The Inland Empire Has The Worst Air Quality In America: Ranking

RIVERSIDE, CA — The Inland Empire has the worst air quality in the nation, according to a recent study.

SmartSurvey evaluated 2023 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and used 12 factors that measure air quality to create index scores for areas across the country.

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area had the lowest index score at 17.03, according to the ranking. The Inland Empire had only 54 days in 2023 when the air quality was satisfactory and air pollution posed no risk, and it had 59 unhealthy days for sensitive groups.

Ranked second-worst was the Greater Houston area with a score of 28.36. The Albuquerque area was third at 29.64.

“The areas identified experience a shocking level of poor air quality, with the Inland Empire area unfortunately seeing an extremely low index score, more than 10 points below Greater Houston in second place,” SmartSurvey CEO Mo Naser said in a news release.

“It is surprising to see Inland Empire with worse air quality than its populous neighbor, Greater Los Angeles. It is speculated that natural wind patterns on the coast transport harmful aerosols from LA toward Inland Empire, where the pollutants are then trapped by mountainous terrain.”

One other area in California — El Centro — was ranked among the 10 worst for air quality. It came in sixth with a score of 33.94.