Top 10 “Cleanest Air” U.S Cities

Greener.Ideal

On average, people take more than 21,600 breaths a day. Yet, research suggests two-thirds of the American population does not think much about the quality of the air they are breathing.

The AirGenius Awards, sponsored by Honeywell, set out to ‘clear the air’ by checking out which U.S. cities had the cleanest air in America.

So, where is the best place to literally get a breath of fresh air? In short, the answer is Florida.

The awards, evaluated by scientists at consulting firm Environmental Health & Engineering, highlighted six Florida metropolitan areas in the top 25. Palm Bay/Melbourne/Titusville came in first place.

“Data on pollen counts, particulate matter and ozone concentrations, public smoking laws, and ‘green’ city rankings for the 100 most populated U.S. cities were used in this assessment,” said Dr. Ted Myatt. “The results are relevant to city dwellers and homeowners, particularly the elderly, young children, and individuals with allergies or asthma.”

Below is a list of the top ten U.S. areas with the cleanest air:

Palm Bay/Melbourne/Titusville, Fla.
Cape Coral/Fort Myers, Fla.
North Port-Bradenton/Sarasota, Fla.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Tucson, Ariz.
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Albuquerque, N.M.
Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, Wash.
Charleston/North Charleston/Summerville, S.C.
Lakeland/Winter Haven, Fla.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious about the air quality in your own home, you can take the Air IQ Quiz. The quiz is sponsored by the makers of Honeywell Air Purifiers. Just head over to their Facebook page to find out your personal indoor air quality score and get tips to improve it.

To view the complete AirGenius Awards list for rankings in 100 U.S. areas, visit facebook.com/AirGeniusAwards.

Photo by Seth Anderson