Which US city has the highest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration?

Bakersfield, CA has the highest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration in 2024, at 14.2 µg/m3, followed by Fresno, CA (11.7 µg/m3) and Riverside, CA (11.6 µg/m3).

Which US city has the lowest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration?

Kahului, HI has the lowest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration in 2024, at 2.8 µg/m3.

What is the median Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration across US cities?

The median is 7.2 µg/m3 across the 146 US cities with data in 2024.

Where does this air quality index by city (us) data come from?

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); IQAir World Air Quality Report. Last updated 2026-10-28.

US City rankings

Air Quality Index by City (US)

Name: Air Quality Index by City (US)
Creator: Rankodex

Bakersfield, CA has the highest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration in 2024 (14.2 µg/m3), followed by Fresno, CA (11.7 µg/m3) and Riverside, CA (11.6 µg/m3). Kahului, HI has the lowest (2.8 µg/m3).

Environment146 cities · 1 metricUpdated Oct 28, 2026Original page

2 sources

ShowingWeighted Annual Mean PM2.5 ConcentrationBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →

Year

146 of 477 cities

Compare this metric Add to combined ranking Open full map

Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration, 2024

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Best first: the first 15 and last 5 of 146 cities.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one city; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median

7.2 µg/m3

Middle half 6.3 µg/m3 – 8.0 µg/m3

Average

7.3 µg/m3

146 cities

Lowest (best)

2.8 µg/m3

Kahului, HI

Highest (worst)

14.2 µg/m3

Bakersfield, CA

Over time · 2000–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

Median of all cities
Kahului, HI
Las Vegas, NV
Honolulu, HI
Las Cruces, NM
Anchorage, AK

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

146 cities · # = rank by Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration

#
1	Kahului, HI	2.8 µg/m3
2	Las Vegas, NV	4.0 µg/m3
3	Honolulu, HI	4.2 µg/m3
4	Las Cruces, NM	4.3 µg/m3
5	Anchorage, AK	4.5 µg/m3
5	Juneau, AK	4.5 µg/m3
7	Portland, OR	4.9 µg/m3
8	Albuquerque, NM	5.1 µg/m3
8	Syracuse, NY	5.1 µg/m3
10	Palm Bay, FL	5.6 µg/m3
11	Denver, CO	5.7 µg/m3
11	Duluth, MN	5.7 µg/m3
13	Salinas, CA	5.8 µg/m3
14	Seattle, WA	5.9 µg/m3
14	Baltimore, MD	5.9 µg/m3
14	Tucson, AZ	5.9 µg/m3
14	Vallejo, CA	5.9 µg/m3
14	Hartford, CT	5.9 µg/m3
14	Provo, UT	5.9 µg/m3
14	Boulder, CO	5.9 µg/m3
14	Redding, CA	5.9 µg/m3
22	Louisville, KY	6.0 µg/m3
22	New Haven, CT	6.0 µg/m3
22	Erie, PA	6.0 µg/m3
22	Appleton, WI	6.0 µg/m3
22	Youngstown, OH	6.0 µg/m3
22	State College, PA	6.0 µg/m3
28	Oxnard, CA	6.1 µg/m3
28	Eugene, OR	6.1 µg/m3
28	Green Bay, WI	6.1 µg/m3
28	Asheville, NC	6.1 µg/m3
32	Washington, DC	6.2 µg/m3
32	Richmond, VA	6.2 µg/m3
32	Santa Cruz, CA	6.2 µg/m3
35	Salt Lake City, UT	6.3 µg/m3
35	Bridgeport, CT	6.3 µg/m3
35	Kingsport, TN	6.3 µg/m3
35	Dickinson, ND	6.3 µg/m3
39	Lexington, KY	6.4 µg/m3
39	Providence, RI	6.4 µg/m3
39	Fort Collins, CO	6.4 µg/m3
42	New York, NY	6.5 µg/m3
42	Albany, NY	6.5 µg/m3
44	Kansas City, MO	6.6 µg/m3
44	St. Cloud, MN	6.6 µg/m3
46	Jacksonville, FL	6.7 µg/m3
46	Virginia Beach, VA	6.7 µg/m3
46	Ann Arbor, MI	6.7 µg/m3
46	North Port, FL	6.7 µg/m3
46	Davenport, IA	6.7 µg/m3
46	Iowa City, IA	6.7 µg/m3
52	Philadelphia, PA	6.8 µg/m3
52	Lincoln, NE	6.8 µg/m3
52	Fargo, ND	6.8 µg/m3
52	Allentown, PA	6.8 µg/m3
52	Deltona, FL	6.8 µg/m3
52	Dover, DE	6.8 µg/m3
58	San Francisco, CA	6.9 µg/m3
58	Akron, OH	6.9 µg/m3
58	Flint, MI	6.9 µg/m3
58	Scranton, PA	6.9 µg/m3
58	Charleston, WV	6.9 µg/m3
58	Salisbury, MD	6.9 µg/m3
58	Daphne, AL	6.9 µg/m3
65	Tampa, FL	7.0 µg/m3
65	Clarksville, TN	7.0 µg/m3
65	Lakeland, FL	7.0 µg/m3
65	Michigan City, IN	7.0 µg/m3
69	Milwaukee, WI	7.1 µg/m3
69	Yakima, WA	7.1 µg/m3
71	Sacramento, CA	7.2 µg/m3
71	Omaha, NE	7.2 µg/m3
71	Minneapolis, MN	7.2 µg/m3
71	Pittsburgh, PA	7.2 µg/m3
75	Miami, FL	7.3 µg/m3
75	St. Louis, MO	7.3 µg/m3
75	Greeley, CO	7.3 µg/m3
75	Evansville, IN	7.3 µg/m3
75	Muncie, IN	7.3 µg/m3
75	Decatur, AL	7.3 µg/m3
75	York, PA	7.3 µg/m3
82	Huntsville, AL	7.4 µg/m3
82	Yuba City, CA	7.4 µg/m3
82	Pensacola, FL	7.4 µg/m3
82	Bay City, MI	7.4 µg/m3
86	Greensboro, NC	7.5 µg/m3
86	Lake Charles, LA	7.5 µg/m3
86	Springfield, OH	7.5 µg/m3
86	Hagerstown, MD	7.5 µg/m3
86	Wheeling, WV	7.5 µg/m3
91	Detroit, MI	7.6 µg/m3
91	Grand Rapids, MI	7.6 µg/m3
91	Myrtle Beach, SC	7.6 µg/m3
94	Chicago, IL	7.7 µg/m3
94	Raleigh, NC	7.7 µg/m3
94	New Orleans, LA	7.7 µg/m3
94	Orlando, FL	7.7 µg/m3
94	Gainesville, GA	7.7 µg/m3
94	Harrisburg, PA	7.7 µg/m3
94	Monroe, LA	7.7 µg/m3
101	Charlotte, NC	7.8 µg/m3
101	Toledo, OH	7.8 µg/m3
101	Columbia, SC	7.8 µg/m3
101	Merced, CA	7.8 µg/m3
101	Hickory, NC	7.8 µg/m3
106	Lancaster, PA	7.9 µg/m3
107	Phoenix, AZ	8.0 µg/m3
107	Columbus, OH	8.0 µg/m3
107	Cincinnati, OH	8.0 µg/m3
107	Winston-Salem, NC	8.0 µg/m3
107	Houma, LA	8.0 µg/m3
112	Oklahoma City, OK	8.1 µg/m3
112	Cleveland, OH	8.1 µg/m3
112	Tallahassee, FL	8.1 µg/m3
112	Rochester, MN	8.1 µg/m3
116	Holland, MI	8.2 µg/m3
117	Chattanooga, TN	8.3 µg/m3
117	Bismarck, ND	8.3 µg/m3
117	Kalamazoo, MI	8.3 µg/m3
120	Tulsa, OK	8.4 µg/m3
120	Warner Robins, GA	8.4 µg/m3
122	El Centro, CA	8.6 µg/m3
122	Elizabethtown, KY	8.6 µg/m3
124	Gadsden, AL	8.7 µg/m3
125	Canton, OH	8.8 µg/m3
125	Albany, GA	8.8 µg/m3
127	Baton Rouge, LA	8.9 µg/m3
127	Augusta, GA	8.9 µg/m3
127	Terre Haute, IN	8.9 µg/m3
130	Wichita, KS	9.0 µg/m3
130	Modesto, CA	9.0 µg/m3
130	Valdosta, GA	9.0 µg/m3
133	Atlanta, GA	9.2 µg/m3
134	Longview, TX	9.5 µg/m3
135	Indianapolis, IN	9.6 µg/m3
136	Dallas, TX	9.8 µg/m3
137	San Diego, CA	9.9 µg/m3
138	Birmingham, AL	10.0 µg/m3
139	Little Rock, AR	10.1 µg/m3
139	Hanford, CA	10.1 µg/m3
141	Corpus Christi, TX	10.3 µg/m3
142	Houston, TX	10.5 µg/m3
143	Los Angeles, CA	11.2 µg/m3
144	Riverside, CA	11.6 µg/m3
145	Fresno, CA	11.7 µg/m3
146	Bakersfield, CA	14.2 µg/m3

