Baltimore may have dropped off U. S. News and World Report’s annual list of the 25 “most dangerous places in the U.S.,” but it just made No. 1 in another category.
Baltimore was named “the dirtiest city in America” by HouseFresh, a publication that monitors indoor air quality and sanitary conditions around the country.
Runners up in the ‘dirtiest city’ survey were Sacramento, California, in second place; Charlotte, North Carolina, in third; Los Angeles, California, in fourth, and Memphis, Tennessee in fifth. Milwaukee, Wisconsin was named the cleanest city in the U. S. Twenty-three cities were evaluated in all.
The HouseFresh survey was based on the number of complaints made by residents about their own city, based on calls to each municipality’s non-emergency 311 line.
“We analyzed 12.3 million sanitation-related 311 complaints placed over the last 365 days to reveal the dirtiest cities in America,” writer Amparo Lopez wrote in an April 22 article about the study for HouseFresh. “Covering categories related to sanitation issues – such as garbage, waste and recycling — we ranked locations based on the number of sanitation-related reports per 100,000 population.”
Baltimore scored highest with 47,295 sanitation-related complaints per 100,000 citizens. The 21213 zip code was the “dirtiest zip code” in Baltimore, with 89,391 complaints surrounding sanitary issues. It was followed in Baltimore by the 21223 zip code, with 78,638 complaints; the 21216 zip code, with 69,968 complaints; the 21217 zip code, with 62,440 complaints; the 21205 zip code, with 55,642 complaints; the 21218 zip code with 51,425 complaints, and the 21224 zip code, with 47,954 complaints.
Out of the whole country, researchers found, Baltimore is home to seven of the 10 dirtiest zip codes, each located either in or around the city’s center, and Sacramento is home to the other three.
“According to our research, it’s the East Coast city of Baltimore that needs to concentrate on its cleanliness the most,” Lopez wrote.
“Though in close company with the cities of Sacramento, Charlotte and Los Angeles, it’s the residents of Baltimore that are the most discontent with their level of dirtiness. With a staggeringly high complaint rate of 47,295 per 100K population, there seems to be a disconnect between the needs of the community and the cleanliness of the city.”
In his State of the City address on Monday, Mayor Brandon Scott noted that Baltimore has dropped off U. S. News and World Report’s list of the 25 most dangerous places in the U. S. for 2024-2025. Memphis came in at No. 1 on that list, followed by St. Louis, Missouri, and Detroit, Michigan.
“Baltimore, for the first time in a long time, is not on the list,” Scott said in his address. “But this is not a moment for celebration. This is progress, but we still have more work to do.”
At least one city has taken issue with HomeFresh’s methodology. The HouseFresh article noted that a representative from Sacramento notified its researchers to say that city encourages its residents to call 311 for any customer service requests they have, even if they’re minor. “This could explain why Sacramento ranks so high on this list,” Lopez wrote.
HouseFresh’s report about the study can be found here.
What a scam! House Fresh is an independent consumers report comparing air purifiers. Sanitation isn’t even part of its oversight! Trying to make a name for itself by getting hold of data and leveling such a scathing report on Charm City! So the writer Amparo Lopez did computer analyzation of 12.3 million sanitation-related 311 complaints. Baltimore has a very responsive 311 call center, and citizens are encouraged to use it, and do use it! It has nothing to do with the condition of our city relative to other cities. House Fresh needs to get out from behind their desks and follow up with actual in-person visits to cities before leveling such condemning critiques. What nerve!
It’s evident why Baltimore ranks #1 even if 311 calls data was never reviewed. I’ve been suggesting to family and friends that Mayor Scott bring water trucks and power washers into the city and assign supervised incarcerated men to power wash all the buildings, streets, sidewalks, and alleyways so cleanliness and respect for the city becomes evident and people’s spirits will uplift. Friends who visit from out of state clean cities are appalled when we drive into the city.