Houston, we have a problem.
A recent study conducted by LawnStarter has crowned Houston the "dirtiest" city in the United States, with Newark coming in second, San Bernardino coming in third, and Detroit and Jersey City rounding out the top 5. The study measured 152 cities based on pollution, living conditions, infrastructure and customer satisfaction.
The rest of the top 20 included Bakersfield, San Antonio, Fresno, Oklahoma City, Yonkers, with the top 20 rounded out by Shreveport, New York, Birmingham, Ontario, Los Angeles, Modesto, Palmdale, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale.
Houston topped the list due to its high pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial plant, not to mention "the biggest cockroach problem" among all cities in the study.
Lawnstarter cited a 2022 report from the nonprofit media organization Grist, which discovered Houston ranks "worst in greenhouse gas emissions from large industrial facilities."
California was the state with most entries in the top 20, earning seven slots (San Bernadino, Bakersfield, Fresno, Ontario, Los Angeles, Modesto, Palmdale, and Hollywood), while New Jersey (Newark and Jersey City) and Texas (Houston and San Antonio) were the only only states with multiple spots in the top 20.
Check out the full list here.
