The folks at LawnStarter investigated several metrics and ranked the city of Stockton in the top 25 dirtiest cities in the U.S.
With an overall score of just 43.67 and a pollution rank of 52, Stockton comes in as the 14th dirtiest in the U.S., according to LawnStarter’s 2025 Dirtiest Cities in America report.
Dirtiest Cities
In addition to Stockton, where a nearly two-week strike disrupted trash pickup in July, nearby cities on the list include Modesto at No. 32, with an overall score of 40.04; San Jose at No. 54; San Mateo at No. 77; and Fresno at No. 63. In the East Bay, Pleasanton, though, ranked among the 9th least-dirty cities in the U.S. But Livermore came in at No. 1 among cities in the U.S. with the most waste in landfills per 100,000 residents.
Methodology
In the LawnStarter report, rankings were based on 20 factors or metrics in four categories, which include:
-
Inadequate living conditions
-
Inadequate waste infrastructure
-
Resident dissatisfaction.
For each of the 500 biggest U.S. cities, LawnStarter gathered data and eliminated 197 cities lacking sufficient data in a single category, resulting in a final sample size of 303 cities.
San Bernardino
In Southern California, San Bernardino took the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row, with 75% of residents dissatisfied with pollution. The city tied with nine other California cities with the worst median air quality, the report stated.
The harmful pollutant, nitrogen dioxide, is around 20% more prevalent near warehouses, according to the report that listed 12 cities in San Bernardino County collectively having over 850 large warehouses.
More: Victorville makes Dirtiest Cities in America list, with San Bernardino ranked No. 1
Air quality
The ideal standard for “good” air quality is an index value of 50 or below, according to LawnStarter, which listed 10 California cities tied with an air quality index score of 97. Those municipalities include:
America’s 10 Dirtiest Cities
LawnStarter investigated several metrics and ranked a group of San Bernardino County cities as the dirtiest in the U.S., with Victorville also making the list.
LawnStarter listed America’s 10 Dirtiest Cities in order as:
-
San Bernardino, California
Rust Belt cities like Detroit (No. 3), Reading, Pennsylvania (No. 4), and Flint, Michigan (No. 12) had high rates of smoking, homes lacking kitchens and plumbing, and a large percentage of residents unhappy with their environment.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Stockton makes LawnStarter Dirtiest Cities in America list
