If you're feeling sneezier than usual this time of year, experts say you're not alone. Nationwide, allergy season has grown longer and stronger over the years.Already, about half of the country is under high pollen alerts, according to a Get the Facts Data Team analysis of data from Pollen.com, and the spring allergy season is far from over. Weather and climate are the two biggest factors impacting the worsening allergy season. Warming temperatures and increased rainfall lead to increased plant growth, and those plants in turn produce more pollen. Both extreme rain and extreme drought can increase pollen loads, experts say. The rain provides plants with the humidity they love, and the drought means that pollen remains in the air longer. Additionally, the growing season for plants in the U.S. has gotten longer over the years, which leads to more opportunity for pollen production.It's not just a matter of more pollen; the pollen across the nation has also gotten more allergenic, said Hannah Jaffee, research director for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America."Unfortunately, it's kind of this triple threat of pollen seasons getting longer, more intense, and then also affecting people more," Jaffee said.Who is most impactedAAFA tracks which areas across the country are most impacted by the worsening allergy season. They look at three factors in determining the ranking: pollen counts, over-the-counter allergy medication use and availability of allergy specialists. This year, Boise, Idaho, and San Diego, California, topped the list. That was a surprise, Jaffee said. "We saw about half of the cities in the top 20 this year were in the western half of the U.S.," Jaffee said. "That is not something we typically see."In 2025, Boise was ranked 95th, and San Diego was ranked 97th. The change now, Jaffee said, is due to the tree pollen season starting earlier and peaking higher.Typically, areas in the southeast top the charts for having the worst allergy seasons.How to manage symptoms About one in three people in the U.S. experiences allergies. Experts recommend that people monitor pollen counts and wear hats or sunglasses to keep pollen from getting into their eyes and mouth. They also recommend taking off shoes before getting inside and showering at night to avoid contaminating your bedsheets. Jaffee cautioned that the city-by-city rankings of allergy impacts should not be used as a moving guide. "Pollen is everywhere, so even cities lower on the list can still be significantly impacted by pollen," Jaffee said. "Weather and climate can make a huge change year over year, so cities that typically are at the bottom of the list may one year suddenly be at the top."To see if your city made the list of the top 100 worst places for allergy impacts this year, scroll below. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
If you're feeling sneezier than usual this time of year, experts say you're not alone. Nationwide, allergy season has grown longer and stronger over the years.
Already, about half of the country is under high pollen alerts, according to a Get the Facts Data Team analysis of data from Pollen.com, and the spring allergy season is far from over.
Weather and climate are the two biggest factors impacting the worsening allergy season.
Warming temperatures and increased rainfall lead to increased plant growth, and those plants in turn produce more pollen.
Both extreme rain and extreme drought can increase pollen loads, experts say. The rain provides plants with the humidity they love, and the drought means that pollen remains in the air longer.
Additionally, the growing season for plants in the U.S. has gotten longer over the years, which leads to more opportunity for pollen production.
It's not just a matter of more pollen; the pollen across the nation has also gotten more allergenic, said Hannah Jaffee, research director for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
"Unfortunately, it's kind of this triple threat of pollen seasons getting longer, more intense, and then also affecting people more," Jaffee said.
Who is most impacted
AAFA tracks which areas across the country are most impacted by the worsening allergy season. They look at three factors in determining the ranking: pollen counts, over-the-counter allergy medication use and availability of allergy specialists.
This year, Boise, Idaho, and San Diego, California, topped the list. That was a surprise, Jaffee said.
"We saw about half of the cities in the top 20 this year were in the western half of the U.S.," Jaffee said. "That is not something we typically see."
In 2025, Boise was ranked 95th, and San Diego was ranked 97th. The change now, Jaffee said, is due to the tree pollen season starting earlier and peaking higher.
Typically, areas in the southeast top the charts for having the worst allergy seasons.
How to manage symptoms
About one in three people in the U.S. experiences allergies.
Experts recommend that people monitor pollen counts and wear hats or sunglasses to keep pollen from getting into their eyes and mouth. They also recommend taking off shoes before getting inside and showering at night to avoid contaminating your bedsheets.
Jaffee cautioned that the city-by-city rankings of allergy impacts should not be used as a moving guide.
"Pollen is everywhere, so even cities lower on the list can still be significantly impacted by pollen," Jaffee said. "Weather and climate can make a huge change year over year, so cities that typically are at the bottom of the list may one year suddenly be at the top."
To see if your city made the list of the top 100 worst places for allergy impacts this year, scroll below.
