Allergies plague millions of people each year once spring hits, the trees bud, and the flowers bloom, but the worst areas for allergy sufferers have been narrowed down to 20 locations in a study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
The organization looked at data and analysis collected from 100 of the most-populated metropolitan areas in the lower 48 states. The researchers looked at pollen scores for tree, grass, and weed pollen, over-the-counter allergy medication sales, and the number of allergy specialists in each area.
Find out which cities you’ll likely want to avoid (or pack extra eye drops) if you want to keep the allergy symptoms at bay.
2 / 22
Rochester is ranked on the list for having worse-than-average overall pollen levels, receiving a 76.74-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here followed by weed pollen and has an average rate for the amount of medicine used but has a better-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
3 / 22
Greensboro is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 76.76-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here and is reported to affect allergies year-round but peaks in April. Greensboro has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used and a worse-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
4 / 22
Tampa is ranked on the list for having worse-than-average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.02-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass pollen is a top component here and was reported to affect allergies year-round but peaks in April through mid-October. Tampa has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used but has an average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
5 / 22
Palm Bay is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.06-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here followed by tree pollen and has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used and a worse-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
6 / 22
Raleigh is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.33-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here followed by grass pollen and has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used and a worse-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
7 / 22
Lakeland is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.49-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here followed by grass pollen and has an average rate for the amount of medicine used but has a worse-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
8 / 22
Miami is ranked on the list for having worse-than-average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.64-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here and was reported to begin in December and extend through May.
9 / 22
Little Rock is ranked on the list for having worse-than-average overall pollen levels, receiving a 77.90-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here and has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used but has a better-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
10 / 22
Houston is ranked on the list for having worse-than-average overall pollen levels, receiving a 78.33-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass pollen is a top component here followed by tree pollen and it has an average rate for the amount of medicine used and an average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
11 / 22
Virginia Beach is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 78.35-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass pollen is a top component here, followed by weed pollen, and has a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used and an average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
12 / 22
Greenville is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving a 79.43-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass and weed pollen is a top component here and a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine used and an average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
13 / 22
Des Moines is ranked on the list for having average overall pollen levels, receiving an 80.76-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here and an average rate for the amount of medicine used and a worse-than-average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to seek specialist care.
14 / 22
Orlando is ranked in the top five on the list for on-average overall allergies, receiving an 81.12-point ranking, the study reported.
Weed pollen is a top component here and was reported to begin in April and peak in August through October. However, weed pollen will affect allergies all the way through December.
15 / 22
Cape Coral is ranked as worse than average, receiving an 81.32-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here, and about 2% of the active allergy days consist of very high levels while 50% reach high levels.
16 / 22
Sarasota is ranked on the list for worse than average, receiving an 84.17-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here followed by grass pollen and about 2% of the active allergy days consist of very high levels while 50% reach high levels.
17 / 22
Tulsa is ranked in the top five on the list for worse than average, receiving an 86.05-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass pollen is a top component here with a worse-than-average rate for the amount of medicine purchased and an average ranking for the number of people who ultimately need to see a specialist.
18 / 22
Oklahoma City is ranked in the top five on the list for worse than average, receiving an 86.69-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here, and was reported to begin in mid-September through early May to late June.
19 / 22
Scranton is ranked in the top five on the list for an average total allergy score, receiving an 87.08-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass and weed pollen is a top component here, and while tree pollen peaks in mid-February, it can continue well into May. Fortunately, residents and visitors won’t have to worry about weed pollen levels until fall when the weather changes.
20 / 22
Dallas is ranked in the top five on the list for worse than average, receiving an 87.26-point ranking, the study reported.
Tree pollen is a top component here, and was reported to peak in December 2021 but didn’t peak until March and April last year.
21 / 22
Wichita is ranked top of the list for worse than average, receiving a 100-point ranking, the study reported.
Grass pollen is a top component here, and while it peaks in February, it maintained high or very high levels through June last year.
22 / 22
Source: Gizmodo