Three SC cities have some of the cleanest air quality in the US, new report says. Here’s where
Looking for the best place to enjoy a breath of fresh air in South Carolina? A new report shows that three SC cities rank among the best in the nation for their air quality.
In honor of Earth Day, a global holiday that promotes environmental protection and sustainability, the American Lung Association released its 2026 State of the Air report, a national report card using data from the Environmental Protection Agency to grade U.S. counties and cities on air quality.
The nonprofit organization ranked and graded cities based on their levels of ozone and two measures of particle pollution in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
This is the 27th report they’ve released, and even after decades of successful efforts to reduce air pollution, 44% of Americans, around 152 million people, are still living in places that get failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.
“Clean air is essential to the health and well-being of families across South Carolina. Children deserve to breathe air that won’t make them sick,” said Danna Thompson, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association.
SC has decent air quality compared to many other states, but it was one of the few states that saw an increase in fine particle pollution in this year’s report.
Here are the SC cities with the best air quality:
Charleston - North Charleston metro area
For the second year in a row, the Charleston metro area ranked among the nation’s cleanest cities for short-term particle pollution. Charleston is just one of 21 cities in the nation to go the entire year without having an unhealthy amount of short-term particle pollution.
Not everything is perfect, however. Charleston’s ozone pollution ranking slightly worsened this year, ranking 143rd worst in the nation. In 2025, Charleston ranked 149th worst in the nation.
The metro area’s year-round average level of particle pollution ranking was passable. The city ranked 136th worst out of 211.
“Thankfully, Charleston has good air quality, but clean air takes work. Unfortunately, the EPA’s rollbacks of critical healthy air rules are impacting our residents,” Thompson said. “We urge South Carolina policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to tell the EPA that our kids’ health counts.”
Florence metro area
Florence ranks among the nation’s cleanest for ozone pollution, earning an A grade. The metro area ranks 180th worst in the nation for short-term particle pollution and received a B grade.
The area received a passing grade for year-round particle pollution and is ranked 120th worst nationally.
Myrtle Beach - Conway metro area
The Myrtle Beach and Conway metro area ranks among the cleanest cities in the nation for ozone pollution, earning an A grade.
The metro area had incomplete data for short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution, so no grades were given for either.