What are the worst cities in California for allergies? See where Sacramento ranked

Getting the spring sniffles in Sacramento?

California’s capital city is one of the worst places in the country for seasonal allergies, according to a new study by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

The organization published its annual Allergy Capitals report on Tuesday, March 18, ranking 100 U.S. cities based on various factors that impact your quality of life when living with allergies

Key metrics included the amount of pollen a city tends to get, the amount of allergy medication residents must use and the number of allergy specialists there.

Roughly one-third of Americans suffer symptoms of seasonal allergies and asthma, making it a “top public health concern” in the U.S., the allergy foundation said in a news release.

Wichita, Kansas, topped the 2025 list of the worst U.S. cities for allergy sufferers.

Here’s where the Sacramento metropolitan area ranked:

What triggers seasonal allergies?

Pollen is a major trigger for seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Because plants bloom and produce pollen at warm temperatures, seasonal allergies are particularly impacted by climate change, the allergy foundation said.

Pollen seasons have been starting earlier and lasting longer, which is worsening health outcomes for people who are susceptible to asthma and allergy symptoms, the foundation said in its release.

Since 2019, pollen seasons have started 20 days earlier and lasted 10 days longer compared to 30 years prior, the report said.

“Increased pollen exposure can make it difficult to manage and control allergies and asthma,” Melanie Carver, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s chief mission officer, said in a news release. “In the short-term, adopting allergy management strategies can reduce the negative impacts of pollen allergies.”

“Long-term, we should be looking at policy change to reduce the impact of climate change,” Carver said.

Why is Sacramento among worst cities for allergy sufferers?

Sacramento ranked No. 23 among the 25 worst U.S. cities for seasonal allergy sufferers, due in part to its “worse than average” pollen count, the allergy foundation said.

Sacramento had an overall score of 76.07 on a scale of 100.

Between 2023 and 2024, the city had what was described as a significant jump in grass pollen, with a smaller increase in weed pollen, the report showed.

Increased precipitation caused new grass and weed growth in 2024, adversely impacting allergy sufferers, according to the report.

Sacramento also ranked unfavorably because the city has an average amount of allergy specialist physicians and lower-than-average use of allergy medication, the report said.

How did other California cities fare in the rankings?

Sacramento was the second-worst city in California for allergy sufferers, ranking behind Bakersfield at 21 on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation list.

Here’s where all California cities ranked:

21. Bakersfield

23. Sacramento

24. Stockton

28. Fresno

33. Oxnard

41. San Jose

46. Riverside

51. Los Angeles

53. San Francisco

97. San Diego

San Diego and Riverside were the only two California cities that did not experience a significant increase in grass or weed pollen between 2023 and 2024, according to the report.

This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Camila Pedrosa

The Sacramento Bee

Camila Pedrosa is the California Diversions Reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked on The Bee’s service journalism team and was a summer reporting intern for The Bee in 2024. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.