Worst U.S. Cities for Pollen Allergies in 2025 During Climate Change

Prime Highlights:

Wichita, Kansas, is the worst U.S. city to suffer from pollen allergies in 2025 for the third consecutive year.
Increased temperatures and CO₂ are making pollen seasons stronger across the country.

Key Facts:

AAFA’s 2025 list of 100 cities; the worst are Wichita, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City.
Rankings based on pollen data, medication usage, and specialist availability.
Climate change is lengthening and intensifying allergy seasons.

Key Background:

Pollen allergies in America in 2025 have grown worse, in great part due to the combined effects of climate change. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) released its annual list of the 100 hardest cities for spring and fall allergies. Wichita, Kansas, retains spot number one for the third year running. This city always has high concentrations of grass pollen and tree pollen and also has high use of allergy medication. It does not have proper access to board-certified allergists, either, so it is very hard for citizens to manage symptoms.

Hot on its heels, New Orleans, Louisiana, experienced a record 30-spot increase and ranks second worst this year. The city’s humid climate, hurricane damage, and dense foliage are all factors in high pollen levels. Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Memphis also ranked in the top ten, with complaints such as too much exposure to pollen and not enough specialist availability.

Southern and Midwestern cities predominate the list since they have longer growing seasons and better pollen-supporting conditions. Other cities listed are Little Rock, Raleigh, and Richmond, due to their decreasing pollen levels and poor access to allergy care. Rather unexpectedly, the report says that cities with greater percentages of use of allergy medication are among the worst-offending cities and are likely to indicate a greater burden of allergy in the community.

The AAFA acknowledges climate change to be one of the major causes of the weakening allergy climate. As the world warms and carbon dioxide accumulates, vegetation has produced higher levels of pollen for extended periods. This has led to prolonged allergy seasons that start early in some cases and stretch longer than past decades.

To control the risk of increasing allergy, experts advise minimizing exposure by staying indoors on high-pollen days, using air purifiers, and seeking professional guidance for customized allergy control. The report also calls for taking more integrated climate action and public health action to tackle the long-term impact of environmental change on respiratory health.

The evidence is a call to policymakers and individuals equally to act on allergy challenges by doing better on awareness, access to care, and global warming.