10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.

“Cesspool of Filth”

Many factors go into choosing where you want to live. Besides things like education and employment, lack of pollution is at the top of most people’s lists.

Here are the top ten most polluted cities in the United States. Is your town on this list?

According to local air experts, Bakersfield is in an unlucky location, surrounded by mountains that trap toxic farming chemicals, dust, truck, and train fumes, oil-drilling exhaust, and pollution blowing south from other parts of the populous state.

Bakersfield, California

New polluters, such as several distribution centers for Amazon and other shipping companies, keep trucks flowing through the area.

Los Angeles, California

Along with areas on the west side of metropolitan Chicago, the neighborhoods that make up the South Side have had to live alongside some of the region’s dirtiest industries.

Chicago, Illinois

While job cuts in recent decades have left some parts abandoned and blighted, many factories still operate. Air pollution experts have faulted the state of Indiana for its lack of controls on emissions. 

Gary, Indiana

The region has also been dealing with the side effects of heavy traffic for years. High levels of air pollution are blanketing much of Indianapolis’s central core.

Indianapolis, Indiana

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