The city in the United States with the highest average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was South Padre Island in Texas, at 21.6 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m³). That year, Texas also featured another city in the top 10 ranking of most polluted cities in the North American country – Gilmer. Meanwhile, California's city of Shafter had the second-highest PM2.5 concentration, at about 16.1 μg/m³. The state of California typically suffers from high concentrations of PM2.5 due to the large number of wildfires that spread across the west coast of the United States, leaving many cities exposed to smoke.
Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024
(in micrograms per cubic meter of air)
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IQAir. (March 11, 2025). Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 08, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/
IQAir. "Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air)." Chart. March 11, 2025. Statista. Accessed June 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/
IQAir. (2025). Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 08, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/
IQAir. "Average Pm2.5 Concentration in The Most Polluted Cities in The United States in 2024 (in Micrograms per Cubic Meter of Air)." Statista, Statista Inc., 11 Mar 2025, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/
IQAir, Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/ (last visited June 08, 2025)
Average PM2.5 concentration in the most polluted cities in the United States in 2024 (in micrograms per cubic meter of air) [Graph], IQAir, March 11, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137409/most-polluted-regional-cities-in-the-united-states/
