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The List Of Dirtiest Cities In The US Was Released And Everyone Is Shocked About 1st Place
The List Of Dirtiest Cities In The US Was Released And Everyone Is Shocked About 1st Place

The List Of Dirtiest Cities In The US Was Released And Everyone Is Shocked About 1st Place

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It’s no secret that cities are one of the filthiest places in the world. Many residents, tourists, pests, cars, and other things result in dirt, trash, bacteria, and similar stuff that makes it an unclean place.

But have you ever wondered which of the cities is the dirtiest? Well, air quality company House Fresh wondered that about American cities and decided to do a study. And let’s just say, when they revealed their results, quite a few people were rather shocked by their findings.

More info: House Fresh

RELATED:

    Have you ever wondered which city is the dirtiest in the United States?

    Row of dilapidated buildings on a deserted street, showcasing urban decay in one of America's dirtiest cities.

    Image credits: Yianni Mathioudakis / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    This company did, and they decided to do a study, which revealed rather interesting results

    The study lists the filthiest cities in the United States and the results shocked people, as they weren’t what they expected.

    If you were to be asked about the dirtiest city in the US, or even the world, it’s likely your answer would be New York. After all, it’s one of the most populated and most visited cities in the world. Thus, so many people living and visiting the city results in a lot of trash.

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    Empty trash cans on a city sidewalk illustrate America's dirtiest cities.

    Image credits: Paul Sableman / Flickr (not the actual photo)

    There are quite a few challenges dealing with generated trash, and while the city tries various ways to solve it – which are either ineffective or lack commitment from the public – this leads to the city continuing to suffer from its trash problem.

    Of course, not all of this is due to common people. Businesses and various corporations produce a lot of waste, too. From damaged equipment to business cards and their holders to haphazardly disposed waste – none of that helps NYC’s problem with filthiness.

    While many people would expect New York, the city known for its filthiness, to be in first place, in reality, it was way lower than that

    Baltimore cityscape with a prominent "Visit Baltimore" sign under a clear sky, near a historic ship.

    Image credits: Gang Hao / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    And still, it turns out that New York isn’t actually the dirtiest city in the world. Instead, Baltimore (which is located in Maryland) was deemed the dirtiest city in America. Apparently, it holds 47,295 sanitary-related complaints, which is the highest of all the cities in the country.

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    On the contrary, Milwaukee (which is located in Wisconsin) was dubbed as the cleanest city in America, as it has only 309 sanitary complaints among its 100,000 population.

    It was only in 17th place, while Baltimore was dubbed the filthiest city

    A pile of discarded coffee cups and fast-food containers highlighting America's dirtiest cities issue.

    Image credits: Jas Min / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

    Here’s what the list of the filthiest cities looked like and the number of uncleanliness complaints they have.

    1. Baltimore, Maryland 47,295
    2. Sacramento, California 34,186
    3. Charlotte, North Carolina 31,112
    4. Los Angeles, California 21,616
    5. Memphis, Tennessee 17,408
    6. Boston, Massachusetts 10,252
    7. San Antonio, Texas 8,929
    8. Kansas City 8,874
    9. Buffalo, New York 8,509
    10. Dallas, Texas 8,382
    11. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 7,854
    12. Nashville, Tennessee 7,703
    13. Chicago, Illinois 7,376
    14. Houston, Texas 6,275
    15. Oakland, California 6,139
    16. New Orleans, Louisiana 5,295
    17. New York, New York 3,728
    18. Miami, Florida 3,284
    19. San Francisco, California 2,411
    20. Austin, Texas 2,245
    21. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2,144
    22. Riverside, California 1,609
    23. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 309

    Dirty alley with overflowing trash bins, representing one of America's dirtiest cities.

    Image credits: Brett Sayles / Pexels (not the actual photo)

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    As you can see, the aforementioned New York – the city that quite many people think of as one of the dirtiest in the world – ranks in 17th place here.

    At the same time, it should be noted that the city’s state holds the highest-complaining ZIP code – with Brooklyn having 7,664 reports. Analysts say that it is not surprising – since 2020, the place’s population has risen by 6.8%, plus various tourists constantly visiting it, resulting in challenges with cleanliness.

    So, basically, while NYC might not be the dirtiest American city, it is far from the cleanest. It all depends on what kind of factors and data are taken into account when deciding such things. Either way, being dubbed the dirtiest place is kind of an achievement in itself, even if a rather negative one.

    While people who know the city weren’t shocked about it being in irst place, others still couldn’t believe it wasn’t NYC

    America's dirtiest cities list comment: 'If Baltimore shocks you, you are clueless'.

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    Text from Jaguar Six noting Miami is the only city with a Republican mayor on America's dirtiest cities list.

    Commentary on America's dirtiest cities list, mentioning "Filthadelphia.