What correlates with Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration (2024)?

Pearson r against 23 other city metrics sharing at least 88 cities. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration tend to score higher on these

Murder Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)
r = +0.15 · weak · n = 132
Plot
Violent Crime Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)
r = +0.14 · weak · n = 132
Plot
Burglary Rate (per 100K)Crime Rates by City (FBI)
r = +0.14 · weak · n = 132
Plot
Population
r = +0.12 · weak · n = 146
Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration tend to score lower on these

Median Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)
r = −0.28 · weak · n = 143
Plot
Bachelor’s Degree or Higher (% of Adults 25+)Housing, Income and Commutes by City (Census)
r = −0.21 · weak · n = 144
Plot
Average Annual Wage, All JobsAverage Wage by City (Metro Area, BLS)
r = −0.21 · weak · n = 143
Plot
Price Level (Housing Rents)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)
r = −0.17 · weak · n = 143
Plot
Price Level (All Items)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)
r = −0.17 · weak · n = 143
Plot
Price Level (Other Services)Cost of Living by City (Metro Price Parities)
r = −0.13 · weak · n = 143
Plot

Quick answers

Which US city has the highest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration?: Bakersfield, CA has the highest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration in 2024, at 14.2 µg/m3, followed by Fresno, CA (11.7 µg/m3) and Riverside, CA (11.6 µg/m3).
Which US city has the lowest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration?: Kahului, HI has the lowest Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration in 2024, at 2.8 µg/m3.
What is the median Weighted Annual Mean PM2.5 Concentration across US cities?: The median is 7.2 µg/m3 across the 146 US cities with data in 2024.
Where does this air quality index by city (us) data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); IQAir World Air Quality Report. Last updated 2026-10-28.

Higher together

Opposite directions

Quick answers

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