US cities with the cleanest air

All 14 cities ranked by days with good air in the latest full year, best first, as of October 2026.

Portland, OR has the most good-air days at 283 of 365, ahead of Asheville (268) and Chattanooga (237). Riverside has the fewest at 39.

1. Portland, OR

283good days

2. Asheville, NC

268good days

3. Chattanooga, TN

237good days

1. 1Portland, ORQuantum Fiber reaches 98 percent of addresses, and one $2.80 TriMet fare covers bus, MAX and the streetcar.283good days
2. 2Asheville, NCSmall mountain city with a $1 bus and weekly founder mornings, best with a car outside downtown.268good days
3. 3Chattanooga, TNCity-owned fiber reaches every address, with rents among the lowest on this list.237good days
4. 4Miami, FLNear-total fiber coverage and a free downtown people mover, at big-city rents.206good days
5. 5Atlanta, GAA monthly Indie Hackers meetup, rail to the airport, and home prices below most cities here.198good days
6. 6Nashville, TNA $2 bus ride, a $4 all day pass, and a bootstrapper meetup that actually meets.193good days
7. 7Denver, CONear-citywide fiber and the best bike score on this list.184good days
8. 8Austin, TXBig-city tech hub with two near-citywide fiber networks and a $1.25 bus fare.159good days
9. 9Chicago, ILThe one city here where living without a car is normal: over a quarter of households have none.149good days
10. 10Anaheim, CAOrange County base with strong fiber coverage, priced like the coast and laid out for cars.138good days
11. 11Tucson, AZThe lowest 1-bedroom rent on this list, and the buses and streetcar are free.123good days
12. 12Las Vegas, NVThe lowest Airbnb prices on this list, in a city built for driving.113good days
13. 13San Diego, CABeach city with the highest home prices on this list and a trolley that covers the core.64good days
14. 14Riverside, CAInland Empire prices well below coastal California, with Metrolink trains toward Los Angeles.39good days