The worst places for allergy sufferers? New report ranks the most stuffed up US cities

Winter is approaching its end and as warmer weather nears, so does spring allergy season.

For millions of Americans who suffer with seasonal allergies and are barraged by symptoms each year, such as sneezing and a stuffy nose, some U.S. cities may trigger them worse than others.

A new report ranks the most-challenging places to live in the U.S. for those who suffer from spring and fall allergies in 2022 based on seasonal pollen scores, over-the-counter allergy medicine use and the number of available allergy specialists in each area, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The organization has issued the yearly report since 2003.

“Seasonal allergies have worsened,” AAFA says.

“Longer and warmer growing seasons cause more intense releases of pollen,” CEO and president of AAFA, Kenneth Mendez, told McClatchy News in a statement. “Increased exposure to allergens can trigger asthma.”

Here are America’s top ’Allergy Capitals’

“Climate change has caused the growing seasons to get longer and warmer, leading to higher pollen counts in both spring and fall,” AAFA says in its report.

These cities cause “worse than average” allergies:

1. Scranton, Pennsylvania

2. Wichita, Kansas

3. McAllen, Texas

4. Richmond, Virginia

5. San Antonio, Texas

6. Oklahoma City

7. Hartford, Connecticut

8. Buffalo, New York

9. New Haven Connecticut

10. Albany, New York

11. Bridgeport, Connecticut

12. Springfield, Massachusetts

13. Dayton, Ohio

14. Columbia, South Carolina

15. El Paso, Texas

16. Syracuse, New York

17. Des Moines, Iowa

18. Miami

19. Memphis, Tennessee

20. Las Vegas

Texas, Connecticut and New York each have three cities that made the top 20 worst cities for allergy sufferers.

Top ’Allergy Capitals’ for spring 2022

1. Scranton, Pennsylvania

2. Richmond, Virginia

3. Wichita, Kansas

4. Hartford, Connecticut

5. New Haven, Connecticut

6. Oklahoma City

7. Albany, New York

8. Bridgeport, Connecticut

9. McAllen, Texas

10. Springfield, Massachusetts

11. Buffalo, New York

12. Columbia, South Carolina

13. San Antonio, Texas

14. Dayton, Ohio

15. Syracuse, New York

16. Des Moines, Iowa

17. Memphis, Tennessee

18. Allentown, Pennsylvania

19. Miami

20. Jacksonville, Florida

Tree pollen kicks off spring allergy season and comes from trees such as birch, cedar, elm, mulberry and willow, according to AAFA.

More on allergies

Pollen can particularly cause hay fever, or “allergic rhinitis,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and affects roughly 60 million Americans.

Allergic rhinitis is “one of the most common allergic conditions” and causes sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, red and watery eyes, itching of the nose, eyes, ears and mouth, as well as puffy eyes, AAFA says. Roughly 7.7% of adults and 7.2% of children have gotten a seasonal allergic rhinitis diagnosis.

Ways to manage pollen allergy symptoms include keeping windows shut when there’s high pollen counts, showering before bed, and changing and washing clothes after being outside, according to the organization. Other ways to manage allergies include medications, decongestants or allergy shots.

AAFA’s report “highlights the direct link between climate change, health outcomes, and health equity,” Mendez told McClatchy News.

“Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous populations bear the disproportionate burden of air pollution, asthma, allergies, and climate change,” AAFA’s news release said. “This is the result of long history of housing policies in the U.S. that discriminate against these groups.”

The report found Black and Hispanic communities are disproportionately affected by the “urban heat island” effect, “a metropolitan area that has higher temperatures than its surrounding areas,” which can increase air pollution, heightening “allergic sensitivity.”

Mendez noted how allergens can increase asthma and pointed out how over 3,600 people die each year due to the condition.

“The burden of asthma falls disproportionately on Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous populations,” he said. “We must slow the cycle of climate change to improve health, social justice, and our environment.”

The report analyzed data from the 100 most-populated “Metropolitan Statistical Areas” in 48 states according to 2019 U.S. Census Bureau population data, the most recent available, it said.

“Estimates around pollen-affected population are limited in Alaska and Hawaii, and therefore are not included in this report,” authors noted.

Additionally, spring and fall pollen scores were “derived from actual pollen counts, allergy prevalence for each pollen type, and related factors,” from 2021 data from the IQVIA Allergy Activity Notification (AAN) Program Database.

Over-the-counter allergy medication use data came from RI Medication Sales Database. Also, data on the number of board-certified allergists/immunologists came from the Komodo Health Prism Health Care Database.

The full report, including the 100 most-challenging cities for allergies, can be found here.

This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 1:25 PM with the headline "The worst places for allergy sufferers? New report ranks the most stuffed up US cities."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.