Are you traveling to an ‘allergy capital’ in SC this spring break? See how state cities rank

Sneezing season is upon us once more — for those with allergies, at least.

Nose congestion and itchy eyes are common problems in South Carolina each spring. According to the Medical University of South Carolina, tree pollen causes most of the trouble for allergy sufferers — specifically oak, pine, willow, and birch trees.

Allergies are the result of immune system reactions to allergens. When a person encounters something they are allergic to, different chemicals, including histamine, are released. All allergy symptoms are caused by these chemicals.

And tree pollen season in South Carolina typically lasts through mid-May.

But while pollen will be hard to escape wherever you go in South Carolina, some cities are much more of a problem than others. Some are so bad that they’ve even snagged spots in a recently released list for top “allergy capitals” in the nation.

Allergy capitals report

The 2025 Asthma and Allergy Foundation list is based on pollen scores for trees, grass, weed pollen, over-the-counter medication use, and the number of allergy specialists in the 100 most-populated U.S. cities. The lower the ranking, the worse the allergy situation for the city.

SC allergy capital rankings

The city of Greenville ranked highest on the list, coming in at ninth place for top allergy capitals in the U.S. for 2025. It scored “worse than average” for pollen allergies compared overall to the rest of the nation.

The next highest South Carolina city was Columbia, which ranked 44th on the list. However, it scored average overall for pollen allergies compared to the rest of the U.S.

Charleston was the third and final South Carolina city on the list, ranking 58th in the U.S. It also ranked average overall for pollen allergies.

Top 10 allergy capital rankings

Here are the top 10 “allergy capitals” in the U.S. for 2025:

1. Wichita, KS
   
   
2. New Orleans, LA
   
   
3. Oklahoma City, OK
   
   
4. Tulsa, OK
   
   
5. Memphis, TN
   
   
6. Little Rock, AR
   
   
7. Raleigh, NC
   
   
8. Richmond, VA
   
   
9. Greenville, SC
   
   
10. Greensboro, NC
    
    

How to manage spring allergies in SC

• Wear a mask while doing yard work
  
  
• Shower after being outside
  
  
• Regularly change A/C filters
  
  
• Use an air purifier
  
  
• Keep windows closed during the pollen season
  
  

This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM.

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.