Best and Worst States for Allergies
No state is safe, and the rankings move faster than people move. Boise went from 95th-worst to 1st in a single year. San Diego went from 97th to 2nd. Pollen varies more between two cities in one state than between state averages, so use the rankings to understand the pattern and check your own city for the number.
Which states are worst for allergies in 2026?
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America ranks the 100 most populous cities in the lower 48 each year, scoring each on tree, grass and weed pollen levels, over-the-counter allergy medicine use, and how many board-certified allergists are available. Cities, not states, a deliberate choice, and the right one.
Aggregate the 2026 list by state and two things stand out.
Utah has three of the twenty hardest cities: Provo at 4, Ogden at 8, Salt Lake City at 13. No other state has more.
The West took over a list the Southeast used to own. AAFA's own words: in the past the top Allergy Capitals were concentrated in the Southeast, and in 2025 areas in the West had more pollen spikes and a longer season.
| Rank | City | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise, ID | 100.00 |
| 2 | San Diego, CA | 99.63 |
| 3 | Tulsa, OK | 98.49 |
| 4 | Provo, UT | 97.65 |
| 5 | Rochester, NY | 96.74 |
| 6 | Wichita, KS | 95.27 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | 94.79 |
| 8 | Ogden, UT | 94.46 |
| 9 | Spokane, WA | 93.92 |
| 10 | Greenville, SC | 93.90 |
| 11 | San Francisco, CA | 93.68 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | 93.12 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | 92.92 |
| 14 | Richmond, VA | 92.35 |
| 15 | Colorado Springs, CO | 92.33 |
| 16 | Little Rock, AR | 92.12 |
| 17 | Toledo, OH | 92.01 |
| 18 | New Orleans, LA | 91.30 |
| 19 | Winston-Salem, NC | 90.64 |
| 20 | Lakeland, FL | 90.56 |
Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 2026 Allergy Capitals.
Which states are best for allergy sufferers?
Texas holds four of the ten easiest cities — Houston last at 100, San Antonio at 98, El Paso at 94, McAllen at 93. Arizona has two.
If you are reading that and thinking it contradicts everything you have heard about Texas and allergies, you have found the point of this article.
| Rank | City | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Houston, TX | 56.21 |
| 99 | New York, NY | 58.63 |
| 98 | San Antonio, TX | 60.00 |
| 97 | Boston, MA | 60.51 |
| 96 | Phoenix, AZ | 61.90 |
| 95 | Fresno, CA | 61.94 |
| 94 | El Paso, TX | 63.72 |
| 93 | McAllen, TX | 64.03 |
| 92 | Tucson, AZ | 65.12 |
| 91 | Albuquerque, NM | 65.44 |
Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, 2026 Allergy Capitals.
One caution worth saying plainly, because it sits underneath the question: moving is a poor allergy treatment. People who relocate to a low-pollen city commonly develop sensitivities to whatever grows there within a few years. The immune system adapts to local exposure. A move buys relief, and rarely a cure.
Why state rankings do not work
Look at New York.
Rochester is the 5th highest city in the country. New York City is the 99th — second lowest. Ninety-four places apart, same state, roughly 330 miles.
California does the same thing. San Diego sits at 2 and San Francisco at 11, while Fresno sits at 95 on the better end. Three California metros, ninety-three places of spread.
There is no honest way to average that into a single number for a state. The pollen you breathe comes from what grows within a few miles of you, and it changes by the day.
Why did Boise jump from 95th to 1st?
Because these rankings track weather, and weather is not stable.
Boise moved 94 places in one year. Spokane went from 82 to 9. San Diego from 97 to 2. Several Western cities entered the top 20 for the first time, and AAFA attributes the shift to intense rainstorms, warmer temperatures and drought, all of which triggered more pollen spikes and a longer season across the West in 2025.
A city that was a good bet for an allergy sufferer two years ago is the worst city in the country today. That is the strongest argument there is for checking a current number rather than trusting a list.
Are there states without ragweed?
Effectively two, and they are the two you would guess. Common ragweed is native to every state in the lower 48. Alaska and Hawaii are the exceptions.
That does not make them ragweed-free in practice. Ragweed pollen travels hundreds of miles on the wind, and a single plant releases roughly a billion grains in a season, so being outside the plant's native range is not the same as being outside its reach.
About 1 in 7 people are allergic to ragweed pollen, and AAFA reports that ragweed populations are expanding and run particularly high across the Eastern and Midwestern states. It is the dominant fall allergen for most of the country.
What counts as a high pollen count?
Pollen count is grains per cubic meter of air, measured over 24 hours.
The sampling is done with a rotarod, a clear silicone rods coated in grease, spun to catch airborne pollen, then read under a microscope for type and concentration. The people doing the reading are certified through the National Allergy Bureau, which requires a training course and an exam before anyone is allowed to report a count.
