Top 10 Dirtiest Cites In The United States: Let The Clean Up Begin!

If you live in the United States, have you ever wondered whether the city you happen to live in is cleaner or dirtier compared to others in the nation? Well, according to an annual reader survey by Travel + Leisure, these are the top 10 (or is that bottom 10?) least clean cities in the US. It’s always debatable with surveys like this, but for what it’s worth, let’s get right to it:

1. New York City
2. New Orleans
3. Baltimore
4. Los Angeles
5. Atlanta
6. Philadelphia
7. Dallas/Fort Worth
8. Miami
9. Memphis
10. Houston

That’s right, the city that never sleeps has taken out the top spot. Apparently, New York is spending all that awake time making a bit of a mess of the place. I guess it’s no surprise that massive cities like New York and Los Angeles are near the top of the list, although, Chicago only just makes the top 20.

The survey asked readers to rank 35 cities based on their favorites, down to least favorite. Cites were also rated in other categories for shopping and food, as well as such things such as rudeness and cleanliness. The above rankings are how the cities did in terms of cleanliness, or lack thereof, so it’s by no means a complete picture of any city.

Incidentally, New York also took out the top spot in terms off loudness and rudeness.  I’m sure many New Yorkers would argue (ha) that the characteristic loudness and (perceived) rudeness is actually an asset to the city.

In New York’s defense, although the stench of steaming garbage as you walk the streets of Manhattan on a hot and humid summer day leaves a lot to be desired, I’m sure most everyone would agree that New York is an incredible city in so many other respects; which is I’m sure why so many millions of people choose to live there.

In any case, a survey like this is useful for pointing out that certain cities might be in need of a little extra effort in the area of cleanliness. So, let the clean up begin!

For the record, the top 5 cleanest cities out of the 35 were said to be:

1. Minneapolis
2. Portland, ME (Portland, OR was 6th, in case you were wondering)
3. Santa Fe
4. Savvanah
5. Salt Lake City

If you’ve traveled around the U.S. recently, do you agree with the rankings? Are there any that you think should or shouldn’t be at the top of the list? You can find the full list of 35 cities here.

Image CC licensed by klarapix