Over 25 million people in the country live with asthma. Where people live can dramatically affect the severity of their symptoms daily and the quality of care they receive. For example, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America drew up the 2019 Asthma Capitals Report, where they examined over 100 metropolitan cities across the country along eight risk factors that influence asthma outcomes to find out the best and worst cities to live for asthmatics.

The worst cities for people with asthma are:

Springfield, MA
Springfield has a high rate of asthma-related emergency room visits, the overall prevalence of asthma, and pollen counts, making it one of the worst cities for those with asthma.

Dayton, OH
Dayton has high asthma rates, indicated by the high usage of quick-relief treatments and controllers.

Greensboro, NC
Greensboro has a low rate of asthma specialists and a high rate of uninsured citizens, making it one of the worst cities to live in as an asthma patient.

Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia has a high prevalence of asthma, a high number of emergency room visits, and a high number of asthma-related fatalities.

Cleveland, OH
Cleveland has poor air quality, a high rate of quick-relief treatment use, and a high occurrence of asthma.

Allentown, PA
Allentown has poor air quality, high asthma prevalence, and a low number of asthma specialists. Residents of the city are also highly affected by pollen, making it a difficult place for people with asthma to live.

Louisville, KY
Although the city is taking action to improve air quality, it was ranked as one of the worst places to live for people with asthma due to high pollen count, high controller use, and low air quality.

According to the report, some of the best cities for people with asthma are:

Cape Coral, FL
Cape Coral has a low incidence of asthma and a low number of asthma-related emergency room visits. This may be because the city’s tropical environment provides some relief to asthmatics.

McAllen, TX
McAllen has a low number of asthma cases and deaths, but the city does report the highest poverty rate and can be one of the most challenging places to live with spring allergies.

Houston, TX
Houston has deficient asthma cases, asthma-related emergency room visits, and fatalities. The city also has an Asthma Prevention and Control Program to help asthmatics, with a particular emphasis on children.

Sarasota, FL
Sarasota has exceptional air quality and low asthma cases in the city.

Daytona Beach, FL
Apart from scoring well on the asthma front, Daytona Beach is also listed as one of the best places to live for people with allergies.

El Paso, TX
El Paso has an Asthma and Allergy Coalition that works actively to improve the quality of asthma and allergy care by raising awareness across the city.

San Antonio, TX
Despite the high prevalence of asthma in children across the city, the city is one of the best places to live due to better ranking in other factors and a coalition working to provide in-home asthma treatment for children in need.