2 Ohio Cities Among U.S. Cities With The 'Dirtiest' Air

Metropolitan areas often have a higher number of cars clogging the road, with exhaust pouring from vehicles as they sit in traffic. That's why worse air pollution and smog are often found more around big cities with larger populations than in smaller towns where the commute isn't as long and traffic isn't nearly as congested.

Using data from the 2021 Air Quality Statistics Report, released in May 2022 by the Environmental Protection Agency, Stacker released a list of the 50 U.S. cities with the "dirtiest" air, ranking cities according to the average amount of coarse particulate matter in the air. Two cites in Ohio made the list:

• No. 22: Cincinnati
• No. 39: Cleveland

While Cleveland also found a spot on the list, Cincinnati ranked higher among cities with dirtier air, with the site noting that "smog is a pervasive problem" in the city and that "pollutants from coal-fired power plants, as well as diesel emissions from freight transportation, are also prevalent."

These are the 10 U.S. cities with the "dirtiest" air in the country:

1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona
2. Hanford-Corcoran, California
3. Tuscon, Arizona
4. El Centro, California
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
6. Visalia-Porterville, California
7. El Paso, Texas
8. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California
9. Las Cruces, New Mexico
10. Bakersfield, California

Check out the full report at stacker.com to learn more.