PM2.5 stands for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller. These particles are 30 times thinner than a human hair and come from car exhaust, power plants, wildfires, and burning fuel. They are small enough to bypass your body's natural defenses and enter your bloodstream.

How does air pollution affect the body?

Air pollution affects virtually every organ in the body. PM2.5 particles enter your lungs, pass into your bloodstream, and travel to your heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. This causes chronic inflammation, increasing risks of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, dementia, and many other conditions.

How many people are affected by air pollution?

99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO safety guidelines. Air pollution kills approximately 8 million people every year—more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

United States's Texas Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Texas

Texas faces significant air pollution challenges. 82% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 30.6 million across 254 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 8.7µg/m³. That's 1.7 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 144 cigarettes in a year.

Trends

Air Quality Trend

Annual PM2.5 levels from 2014 to 2023. The WHO guideline for safe air is 5 µg/m³.

Health Impact

Life Expectancy Impact

If Texas met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.37 years longer.

That's 11.3M years of life stolen from 30.6 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.

Lives cut short. Breathing kills.

Most Polluted

Districts with Highest Pollution

The top 10 most polluted districts in Texas. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Dallas
0.5 years lost
2.Denton
0.5 years lost
3.Collin
0.5 years lost
4.Harris
0.5 years lost
5.Tarrant
0.5 years lost
6.Rockwall
0.4 years lost
7.Williamson
0.4 years lost
8.Val Verde
0.4 years lost
9.Travis
0.4 years lost
10.Bell
0.4 years lost

Exposure

Population Exposure by Pollution Level

Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.

< 5 µg/m³

1.1%

332K

5-10 µg/m³

86.2%

26.4M

10-15 µg/m³

12.7%

3.9M

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 254 Districts in Texas

Complete air quality data for every district in Texas, sorted by population.

