Allergies Are Here, And So Is This Year's List of Spring Allergy Capitals

Despite the feeling for many living in the United States that winter will never end, allergy season is in full effect with some cities ranking in higher than others in terms of pollen count.

To help individuals better understand what they're dealing with, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has issued a list of the 100 worst places this year for those living with allergies.

Called the Spring Allergy Capitals report, the list was formed through calculating pollen scores, allergy medication usage per patient and the number of allergy doctors in the area. In all, the rankings were listed on a scale of 1 to 100.

Coming in first place with a perfect of 100 was Jackson, Miss., up from fourth place last year. It is quickly followed by last year's winner, Knoxvill, Tenn., which boasts a 99.62 this spring. Other cities in the 90 - 100 range were Chattanooga, Tenn.; McAllen, Texas; Louisville, Ky. and Wichita, Kan.

Other cities that made it into the top ten were Dayton, Ohio; Memphis, Tenn.; Oklahoma City, Okla. and Baton Rouge, La.

Rankings for other major cities include New Orleans with a score of 78.83, Dallas of 74.88, Philadelphia of 74.52, Detroit of 74, New York City of 69.85, Chicago of 60.95, Washington D.C. of 60.39 and San Diego of 47.42.

In all, 15 of the top 25 cities in this year's report are in the South, which continues a trend the AAFA says has been the case for years.

"Our spring listing usually features cities from the Southeast and Deep South, and the #1 spot is almost always a southern city," Mike Tringale, AAFA's Vice President of External affairs, said.

The report does warn, however, that Northern cities will face a tougher allergy season than they did a year ago, indicated by a huge rise in ranking for Buffalo, N.Y.; Springfield, Mass. and Toledo; Ohio. Detroit, too, rose this year from 76th place last year to 26th place this year.

Funding for the report came from the allergy medication Dymista Nasal Spray.