    Text comment on America's dirtiest cities, mentioning Baltimore's ranking and political governance.

    Baltimore ranked #1 dirtiest; visitor reacts unsurprised.

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    Text describing opinions on Baltimore's waste problem related to America's dirtiest cities.

    Comment on America's dirtiest cities list, questioning New York City's ranking.

    Comment highlights opinion on NYC's cleanliness and lack of response to complaints.

    Comment discussing America's dirtiest cities, mentioning Baltimore beyond the harbor area.

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    Comment highlights New York City's dirty sidewalks issue.

    Comment on NYC's ranking among America's dirtiest cities, mentioning low complaints due to resignation.

    San Francisco considered in America's dirtiest cities list, based on complaints not sidewalk conditions.

    Comment on America's dirtiest city ranking, surprised Baltimore is first, with reference to Memphis and Buffalo.

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    Comment by Hal B Roc about cat shelters in America’s dirtiest cities.

    Text comment on NYC's cleanliness compared to Baltimore.

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    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

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    I am a writer at Bored Panda. I have loved creating and writing down stories about people and things since I was little and I think this passion led me to get degrees in sociology, communication, and journalism. These degrees opened various paths for me, and I got a chance to be a volunteer in the human rights field, and also try myself out in social research and journalism areas. Besides writing, my passions include pop culture: music, movies, TV shows; literature, and board games. In fact, I have been dubbed a board games devotee by some people in my life.

    Read less »
    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Ugnė Bulotaitė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. I have loved creating and writing down stories about people and things since I was little and I think this passion led me to get degrees in sociology, communication, and journalism. These degrees opened various paths for me, and I got a chance to be a volunteer in the human rights field, and also try myself out in social research and journalism areas. Besides writing, my passions include pop culture: music, movies, TV shows; literature, and board games. In fact, I have been dubbed a board games devotee by some people in my life.

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

    Read less »

    Denis Krotovas

    Denis Krotovas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

    What do you think ?
    David
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a lifelong NYC resident who still lives here, most of NYC is pretty clean. Remember, NYC is 302 sq miles or 778 sq km, and contains 5 counties (yes each borough is its own legal county with their own District Attorney, court systems, and even prisons (though the courts and prisons operate under the umbrella of the NYC Courts and NYC Prisons). Yeah there are some dirty parts, but most is clean, even cleaner than some Western European cities I have been to. People who are not from NYC think of the few high tourist areas of manhattan and a few famous neighborhoods as all of NYC, but it is more than that. Most is clean, most is nice, and many parts are quite affordable too.

    Pencil
    Community Member
    7 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're absolutely right. And for anyone who wants to see for themselves, here are 16 live cameras in NYC: https://www.cnyclive.com/ And if that isn't enough, here are about 30 more: https://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?term=New+York+City NYC got its reputation for being dirty in the 60s and 70s, primarily when two massive garbage worker strikes made national news. But that was half a century ago, it's time to give up the trope.

    Load More Replies...
    R Dennis
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been to more than half of these cities. Baltimore is definitely #1 on my list. It's surprising how bad it is where it's supposed to be nice.

    J3447
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's listed by complaints, New Yorkers are use to the filth, they don't complain.

    Pencil
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Here are two links with more than 30 live NYC webcams: https://www.cnyclive.com/ https://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?term=New+York+City Please, point out the filth.

    Load More Replies...
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    David
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As a lifelong NYC resident who still lives here, most of NYC is pretty clean. Remember, NYC is 302 sq miles or 778 sq km, and contains 5 counties (yes each borough is its own legal county with their own District Attorney, court systems, and even prisons (though the courts and prisons operate under the umbrella of the NYC Courts and NYC Prisons). Yeah there are some dirty parts, but most is clean, even cleaner than some Western European cities I have been to. People who are not from NYC think of the few high tourist areas of manhattan and a few famous neighborhoods as all of NYC, but it is more than that. Most is clean, most is nice, and many parts are quite affordable too.

    Pencil
    Community Member
    7 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're absolutely right. And for anyone who wants to see for themselves, here are 16 live cameras in NYC: https://www.cnyclive.com/ And if that isn't enough, here are about 30 more: https://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?term=New+York+City NYC got its reputation for being dirty in the 60s and 70s, primarily when two massive garbage worker strikes made national news. But that was half a century ago, it's time to give up the trope.

    Load More Replies...
    R Dennis
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've been to more than half of these cities. Baltimore is definitely #1 on my list. It's surprising how bad it is where it's supposed to be nice.

    J3447
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's listed by complaints, New Yorkers are use to the filth, they don't complain.

    Pencil
    Community Member
    7 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Here are two links with more than 30 live NYC webcams: https://www.cnyclive.com/ https://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?term=New+York+City Please, point out the filth.

    Load More Replies...
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