Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America
United States of America: Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas was 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. ▼ Falling
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America, 2010–2023
Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in micrograms per cubic meter.
Analysis
United States of America recorded 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in 2023. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 23.8% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America peaked at 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter, in 2019.
United States of America ranks 146th of 226 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America, year by year
| Year | micrograms per cubic meter | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 9.45 micrograms per cubic meter | — |
| 2011 | 9.35 micrograms per cubic meter | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 9.1 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 8.92 micrograms per cubic meter | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 8.89 micrograms per cubic meter | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 8.55 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 7.8 micrograms per cubic meter | -8.8% |
| 2017 | 8.13 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 8.4 micrograms per cubic meter | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 7.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 8.34 micrograms per cubic meter | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 8.04 micrograms per cubic meter | -3.6% |
| 2023 | 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter | +23.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8.62 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.45 micrograms per cubic meter | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.57 micrograms per cubic meter | 7.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
- 143 Guyana 10.35 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 144 Puerto Rico 10.28 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 145 Cayman Islands 10.04 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 147 Austria 9.9 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 148 Maldives 9.82 micrograms per cubic meter compare
- 149 Barbados 9.79 micrograms per cubic meter compare
More environment data for United States of America
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.64 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -2.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -2.91 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.62 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,193 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 1,199 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 4.68 million metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 4.21 million metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 467,617 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 9.94 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America?
- Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas in United States of America was 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023, according to World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 9.95 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023.
- What is the lowest exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.56 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019.
- How does United States of America rank for exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas?
- United States of America ranks 146th out of 226 countries with data for 2023.
- Is exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exposure to outdoor air pollution in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (population-weighted), by location (micrograms per cubic meter).