January 21, 2025, 6:52 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Many US cities are still among the top foreign travel destinations for Germans. However, on the downside of the appeal of famous cultural sights and the American lifestyle in general, there are undeniable problems with waste and heavy air pollution in many places. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, one Californian city tops all others, as a recent analysis shows. According to the locals, they no longer feel at home. Rats and pests apparently feel all the more…
The online platform Lawnstarter, which specializes in lawn care and the provision of landscape services, is behind the analysis. In addition to its core business, Lawnstarter produces reports on topics such as urban cleanliness, environmental conditions, and resident satisfaction in US cities. The results are, of course, primarily relevant to those who live in the cities in question. However, people from outside the country who are planning a vacation in the US or even thinking about emigrating are also likely to be interested. A very recent ranking by the portal, in which various environmental factors were again taken into account, lists a city in California, known primarily as a major commercial center, as the dirtiest in the USA.
Overview
This Is How the Dirtiest City in the US Was Determined
First, you should know that cities in the US are often dirtier than many in Europe. This is partly due to the stricter environmental regulations here, and also to the better organized public transport system. In the US, most cities are geared towards private transport, and public transport systems are only available to a limited extent. This means that residents are often dependent on getting around by car. The many exhaust fumes contribute to air pollution. In addition, waste disposal systems in Europe are generally more efficient, making it easier to keep pest problems under control.
To determine the dirtiest of them all, Lawnstarter analyzed numerous cities in the US, according to several criteria. In addition to air quality, these included the proportion of overcrowded apartments and the number of local junkyards. The results of surveys were also taken into account. In these, locals expressed their own satisfaction with the cleanliness of the city, among other things.
The Dirtiest City in the US: San Bernardino
The city of San Bernardino in California scored the worst overall. However, it does not necessarily have a dirty image. Although it is predominantly urban, i.e., crisscrossed by industrial areas and urban centers, there are some affluent districts in the north of San Bernardino in particular.
According to the latest publication, the transportation industry is booming in the Inland Empire region, where San Bernardino County is located. Lawnstarter cites a freight transportation corridor that “includes over 4,000 warehouses and carries nearly 600,000 diesel-powered trucks through the Inland Empire every day.” For this reason, the average air quality in San Bernardino is the worst of all US cities surveyed. As the survey also showed, locals are also bothered by the dirty air.
The local online news service SBC Sentinel has even more unsavory things to say about San Bernardino. According to it, the negligent waste collection in the region has “led to a proliferation of rats.” And: Some of the rodents are said to be infested with fleas infected with bubonic plague.
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2nd Place Goes to Detroit and 3rd Place to Newark
After evaluating all the criteria examined, Detroit, Michigan, came out as the second-dirtiest city in the USA. The decisive factor here was also a pronounced level of air pollution, with Detroit in particular being cited as having a high proportion of smokers among its residents. An impressive 79.3 percent of survey participants stated that they found the city unclean and untidy.
If you already think that’s a lot, what do you think of Reading, Pennsylvania? There, a full 100 percent of all residents surveyed feel uncomfortable because of the filth. The study also showed that each resident here emits an average of 18.5 metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. However, “only” around 33 percent of survey participants find the level of pollution disturbing. This puts Reading in 58th place in this evaluation criterion, i.e., quite far down the list. Overall, the city lands in 3rd place in Lawnstarter’s pollution ranking.
Here is an overview of the top 10 dirtiest cities in the USA, based on an overall evaluation of all the criteria examined:
| Rank | City | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | San Bernardino | California |
| 2. | Detroit | Michigan |
| 3. | Reading | Pennsylvania |
| 4. | Newark | New Jersey |
| 5. | Ontario | California |
| 6. | Phoenix | Arizona |
| 7. | Trenton | New Jersey |
| 8. | Las Vegas | Nevada |
| 9. | Houston | Texas |
| 10. | Baytown | Texas |