that the EPA had reclassified this city as a severe violator of federal air regulations after it didn’t meet health standards for 10 years straight.
So the bottom line is that you should probably plan for a periodic winter escape to Colorado, but as far as retiring here? We’ll pass!
Medford, Oregon
Like most of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon’s cities of Grants Pass and Medford suffer from wildfire smoke that becomes entangled in the valley. This leads to poor air quality and bad marks from the State of the Air Report.
The small smoke particles are tiny enough to breathe in, triggering the region’s estimated 27,541 asthmatic adults and 4,323 children. While the city ranks 5th for annual particle pollution, it comes in at 57th for ozone.
What are YOUR thoughts? Would you consider moving to Oregon in your golden years?
Fairbanks, Alaska
While Alaska isn’t exactly the first place many of us think of in terms of pollution, this city was named the metropolitan area with the worst short-term particle pollution for its first time back in 2021.
Moreover, due to significant wildfires in 2019, Fairbanks recorded at least 3 days of dangerous air pollution levels, the highest in the Air Quality Index.
According to experts, sources of harmful air pollution in Fairbanks range from automobiles and industrial facilities to outdoor wood and coal burning.
The situation is alarming, and Fairbanks community groups have sued the US Environmental Protection Agency in the past since the agency hasn’t taken sufficient action to address it. So retirees may want to steer clear of this city because of its bad air quality!
Fresno, California
A few agricultural cities, including Fresno, ranked second for yearly and daily particle pollution recently and 4th for high ozone days.
This probably doesn’t surprise residents, though, who are well acquainted with the hot, dry weather and the surrounding mountains that lead to an inversion layer of entrapped pollution.
According to its local newspaper, this city’s air district offers incentive programs and grants to support businesses and residents in switching to zero-emission technologies to reduce the city’s infamous lousy air quality.
And while we hope they succeed, we won’t be moving to Fresno anytime soon!
Yakima, Washington
An area well-known for its wine industry, Yakima ranked 5th for 24-hour particle pollution and 26th for annual particle pollution recently.
The inferior air quality has been attributed to the increasing wildfires and their corresponding air pollution, which travels into the valley by the wind coming from Oregon and California.
The area also sees poor air quality from domestic wood burning in the colder months, which can carry more than three times the concentration of particulate pollution than in the summertime.
To ease pollution levels during the winter, the local Yakima Regional Clean Air Authority has burn bans in place during temperature inversions. Would you risk moving here for retirement?
Phoenix, Arizona
The capital of Arizona came in 5th in high ozone days and 8th for annual particle pollution.
Together with the city of Mesa, which is included in the ranking, the big city has a population of 1.6 million, and most of its particulate matter throughout the year is produced by fireworks during winter holidays, wood burning in fireplaces, and vehicle exhausts.
In an article for a local newspaper, the Southwest region’s Lung Association’s director of advocacy stated that “everyone has to play a role, but certainly the federal government must set stronger standards.
We’re talking about health protections that have been put in place which we really can’t afford to roll back.”
Have you been considering relocating for your retirement years to any of these polluted US cities? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
But don’t go away yet! Golden Years Bliss has much more valuable information to offer its readers. For instance, we highly recommend you also read about Retiring Abroad: Consider These 10 Essential Things FIRST!
