The 50 Best Cities for Allergy Sufferers to Live In
Welcome to Spring pollen season, where if you are an allergy sufferer, you’re wishing you could live anywhere but here. But where would you go to get away from the…
The pollen in the air has everyone’s allergies on high alert. So where could you go to get away from this misery?
Shutterstock ImageWelcome to Spring pollen season, where if you are an allergy sufferer, you're wishing you could live anywhere but here.
But where would you go to get away from the land of yellow cars and itchy eyes? The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released their annual "Allergy Capitals" report to help us figure that out.
The report measures several things, and then ranks cities based on both spring and fall allergy scores. Then we averaged those out to get a composite list of the best - and worst - cities for allergies.
Among the measures taken into consideration in the report are:
- Spring pollen scores
- Fall pollen scores
- Over-the-counter medicine use
- Availability of board-certified allergists/immunologists
That last measure is key, because it helps to show that seasonal allergies are everywhere, but are you living somewhere you can get help with those quickly and easily? That's how Durham came in at a startling No. 2 on this list!
So here they are, the 50 best cities for allergy sufferers to live in:
Better Than Average Score Cities
1. Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the best city in the country for allergy sufferers.
Allergy score: 38.44
Durham, North Carolina
Allergy score: 39.59
3. San Francisco, California
Allergy score:42.19
4. San Jose, California
Allergy score: 43.99
5. Portland, Oregon
Allergy score: 44.28
6. Sacramento, California
Allergy score: 44.34
7. Denver, Colorado
Allergy score: 44.40
8. Provo, Utah
Allergy score: 44.47
9. Phoenix, Arizona
Allergy score: 44.93
10. Fresno, California
Fresno got bonus points for lots of available doctors.
Allergy score: 45.52
11. Salt Lake City, Utah
Allergy score: 45.61
12. Washington, D.C.
Allergy score: 46.72
13. San Diego, California
Allergy score: 47.09
14. Madison, Wisconsin
Allergy score: 47.41
15. Stockton, California
Allergy score: 48.13
16. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Allergy score: 48.61
17. Bakersfield, California
Allergy score: 49.24
18. Boise, Idaho
Allergy score: 49.33
19. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Allergy score: 50.10
20. Raleigh, North Carolina
Allergy score: 51.91
21. Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Allergy score: 51.92
22. Baltimore, Maryland
Allergy score: 52.31
23. Albuquerque, Maryland
Allergy score: 52.32
24. Spokane, Washington
Allergy score: 53.65
25. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Allergy score: 54.24
Average Score Cities
26. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Mass.
Allergy score: 54.51
27. Omaha, Nebraska
Allergy score: 54.57
28. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Allergy score: 54.93
29. Kansas City, Missouri
Allergy score: 54.98
30. Atlanta, Georgia
Allergy score: 55.14
31. Cincinnati, Ohio
Allergy score: 56.01
32. Providence, Rhode Island
Allergy score: 56.46
33. Chicago, Illinois
Allergy score: 56.98
34. Austin, Texas
Allergy score: 56.99
35. New York City
New York City
Allergy score: 57.34
36. Los Angeles, California
Allergy score: 57.53
37. Indianapolis, Indiana
Allergy score: 57.80
38. Detroit, Michigan
Allergy score: 57.93
39. Rochester, New York
Allergy score: 58.30
40. Jackson, Mississippi
(Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for E11EVEN)Jackson, Miss.
Allergy score: 58.55
41. Nashville, Tennessee
Allergy score: 58.71
42. Birmingham, Alabama
Allergy score: 58.87
43. Charlotte, North Carolina
Allergy score: 59.20
44. Augusta, Georgia
Allergy score: 59.41
45. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Allergy score: 59.99
46. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Allergy score: 60.09
47. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Allergy score: 60.24
48. Tampa, Florida
Allergy score: 61.07
49. Cleveland, Ohio
Allergy score: 61.83
50. New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans
Allergy score: 61.97
