Nearly half of the people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution 鈥� you could be among them.That's 25 million more people living with bad air than last year's report showed, according to air quality data from the American Lung Association (ALA). The new 2025 annual report covers data from 2021 to 2023, the most recent year available. Most of the increase comes from communities on the East Coast, which were plagued with smoke from the Canadian wildfires in 2023. 鈥淭he quality of air in this country should be getting better, but it鈥檚 not,鈥� said Katherine Pruitt, the senior director for Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA.Air quality was improving across the country after the passage of the 1963 Clean Air Act, Pruitt said, but 10 years ago, progress halted. Increasing extreme heat events and wildfires have led to more ozone and particle pollution 鈥� two ways of measuring air quality 鈥� reversing clean air improvements.Now, the new Trump administration has started rolling back environmental protections. President Donald Trump has signed executive orders calling for energy production deregulation, and the Environmental Protection Agency has laid off staff amid the Department of Government Efficiency's restructuring. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at risk of losing our ability to measure and talk about the pollution that we are living with,鈥� Pruitt said.Only 885 counties monitor air pollution and have a complete enough dataset to be included in the report. The other more than 2,250 counties either don鈥檛 have enough funding or population to monitor air quality. Wildfires are one of the biggest factors leading to unhealthy air, especially as the changing climate causes more extreme heat and drought. Emissions, industry, oil and gas extraction, mining and construction also pollute the air.California has some of the worst air quality in the country, according to the State of the Air report.Los Angeles-Long Beach, California, was the most polluted metropolitan area by ozone levels. Ozone air pollution can irritate the lungs and make it hard to breathe. It also ranked within the top 10 worst cities in terms of both daily and annual particle pollution. To its northeast, Bakersfield-Delano, California, has the worst particle pollution both by daily spikes and annual averages. Breathing in polluted air poses a serious health risk for people, especially for certain vulnerable populations. People of color are more likely to breathe unhealthy air and are more likely to be living with asthma, diabetes and heart disease 鈥� all of which make air pollution more deadly, the report said. Hispanic or Latino people are nearly three times as likely to live in an area with polluted air as white people, according to the report.Poor air quality can increase the risk of premature birth, cause and worsen lung and heart disease, and lead to death, according to the ALA. Children, adults over 65, people of color, pregnant people, smokers and people experiencing poverty are all at heightened risk.To see the air quality in your hometown, search for your county in the graphic below. More counties improved than worsened in terms of ozone pollution in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming. The cleanest areas to live in by ozone air pollution and particle pollution include:Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia/South CarolinaCasper, WyomingAsheville-Waynesville-Brevard, North CarolinaBangor, MaineUrban Honolulu, HawaiiThe full list of the cleanest-air cities to live in is published by the ALA here.PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
Nearly half of the people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution 鈥� you could be among them.
That's 25 million more people living with bad air than last year's report showed, according to air quality data from the American Lung Association (ALA). The new covers data from 2021 to 2023, the most recent year available.
Most of the increase comes from communities on the East Coast, which were plagued with smoke from the Canadian wildfires in 2023.
鈥淭he quality of air in this country should be getting better, but it鈥檚 not,鈥� said Katherine Pruitt, the senior director for Nationwide Clean Air Policy at the ALA.
Air quality was improving across the country after the passage of the 1963 Clean Air Act, Pruitt said, but 10 years ago, progress halted. Increasing extreme heat events and wildfires have led to more ozone and particle pollution 鈥� two ways of measuring air quality 鈥� reversing clean air improvements.
Now, the new Trump administration has started environmental protections. President Donald Trump has signed executive orders calling for energy production , and the Environmental Protection Agency has staff amid the Department of Government Efficiency's restructuring.
鈥淲e鈥檙e at risk of losing our ability to measure and talk about the pollution that we are living with,鈥� Pruitt said.
Only 885 counties monitor air pollution and have a complete enough dataset to be included in the report. The other more than 2,250 counties either don鈥檛 have enough funding or population to monitor air quality.
Wildfires are one of the biggest factors leading to unhealthy air, especially as the changing climate causes more extreme heat and drought. Emissions, industry, oil and gas extraction, mining and construction also pollute the air.
California has some of the worst air quality in the country, according to the State of the Air .
Los Angeles-Long Beach, California, was the most polluted metropolitan area by ozone levels. Ozone air pollution can irritate the lungs and make it hard to breathe.
It also ranked within the top 10 worst cities in terms of both daily and annual particle pollution. To its northeast, Bakersfield-Delano, California, has the worst particle pollution both by daily spikes and annual averages.
Breathing in polluted air poses a serious health risk for people, especially for certain vulnerable populations.
People of color are more likely to breathe unhealthy air and are more likely to be living with asthma, diabetes and heart disease 鈥� all of which make air pollution more deadly, the report said. Hispanic or Latino people are nearly three times as likely to live in an area with polluted air as white people, according to the report.
Poor air quality can increase the risk of premature birth, cause and worsen lung and heart disease, and lead to death, . Children, adults over 65, people of color, pregnant people, smokers and people experiencing poverty are all at heightened risk.
To see the air quality in your hometown, search for your county in the graphic below.
More counties improved than worsened in terms of ozone pollution in California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming.
The cleanest areas to live in by ozone air pollution and particle pollution include:
- Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia/South Carolina
- Casper, Wyoming
- Asheville-Waynesville-Brevard, North Carolina
- Bangor, Maine
- Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
The full list of the cleanest-air cities to live in is published by the ALA .
