According to data from the American Lung Association's State of the Air report for 2024, a list of the most polluted cities in the US is provided below, with Bakersfield, CA, and Visalia, CA, topping the list.

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes seven million deaths per year and might cost the world economy $18–25 trillion in welfare expenditures annually by 2060, or roughly 4–6% of GDP.

Furthermore, cities are quickly emerging as key players in the worldwide drive to clean up the air, with projections indicating that by the middle of the century, seven out of ten people will live in metropolitan areas.

The most polluted cities in the US are displayed in this visualization by Chris Dickert of Visual Capitalist, which makes use of data from the American Lung Association's State of the Air report for 2024.

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is a complicated mixture of gases, particles, and liquid droplets that can originate from a...