Do you place a high priority on cleanliness? Do you know which Texas city is rated the dirtiest? The dirtiest city in Texas was ranked in 2023 using a range of factors. Pollutants contaminate the air, water, and land, making it harder to live and thrive in some locations.
In one Texas city, this problem appears to be widespread. Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), a Swiss institution, has devised an objective and fact-based system for rating a city’s cleanliness. This method operates based on a human perception of cleanliness.
It is difficult to offer an overall metric for cleanliness. We’d have to regularly monitor air and water quality, as well as examine non-quantifiable aspects. One approach is to record city streets and assess the amount of trash and debris in various spots throughout the city.
Phsy.org gives a more detailed explanation of the technique, and we arrived at our conclusion using data from LawnStarter’s ranking of the dirtiest towns in America in 2023. Without further ado, let’s take a look at Texas’ dirtiest city.
What is the dirtiest city in Texas?
Houston is the dirtiest city in Texas. Furthermore, it is recognized as the dirtiest city in the entire United States. LawnStarter is rated in four categories: living circumstances, pollution, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction. The original sample size for this study was 200 cities. 48 cities were removed from the comparison owing to a lack of appropriate data. The ultimate sample size was 152 cities, with Houston having the top score.
We’ll now examine what features of each category are considered when determining the dirtiest cities in the United States. We will not include Houston’s numbers for each category, but we will discuss its overall position at the end of these sections.
Living Conditions
Living conditions are classified into nine categories. We received these categories directly from the LawnStarter website.
- Population Density (per square mile)
- Share of overcrowded dwellings
- Share of houses without kitchen facilities
- Share of dwellings without plumbing facilities
- The percentage of dwellings with mold
- Share of residences showing evidence of mice or rats
- Share of households having cockroaches.
- The percentage of residences with sewage disposal breakdowns
- Unsheltered homeless rate (per 1,000 people).
This list demonstrates that a wide range of elements are examined when evaluating living conditions. In general, clean circumstances include adequate and dependable sanitation sources, a lower population density, and mold, rodent, and cockroach-free environments.
Homelessness is a significant aspect of this methodology because modern society regularly, if not always, denies our homeless folks access to the majority of these conditions. In this category, Boston, Massachusetts had the largest number of rats and mice over a 12-month period. Saint Louis, Missouri, had the lowest.
Pollution
Pollution is measured into five categories:
- Median Air Quality Index (AQI).
- The existence of water quality violations
- Greenhouse gas emissions per capita (metric tons CO2e)
- Annual extra fuel consumption.
- The percentage of smokers
Five California cities have the worst air quality in the United States. The cities were Riverside, San Bernardino, Fontana, Ontario, and Rancho Cucamonga. Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii have the highest air quality ratings in the United States.
Combined Metrics and Results
You may have noted that Houston is not ranked among the worst in any of these categories. One of the reasons we have two categories and multiple indicators is to sum up the experience at the end. A city that ranks poorly in one category may rank extremely well in others.
Overall, Houston was voted the “Dirtiest City in the United States”. The southern city had the third highest rate of greenhouse gas emissions from major facilities (per capita) in the country. Houston was also one of numerous states that violated the Safe Drinking Water Act once or more in the most recent EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) data set (2020).
Conclusion
The research we chose says Houston is Texas’ dirtiest city. It led the city in air pollution, EPA infractions, and cockroaches, according to the Census Bureau. State honorable mentions include Dallas and San Antonio. Remember that city residents and governments affect these scores throughout the year. Studies like these can show a place’s flaws and provide citizens with a chance to fix them.
Being at the top of this list is depressing, but it doesn’t mean the city is bad. Houston offers history, exploration, culture, excellent food, and more. If you can travel, the prognosis may not be as dismal as studies predict. You may fight to make this real. Our participation, tax dollars, education, and work ethic improve our environment and future.