What is the cleanest city in Georgia? This one ranks well for air quality and pollution

Athens has earned a spot among the 10 least dirty cities in the United States, according to a new 2025 report that studied the dirtiest cities based on pollution, air quality and other factors.

Out of 303 major U.S. cities analyzed by Lawnstarter, Athens ranked No. 299, making it the cleanest city in Georgia by a wide margin.

Here's what we know.

What are the dirtiest cities in Georgia?

According to the report, here are the cities and their overall rank out of 300 cities:

• Ranked No. 72: Macon

• Ranked No. 177: Atlanta

• Ranked No. 204: Warner Robins

• Ranked No. 246: Columbus

• Ranked No. 251: Savannah

• Ranked No. 268: Augusta

Least dirty cities in the US

1. South Bend, Indiana (No. 303)

2. Wilmington, North Carolina (No. 302)

3. Des Moines, Iowa (No. 301)

4. Davenport, Iowa (No. 300)

5. Athens, Georgia (No. 299)

6. Winston-Salem, North Carolina (No. 298)

7. Fargo, North Dakota (No. 297)

8. Frederick, Maryland (No. 296)

9. Pleasanton, California (No. 295)

10. Lynchburg, Virginia (No. 294)

What is the cleanest city in Georgia?

According to this study, Athens is the cleanest among the 303 studied, with rankings for:

• Pollution: 289

• Inadequate living conditions rank: 290

• Inadequate waste infrastructure rank: 141

• Resident dissatisfaction rank: 272

What is the most dirty city in the US?

San Bernardino, California, ranks as the dirtiest city in the nation, with three other California cities ranking in the top 10.

Methodology

Researchers analyzed 303 of the 500 largest U.S. cities using data across four key categories:

• Pollution

• Living conditions

• Waste infrastructure

• Resident dissatisfaction

Each city was scored out of 100 based on various weighted metrics like air quality, water violations, and waste management.

Cities lacking sufficient data were excluded, and the one with the highest overall score was ranked the "dirtiest."

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at [email protected]m.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: New study names Athens, Georgia one of nation's cleanest cities