10 Worst Cities for Spring Allergies

Every year, the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America grades U.S. cities on how hard it is for people with allergies to live there. Places that top the rankings score high on pollen counts and allergy medicine use, and low on available allergy doctors. Did your hometown make the list?

Pittsburgh is famous for its three rivers and the almost 500 bridges that cross them. It’s also home to plenty of pollen-producing trees, like elm, Eastern red cedars, and box elders. That helps make it the nation’s 16th most polluted city when it comes to daily spikes in particle pollution -- that nasty mix of solids and liquids you’ll find in exhaust from cars and factories.  

Oklahoma is where the winds sweep down the plains, along with the things that make you sneeze. The state capital ranks ninth in part because of its perfect allergy-promoting conditions. OKC’s climate is just right for allergens to multiply, and the blustery weather keeps those allergens afloat and in your face.

Thanks to a warming climate, this historic seaport has seen spring bloom earlier in recent years compared to a decade ago. A longer allergy season means Northeastern cities like Bridgeport are making their debut on the top 10 list.

In sunny San Antonio, you won’t forget the Alamo -- or your allergies. Because it’s warm year round, plants like cedar, oak, mulberry, elm, and ash all have plenty of time to pump out the pollen. Ground covers like Bermuda and bahiagrass stir up allergies, too.

Despite its coastal location, Yale University’s hometown has a double whammy of both high pollen counts and poor air quality. The American Lung Association gives it an F for the number of high ozone days, when smog increases and traps allergens in the air. 

Residents of this south Texas city on the Rio Grande can breathe easier this year -- but only a little. McAllen drops to No. 5 from its No. 1 spot in 2019. Dry cold fronts bring mountain cedar pollen -- one of central Texas’s worst allergens -- into town each year. Add that to the city’s own pollen counts, and an average annual rainfall of only 22 inches, and you’ve got a recipe for fierce allergy flares.

Dating to 1635, Connecticut’s capital is rich with history -- and allergy causing trees. Oak, ash, elm, maple, and birch all flourish here. This puts Hartford on the list of worst cities for asthma, too.

If you come to visit the Basketball Hall of Fame, bring your tissues. Springfield sits in a valley, which means it gathers up all the allergens and air pollution into one sniffly, sneezy spot. Carbon dioxide hangs around longer, too, helping allergens thrive.

Rich in railway and mining history, this eastern Pennsylvania city rose six spots from its No. 8 ranking in 2019 to this year’s No. 2 slot. It barely missed top marks with a 98.53. Birch trees, a leading cause of allergies, grow well in Scranton’s coal banks. Tree and grass pollen seasons also overlap, making the sneeze season longer and more intense.

The AAFA awarded Virginia’s capital the top allergy city spot and a “perfect” score of 100 because of its triple threat: soaring spring pollen counts, higher than normal allergy medicine use, and fewer allergists than average.