Detroit Ranked Worst U.S. City for Asthma in 2025 by Allergy Foundation

Detroit ranks as America's toughest city for asthma sufferers in 2025. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America made this finding public on Tuesday.

The yearly study checked asthma rates, emergency visits, and deaths in 100 cities. Detroit shot up from third place last year, after sitting at fifth in 2023. The numbers paint a stark picture.

"Nearly 28 million people in the United States have asthma," said Kenneth Mendez, AAFA's president and CEO accordig to Planet Detroit. "For people with asthma, this report makes clear that where they live plays a significant role in their quality of life."

Rochester, NY claimed the second spot. Allentown, PA followed at third. Philadelphia and Cleveland round out the cities where breathing comes hardest.

The stats tell a grim tale. Detroit showed the second-worst asthma count among studied cities. From 2017 to 2019, asthma struck 16.2% of Detroit adults - far above Michigan's 11.1% average. Kids in Detroit land in hospitals twice as often as their state peers.

Dr. Garen Wolff runs Wolff Allergy Asthma in Detroit. She points to weather shifts as a major issue. "Seasonal allergies have progressively gotten worse every year because of climate change — longer spring and allergy seasons. Combine that with wildfire smoke, and it's a perfect storm," she said.

The city faces multiple challenges. Aging buildings mix with factory fumes and car exhaust. Eight in ten Detroit homes date back over 60 years, breeding mold, dust, and pests that hurt air quality indoors.

The burden falls heaviest on Black residents. They wind up in hospitals three times more often than white neighbors. Past housing bias pushed poorer folks next to pollution sources.

"Detroit had the second-highest asthma prevalence of all cities we looked at for the report," said Hannah Jaffee, research director at AAFA. "Air pollution, such as pollution from vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, is a major risk factor that may contribute to higher asthma prevalence and mortality rates in Detroit."

AAFA shared these findings during September's "Asthma Peak Month." This time brings more hospital stays due to ragweed, infections, and bad air in schools.

Experts say patients should run HEPA filters, watch air quality reports, and take their meds on time. They stress the need to keep regular doctor visits.