MD City Is Named One Of 'Dirtiest' Cities In America: Study

MARYLAND — While Maryland residents often bash Baltimore for its aging housing, struggles with crime and politics, a new study finds that Charm City fares better than many cities when it comes to one aspect of big city living.

According to the lawn care company, LawnStarter, Baltimore was ranked the 51st dirtiest city in the company's 2023’s Dirtiest Cities in America list. Nearby Washington, D.C., ranked No. 107 on the list.

LawnStarter says that while city living has its advantages, having more residents usually equates with more pollution, more rats and more trash. However, the problem is worse in some cities than in others.

The dirtiest city on the list was Houston, Texas, followed by Newark, New Jersey at No. 2, the cleanest city on the list was Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Top 15 Dirtiest Cities in America:

1. Houston, TX
2. Newark, NJ
3. San Bernardino, CA
4. Detroit, MI
5. Jersey City, NJ
6. Bakersfield, CA
7. San Antonio, TX
8. Fresno, CA
9. Oklahoma City, OK
10. Yonkers, NY
11. Shreveport, LA
12. New York, NY
13. Birmingham, AL
14. Ontario, CA
15. Los Angeles, CA

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, LawnStarter gathered publicly available data on pollution, living conditions, infrastructure and consumer satisfaction. They then calculated weighted scores for each city in each category. Finally, they averaged the scores for each city across all categories. After eliminating 48 cities that lacked sufficient data for a fair comparison, they came up with a final sample size of 152 cities. The city that earned the highest average score was ranked "dirtiest" (No. 1), while the city with the lowest was ranked "cleanest" (No. 152).

During the pandemic, lockdowns helped clean our air and water, but old habits apparently die hard, according to LawnStarter. Nearly three years later, pollution is worse in many urban areas, and U.S. emissions are back up. In many cities, residents also deal with pests, litter and bad waste-management services.

Not only are these problems unsightly — they might be more harmful than we realize, according to the lawn care company. Air pollution can worsen lung cancer and increases our chances of heart disease and stroke. Dealing with dirt and grime can be quite draining on municipal budgets as well.

"Dirty cities aren’t just an eyesore — they also damage our bodies and our wallets," LawnStarter said. As spring cleaning season arrives, the company says it's a good time to check on our dirty habits and make positive changes for a healthier life and a more beautiful city to enjoy.

See the full list of dirtiest cities in the U.S. and find out more details about the methodology here.