11 Worst Cities for People with Asthma in America

Having asthma is bad enough, but when the world seems to work against you, you’re going to suffer multiple flares solely because of the environment you live in, despite how much you may seek to protect yourself, including in these 11 worst cities for people with asthma in America.

According to data from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, about 26 million Americans suffer from this chronic disease. Their airways quickly become inflamed when in contact with various triggers, making it hard to breathe and an inhaler necessary. The best way to manage this illness is, of course, to avoid triggers and to take medication that helps manage the episodes.

If you’re not that up to date with all the details on asthma, you should know that the most common symptoms are coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. Any attack may lead to a medical emergency in case proper treatment isn’t offered quickly.

Among the long list of triggers that can cause an asthma attack, we can count pollen, chemicals, smoke, dust mites, and even stress and exercise. Of course, polluted mediums aren’t going to help and neither will the impurities in the air, which is why some areas are better for you than others. You can even take a look at the 11 worst countries for people with asthma and compare things with these American cities.

For our list, we took a look at the annual report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America who ranked the country’s cities. For this report they take into consideration multiple factors, including the estimated asthma prevalence, the annual pollen score, air quality levels, public anti-smoking laws, poverty rate, uninsured rate, inhaler access law for school goers, as well as various medical factors such as number of ER visits for asthma patients and so on.

Without further ado, here are the 11 worst cities for people with asthma in America.

11. Indianapolis, IN

Unfortunately for all those living and working in Indianapolis, things aren’t all that great if you have respiratory problems, especially asthma. The city doesn’t sit very well when it comes to self-reported asthma prevalence or when it comes to the annual pollen score. The poverty rate is also a bit high, and the uninsured rate is quite disheartening, which means many people are left without proper care, including those suffering from asthma. The scores the city received for medical factors aren’t that much better. In fact, the scores it receives indicates that it has plenty of ER visits from people with asthma.

10. Chicago, IL

Chicago is a great city to live in from many points of view, but not if you’re suffering from asthma. On top of the many days of registered smog levels, the city reports a lot of ER visits from people with asthma, as well as unfortunate deaths. The uninsured levels are also pretty high, making for quite a few issues when it comes to getting the medical help one needs; well, at a decent price anyway.

9. New Orleans, LA

Things aren’t all that great for New Orleans residents either. While things may have been a bit better before Katrina hit about a decade ago, the increased poverty within the city is making it difficult for some to find the medical aid it needs. The number of people with health insurance in NOLA isn’t all that great either, which makes things even worse.

On top of that, the weather is humid and hot, which makes it harder to breathe even for healthy people. The high pollen score the city received is also a big issue for those suffering from asthma or any other respiratory issue. Combine all these factors together and you get a city that you don’t want to live in if you have asthma.

8. Chattanooga, TN

Unlike other cities on our list, pollution isn’t an issue for Chattanooga, which is actually one of the cleanest city in the United States. The air in the city is harmed by smokers, however, which are in pretty high numbers. The lax anti-smoking laws aren’t doing any favors, either.

Data also shows that there are quite a lot of asthma-related ER visits being reported by local hospitals, while locals suffering from this illness prefer to use quick relief meds and not that many control meds to keep things in check. The low number of specialists dealing with asthma in Chattanooga isn’t very encouraging either.

7. Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, such a beautiful city. Well, unless it’s spring and you’re suffering from asthma or any allergies, that is. The high levels of tree and grass pollen have put the city on somewhat of a “black list” since these can cause asthma flare-ups, attacks and so on, depending on each. This results in a pretty high rate of asthma-related control meds being used, but also of quick relief meds related to this medical issue. There’s also the problem of there not being any clear anti-public-smoking laws in place.

6. Augusta, GA

We’re up to number six and things are bound to get ugly from here on out, or “uglier” if you want to be more specific. Augusta, Georgia, is a bad place for you if you’re asthmatic, proof being all the people dying from this disease, including innocent children. The high pollen stats are partially at fault for the flare-ups of those ill, but they’re not the only cause.

The city’s anti-smoking laws are laughable at best, and the efforts to, at least, ban smoking in public places have failed in recent years. That means that second-hand smoking is still an issue in this city, and it’s one that seems to have absolutely no cure.

Furthermore, the city also has a high poverty rate, while the number of people that have no medical insurance is astounding. On the other hand, the number of ER visits for asthma-related issues seems to be growing, and so is the use of quick relief meds and control medicine.

5. Oklahoma City, OK

We’re sad to see Oklahoma City on this list, but it cannot be avoided. The city has a high score when it comes to pollen, while the air quality only gets an “average” mention from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The fact that so few people have a medical insurance doesn’t make things better; in fact, it makes them worse, especially when you pair it up with the high poverty rate.

The number of ER visits for asthma-related issues is on the grow, while the use of meds for quick release and control of this disease is also climbing, painting a pretty clear picture of the issue at hand.

4. Detroit, MI

Out of all the cities on the list, Detroit is probably one that you were expecting to see on the chart of the 11 worst cities for people with asthma in America. Stats indicate that over 16 percent of adults in Detroit suffer from asthma while the prevalence rate for children sits at a sad 14.8 percent. In fact, the issue is so bad among children that issues caused by asthma are the most used to justify school absenteeism.

While Detroit has no issues with the pollen score, it has quite a few problems with air quality. The lax laws regarding smoking in public aren’t helping matters all that much, either.

The number of people suffering from asthma in Detroit is quite high, with the number of reported ER visits for medical problems related to this chronic illness growing. Unfortunately, the number of specialists for respiratory diseases keeps dropping, so it doesn’t look like there’s any ray of the sunshine on this town’s streets.

3. Philadelphia, PA

One thing we all hate is to hear about children getting sick, but it seems to be quite a common problem in Philadelphia where tens of thousands of children suffer from asthma, with many of them ending up in the emergency room with situations related to their illness, or worse, dead.

The city doesn’t pride itself in the air’s quality, while the smoking laws are laughably bad, not managing to make any changes in the way people act. The poverty rate and the rate of uninsured residents aren’t helping matters since many have troubles finding medical help. Of course, the latter may be due to the low number of specialists working in the city.

2. Richmond, VA

If you’re planning for a visit, you should be fine, but those living in Richmond aren’t all that lucky if they’re suffering from asthma. The city has plenty of issues with that nasty smog, while the high pollen score isn’t making things easier.

Pair up the high poverty rate and the number of people without a medical insurance and you have a recipe for disaster. The number of ER visits is growing and so is the use of asthma-related meds. That doesn’t seem to help matters much since there’s still a high crude death rate for asthma. On the other hand, the city lost the top spot it held last year so either things are a bit better in Richmond, or they’re a lot worse in our next city.

1. Memphis, TN

And the winner of the contest no one wants to win is Memphis. Unfortunately for all those charmed by what Memphis stands for and its rich history, the city isn’t exactly perfect for those suffering from asthma.

The air here is quite polluted due to all the local processing plants, while the high pollen rate isn’t making things easier. The anti-smoking laws are barely there as they are, so second-hand smoking is certainly making things difficult for many of the city’s residents.

The number of ER visits for asthma-related issues is quite high and so is the death rate in many of these cases. The use of medicine for asthma is growing, which is good on one hand, but bad on the other since it indicates that the problems with this illness are there to stay. All in all, Memphis ends up on the top spot among the 11 worst cities for people with asthma in America.