The state with the most polluted cities probably won't surprise you
California is the land of sunshine, if you can see it through the smog.
The state owns the majority of the United States's top 10 most polluted cities, no matter how you slice the data.
The American Lung Association measures pollution in U.S. cities every year, and they calculate pollution in three ways. None of those three reveal good things for California.
By short-term particle pollution, California owns six of the worst 10 cities. By year-round particle pollution, the state owns eight of the bottom 10 cities. And by most ozone-polluted cities, California owns seven of the worst-off cities.
Although a different city takes home the unwanted crown in each of these categories, Bakersfield appears to be worse-off than every other city in the country. It's first (or last) in short-term particle pollution, and second in both year-round particle pollution and ozone pollution.
Los Angeles and Fresno make the top 10 in all three categories, while the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland area finishes in the top 10 on two out of the three lists.
These cities have long endured pollution problems, but that's not for lack of trying to combat it. People produce pollution, most obviously through the vehicles they drive, and California's population continues to climb. Californians also often live in cities found in valleys, where pollution tends to settle. So despite some of the most environmentally-friendly laws in the nation, the state's population combines with its geography and topography to form something of a haven for pollution.
Despite the variables arrayed against the state, Californian cities have seen some improvement. Los Angeles recorded its least amount of unhealthy days in 2016, and Bakersfield reduced its number of high ozone days to a lower number than had previously been recorded.
The survey also tracks the cleanest cities in the U.S. by year-round particle pollution. If you live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, or Farmington, New Mexico, you live in cities that tied for the cleanest air in the country. No Californian cities made it into that top 10.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
