CLEVELAND, Ohio - Depending on how you feel - or where you live - Cleveland is either a relatively clean place or has room for improvement. A study released in January says that both opinions could be accurate.
Out of 152 of the biggest cities in the United States, Cleveland ranks No. 57, according to the study using federal data.
The lawn services company LawnStarter grouped data into four categories - pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction, to come up with the city rankings.
Of the four categories, Cleveland’s worst showing is for living conditions, ranking in the bottom third (38th out of 152), taking into account things like homeless rates, mold and population density. It was 59th for pollution, 64th for infrastructure and 74th for consumer satisfaction.
Two Ohio cities scored worse and are among the top third of the dirtiest cities overall, according to the rankings.
Dayton ranks 42nd worst overall, primarily due to pollution and infrastructure problems. Cincinnati follows among Ohio cities at No. 50. Cincinnati ranks third worst out of all cities in poor infrastructure and for the most tonnage of waste in landfills per 100,000 residents. (In a plus for Cleveland, the city has the lowest tonnage of waste in landfills per 100,000 residents.)
After Cleveland, Akron is 65th and Toledo 67th. Both Ohio cities placed in the worst third for consumer satisfaction.
Columbus had the best showing among ranked Ohio cities at No. 137, meaning only 15 cities nationally were deemed cleaner - notably due to placing third overall for good living conditions coupled with lower pollution than the average. Columbus is also notable for having the lowest share of homes with signs of rodents in the last 12 months.
Cleveland has the highest percentage of smokers among all the major Ohio cities. However, Cleveland has introduced programs to help residents kick their littering habit.
National worst and best
Houston, Texas, holds the No. 1 rank, placing in the top five for both worst pollution and living conditions. This is followed by Newark, New Jersey (No. 1 in 2022) and San Bernardino, California.
San Bernardino ranks the worst regarding pollution, followed by Peoria, Arizona, and Houston, Texas. Honolulu is ranked as the least polluted in the country. Pollution is determined by air and water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, fuel consumption, and the percentage of smokers.
San Bernadino also ranks the worst for consumer satisfaction, followed by Alexandria, Virginia, and Newark. Consumer satisfaction is highest in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Consumer satisfaction accounts for the share of residents who find a city dirty and untidy or are dissatisfied with pollution, garbage disposal, greenery, and park accessibility.
New York City ranks the worst for living conditions, followed by Jersey City, New Jersey, and Birmingham, Alabama. Lexington, Kentucky, ranks for the best living conditions. Living conditions include population density, housing quality, signs of vermin, and homelessness.
While Cincinnati ranks third for poor infrastructure, worse in this category are Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Las Vegas. Bellevue, Washington, ranks the best. Infrastructure includes landfill waste, recycling, alternative fuel options and the number of junk yards in an area.
If you’re looking for a clean place to move to, the cleanest cities by this study’s rankings are Virginia Beach, Virginia, Sunnyvale, California and Norfolk, Virginia. If you’re looking for a place that borders Ohio, you would end up in Lexington.
LawnStarter used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several county, state, and private sources.
Zachary Smith is the data reporter for cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. See previous stories at this link.
More stories like this:
Which Ohio cities are the newest and oldest, based on the age of houses? - new census estimates
Ranking Ohio cities by share of renters vs. homeowners, from 1 to 247 - new census estimates
Ad Choices