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U.S. Air Pollution Reaches Record Highs, Affecting Nearly Half the Population

The 2025 State of the Air report reveals a 25 million increase in Americans exposed to unhealthy air, driven by climate-related wildfires, heat waves, and drought, with regulatory rollbacks raising further concerns.

File photo: Thick heavy black smoke from wildfires shrouds buildings in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Smoke lingers over a neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The skyline in Chicago, Illinois, in late January 2025. Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI, ranked 15 on the worst cities with ozone pollution, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.

Overview

  • The American Lung Association's 2025 report shows 156 million Americans, or 46% of the population, now live in areas with unhealthy air quality, the largest single-year increase in a decade.
  • Climate-driven factors, including extreme heat, drought, and wildfires, are identified as the primary contributors to worsening air pollution nationwide.
  • Communities of color face disproportionate exposure, with Hispanic residents nearly three times more likely than white residents to live in areas failing all three pollution measures.
  • California cities dominate the rankings for worst air quality, with Bakersfield leading in particle pollution and Los Angeles topping ozone pollution lists.
  • The Trump administration's proposed rollbacks of EPA regulations on emissions and pollution standards could exacerbate the public health crisis, experts warn.