These Are The Top 5 Dirtiest Cities In North Carolina

Living in the big city certainly has its perks. By having more people, there’s more stuff! More stuff to see, more stuff to do, more people to talk to. But with more stuff comes more trash, more pollution, and more infrastructure to let go by the wayside.

With all of the advantages of city living comes (in some cases) a lot of drawbacks, even in cities you wouldn’t expect. The fine folks at LawnStarter broke down the top 150 dirtiest cities in the United States based on factors like pollution, living conditions, and infrastructure. While cities like Houston and San Bernardino led the nation, North Carolina cities weren’t exempt from the list.

Tar Heels don’t have too much to worry about because North Carolina almost avoided the Top 100 altogether, but there are still some cities that may be a little grosser than others. Here are the dirtiest cities in the state.

5. Greensboro

National Rank: 144
Pollution Rank: 128
Living Conditions Rank: 104
Infrastructure Rank: 86
Satisfaction Rank: 123

The only thing egregious in Greensboro seems to be the infrastructure. Let’s get some potholes filled and y’all should fall right off the list.

4. Charlotte

National Rank: 141
Pollution Rank: 130
Living Conditions Rank: 107
Infrastructure Rank: 119
Satisfaction Rank: 87

Charlotte gets dragged onto this list simply because the people there don’t love it. All of the other rankings aren’t terrible on their own, but for whatever reason the people of Charlotte see a lot that could improve.

3. Fayetteville

National Rank: 119
Pollution Rank: 66
Living Conditions Rank: 142
Infrastructure Rank: 83
Satisfaction Rank: 151

Looking at all the other cities who made the cut for this list, citizens of Fayetteville are relatively happy with their town. Maybe stop rolling coal and fix up some roads and Fayetteville may fall off this list entirely.

2. Durham

National Rank: 100
Pollution Rank: 74
Living Conditions Rank: 140
Infrastructure Rank: 104
Satisfaction Rank: 100

Compared to Raleigh, Durham doesn’t seem to bad. Now obviously, there are two very different part of Durham that more or less balance each other out when it comes to this ranking. So as a whole I think this one comes down to the law of averages. You’ll either have a great time or be looking to move somewhere else pretty quick.

1. Raleigh

National Rank: 83
Pollution Rank: 77
Living Conditions Rank: 30
Infrastructure Rank: 95
Satisfaction Rank: 99

Raleigh claims the title as the dirtiest city in the state. Coming in at 83rd in the country, the less that ideal living conditions in the state’s capital less much to be desired. Maybe it’s just living that close to so many politicians.

While there are definitely things that could be better in all these cities, just remember there are certainly worse places to be around the country.