The thresholds differ by pollen type, which is why "high" for tree pollen is a different number than "high" for grass. Counts also rise through the morning, peak near midday, and fall overnight, so the same day can be bad at 10am and fine at 8pm.
What no daily count tells you is what is happening inside your house, where you spend most of the season.
What reduces pollen exposure indoors?
Three things, in order of how much they matter.
Keep it out
Windows closed through the season, and the HVAC fresh-air intake closed on high-count days. Shoes off at the door, outdoor clothes into the wash. Pollen rides in on fabric.
Filter what gets in
A pleated HEPA air purifier sized to the room. Match the purifier's pollen CADR to at least two-thirds of the room's floor area in square feet, and run it continuously rather than in bursts. Pollen keeps entering through gaps while counts stay high, so a unit that is switched off loses the ground it gained.
Start with the bedroom
You spend a third of the season asleep, and a closed bedroom reaches clean air faster than an open floor plan. One purifier, put it there.
Check your own city
A state ranking tells you about a region in a year that has already ended. It cannot tell you whether to open the windows this afternoon.
Frequently asked questions about pollen by state
What state has the highest pollen count?
No organization ranks pollen by state, because the variation within a state is larger than the variation between states. The closest answer is the 2026 Allergy Capitals list, which ranks metro areas: Boise, Idaho tops it, followed by San Diego, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Utah is the state with the most cities in the top 20, with Provo, Ogden and Salt Lake City all appearing.
What is the best state to live in for allergies?
Texas, on the 2026 data, holds four of the ten least challenging metro areas: Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and McAllen. Arizona has two with Phoenix and Tucson. Treat that as a starting point rather than a plan, because the rankings move sharply year to year and because relocating rarely cures an allergy. People who move to a low-pollen area commonly develop sensitivities to the local plants within a few years.
Which states have the worst allergies and asthma?
The 2026 rankings put the hardest cities in Idaho, California, Oklahoma, Utah and New York, in that order at the top. The pattern shifted west in 2026 after a 2025 season of intense rainstorms, warmer temperatures and drought produced more pollen spikes and longer seasons across the West. Before that, the top of the list was concentrated in the Southeast.
What states do not have ragweed?
Common ragweed is native to every state in the lower 48. Alaska and Hawaii are the two exceptions. That is not the same as being ragweed-free, because ragweed pollen travels hundreds of miles on the wind and a single plant releases roughly a billion grains in a season.
What is a normal pollen count?
There is no single normal, because the thresholds differ by pollen type. A number that counts as high for tree pollen is a different number than a high count for grass or weed pollen. Pollen count is measured as grains per cubic meter of air over 24 hours, and the useful comparison is against the typical range for that pollen type in that location at that time of year.
What time of day is the pollen count highest?
Counts rise through the morning, peak around midday, and decline through the evening and overnight. The same day can be bad at 10am and fine at 8pm, which is why a single daily figure can mislead you about when it is reasonable to be outside.
Is there less pollen at night?
Yes. Pollen counts fall overnight and are usually at their lowest in the early hours. That makes late evening the better window for opening windows or exercising outdoors during the season, though a windy night can keep counts elevated.
Are the best cities for allergy sufferers the same every year?
No, and 2026 is the clearest demonstration of that in the history of the ranking. Boise moved from 95th to 1st in a single year. Spokane went from 82nd to 9th and San Diego from 97th to 2nd. Several Western cities entered the top 20 for the first time. A city that looked like a safe choice two years ago can be the hardest city in the country today.
Does an air purifier help with pollen allergies?
A pleated HEPA air purifier removes pollen from indoor air, and indoors is where most of the season is spent. Size it by matching the purifier's pollen CADR to at least two-thirds of the room's floor area in square feet, and run it continuously through the season rather than in bursts. Pollen keeps entering through gaps in the building while outdoor counts stay high, so a unit that is switched off loses the ground it gained.
Where should I put an air purifier for allergies?
The bedroom, if you are only buying one. You spend roughly a third of the season asleep, and a closed bedroom reaches clean air faster than an open floor plan does. Keep the door closed while the unit runs, since a purifier sized for a 300 square foot bedroom is sized for a closed one.
Pollen counts are collected by counters certified through the National Allergy Bureau, and the city rankings cited here come from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This article was written by Peter Mann, founder of Oransi and Chair of the AHAM Air Cleaners Council — the group that oversees AHAM's air cleaning test standards, including the AC-1 particle CADR that produces the pollen rating referenced above.
References
- 2026 Allergy Capitals, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. aafa.org
- Bastl, Kmenta and Berger, Defining Pollen Seasons: Background and Recommendations, Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, October 2018.
- Become a Counter, National Allergy Bureau, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. pollen.aaaai.org
- Anderegg, W., et al., Anthropogenic climate change is worsening North American pollen seasons, PNAS, February 16, 2021. pnas.org
