When people mention New York City, they often picture piles of trash, dirty air, and rats everywhere. I'm not saying that isn't true, but NYC is NOT America's dirtiest city. It's actually not even the dirtiest city in the state. Shocked? Let's take a look at how cities in New York Stated ranked on LawnStarter's list of the dirtiest (and cleanest cities) in the United States.


Dirty cities aren’t just an eyesore — they also damage our bodies and our wallets.


 

Recent Report Ranks New York City / New Jersey Area As Having 10th Worst Smog Levels In Country
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 17: Haze covers lower Manhattan skyline seen from Staten Island on May 17, 2019 in New York City. According to an annual report issued by the American Lung Association released earlier this week, the New York metro area had the 10th worst air quality in the nation in terms of elevated levels of lung-damaging ozone pollution between 2015-2017. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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LawnStarter released its "2023’s Dirtiest Cities in America," and several cities in New York State landed on the list. It analyzed 152 of the biggest cities in the U.S. using four categories - pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction.

In many cities, residents also deal with pests, litter, and even bad waste-management services. These problems are unsightly, but they’re more harmful than we might realize. Air pollution, for instance, worsens lung cancer and increases our chances of heart disease and stroke. Dealing with dirt and grime can be a huge drain on municipal budgets, too.

 

Which City Is The Dirtiest In The U.S.?

According to LawnStarter's analysis, the "honor" of being the dirtiest city in America goes to...

Houston, Texas #1

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Within the four categories listed above, LawnStarter used metrics such as Greenhouse-Gas Emissions, Population Density, Share of Homes with Signs of Mice or Rats, Number of Junk Yards, and Share of Residents Who Find the City Dirty and Untidy, to make its determinations.

Which Cities Are The Dirtiest And Cleanest In New York State?

Out of the 152 cities LanwStarter looked at, here's how NY cities ranked from cleanest to dirtiest (the lower the ranking number, the dirtier a city is):

147. Buffalo

Photo by Kathleen Culbertson on Unsplash
Photo by Kathleen Culbertson on Unsplash
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112. Syracuse

Photo by Joshua Hummell on Unsplash
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Photo by

nsplash.com/@jhumms?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Joshua Hummell on Unsplash[/caption]80. Rochester

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12. New York

Large Demonstration Against New York City's Vaccine Mandates Held At Gracie Mansion
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10. Yonkers

Tri-State EMS Workers Confront Growing Number Of Coronavirus Cases
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Why Are People Stacking Their Trash Cans in New York

The reason people are stacking cans in several New York neighborhoods to create Happy Trash.

Run Down But Not Forgotten-Abandoned Frontier Town in the Adirondacks

One of my favorite memories is going to Frontier Town in the Adirondacks. We always loved it when we would hop on the train and robbers would come alongside on horseback and try to take over. The rodeo was also a lot of fun. We made some great memories at Frontier Town. It has sat abandoned since 1998 but some of the attractions, yet overgrown, are still standing. Thanks to Antiquity Echoes' amazing video you can see what once was Frontier Town.

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