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Harris	5.1M	9.7	0.5 years
Dallas	3.0M	10.6	0.5 years
Tarrant	2.2M	9.6	0.5 years
Bexar	2.1M	8.5	0.3 years
Travis	1.4M	9.1	0.4 years
Collin	1.1M	9.9	0.5 years
El Paso	909K	7.8	0.3 years
Hidalgo	907K	8.9	0.4 years
Denton	871K	10.2	0.5 years
Fort Bend	784K	8.4	0.3 years
Montgomery	632K	8.8	0.4 years
Williamson	593K	9.3	0.4 years
Cameron	438K	7.9	0.3 years
Bell	390K	8.9	0.4 years
Nueces	371K	7.4	0.2 years
Brazoria	367K	7.4	0.2 years
Galveston	334K	8.0	0.3 years
Lubbock	332K	5.5	0.0 years
McLennan	286K	8.8	0.4 years
Webb	280K	8.4	0.3 years
Jefferson	280K	8.4	0.3 years
Brazos	261K	8.1	0.3 years
Smith	250K	8.8	0.4 years
Hays	249K	7.3	0.2 years
Ellis	193K	8.7	0.4 years
Midland	180K	7.0	0.2 years
Comal	175K	7.3	0.2 years
Johnson	175K	7.9	0.3 years
Ector	167K	6.2	0.1 years
Guadalupe	166K	7.3	0.2 years
Taylor	152K	6.0	0.1 years
Parker	145K	7.1	0.2 years
Kaufman	144K	8.5	0.3 years
Gregg	144K	8.6	0.3 years
Potter	139K	6.5	0.1 years
Grayson	139K	8.5	0.3 years
Wichita	138K	7.3	0.2 years
Randall	130K	6.3	0.1 years
Tom Green	125K	6.8	0.2 years
Rockwall	108K	9.3	0.4 years
Bowie	102K	8.8	0.4 years
Hunt	98K	8.2	0.3 years
Victoria	92K	6.2	0.1 years
Liberty	92K	7.3	0.2 years
Angelina	91K	8.3	0.3 years
Coryell	90K	7.8	0.3 years
Bastrop	89K	6.7	0.2 years
Walker	87K	8.4	0.3 years
Orange	83K	8.3	0.3 years
Henderson	78K	8.1	0.3 years
Harrison	69K	8.5	0.3 years
San Patricio	68K	7.3	0.2 years
Wise	67K	7.3	0.2 years
Nacogdoches	67K	8.0	0.3 years
Starr	66K	8.7	0.4 years
Hood	61K	7.6	0.3 years
Waller	61K	7.2	0.2 years
Maverick	60K	8.6	0.3 years
Anderson	59K	7.9	0.3 years
Van Zandt	56K	7.6	0.3 years
Navarro	55K	8.2	0.3 years
Kerr	54K	6.3	0.1 years
Hardin	54K	7.5	0.2 years
Lamar	52K	8.4	0.3 years
Rusk	52K	8.0	0.3 years
Polk	51K	7.8	0.3 years
Cherokee	51K	7.9	0.3 years
Burnet	49K	6.9	0.2 years
Val Verde	49K	9.2	0.4 years
Chambers	49K	8.6	0.4 years
Medina	48K	6.1	0.1 years
Kendall	46K	6.6	0.2 years
Atascosa	44K	5.8	0.1 years
Erath	44K	6.5	0.1 years
Wood	44K	8.1	0.3 years
Caldwell	44K	6.6	0.2 years
Wilson	44K	6.0	0.1 years
Cooke	43K	8.3	0.3 years
Wharton	42K	5.7	0.1 years
Brown	40K	6.1	0.1 years
Jim Wells	40K	5.7	0.1 years
Washington	39K	7.2	0.2 years
Upshur	37K	8.1	0.3 years
Hopkins	36K	8.0	0.3 years
Howard	36K	5.8	0.1 years
Titus	35K	8.5	0.3 years
Hill	35K	7.7	0.3 years
Matagorda	35K	5.6	0.1 years
Hale	34K	4.9	0.0 years
Kleberg	33K	5.9	0.1 years
Fannin	33K	7.8	0.3 years
Jasper	32K	7.9	0.3 years
Bee	32K	5.8	0.1 years
Austin	32K	6.4	0.1 years
Grimes	29K	7.3	0.2 years
Cass	28K	8.6	0.3 years
Palo Pinto	27K	6.5	0.2 years
Gillespie	27K	5.9	0.1 years
Uvalde	26K	6.0	0.1 years
San Jacinto	24K	7.6	0.3 years
Fayette	23K	6.5	0.1 years
Milam	23K	7.4	0.2 years
Shelby	23K	8.4	0.3 years
Panola	23K	8.4	0.3 years
Limestone	23K	7.6	0.3 years
Hockley	23K	4.6	0.0 years
Aransas	23K	7.9	0.3 years
Moore	22K	5.6	0.1 years
Gray	22K	6.3	0.1 years
Hutchinson	22K	6.1	0.1 years
Houston	21K	7.6	0.3 years
Calhoun	21K	6.3	0.1 years
Gaines	21K	4.2	0.0 years
Lampasas	20K	6.8	0.2 years
Willacy	20K	6.0	0.1 years
Dewitt	20K	6.2	0.1 years
Tyler	20K	7.7	0.3 years
Llano	20K	6.5	0.1 years
Colorado	19K	6.4	0.1 years
Lavaca	19K	6.1	0.1 years
Freestone	19K	7.6	0.3 years
Deaf Smith	19K	4.6	0.0 years
Montague	19K	7.2	0.2 years
Gonzales	19K	6.4	0.1 years
Jones	19K	5.5	0.0 years
Eastland	18K	5.8	0.1 years
Andrews	18K	3.9	0.0 years
Frio	18K	5.4	0.0 years
Young	18K	6.3	0.1 years
Scurry	18K	4.5	0.0 years
Bandera	18K	6.2	0.1 years
Lee	17K	6.5	0.1 years
Bosque	16K	7.3	0.2 years
Burleson	16K	6.9	0.2 years
Pecos	16K	6.4	0.1 years
Leon	16K	7.3	0.2 years
Robertson	15K	7.2	0.2 years
Nolan	15K	5.3	0.0 years
Karnes	15K	6.4	0.1 years
Falls	15K	8.0	0.3 years
Jackson	15K	6.2	0.1 years
Reeves	15K	8.0	0.3 years
Wilbarger	14K	5.2	0.0 years
Madison	14K	7.3	0.2 years
Zapata	14K	7.3	0.2 years
Comanche	13K	6.2	0.1 years
Lamb	13K	4.4	0.0 years
Trinity	13K	8.3	0.3 years
Dawson	13K	4.3	0.0 years
Callahan	12K	5.7	0.1 years
Camp	12K	8.2	0.3 years
Terry	12K	4.3	0.0 years
Morris	11K	8.4	0.3 years
Ward	11K	4.7	0.0 years
Rains	11K	8.0	0.3 years
Live Oak	11K	6.6	0.2 years
Parmer	11K	4.1	0.0 years
Newton	11K	7.7	0.3 years
Red River	11K	8.1	0.3 years
Sabine	10K	8.3	0.3 years
Brewster	10K	3.8	0.0 years
Ochiltree	10K	6.9	0.2 years
Blanco	10K	5.9	0.1 years
Zavala	10K	6.2	0.1 years
Franklin	10K	8.1	0.3 years
Duval	10K	6.0	0.1 years
Somervell	10K	7.0	0.2 years
Runnels	9K	5.4	0.0 years
Stephens	9K	6.2	0.1 years
Mitchell	9K	4.2	0.0 years
Marion	9K	8.6	0.4 years
Clay	8K	7.1	0.2 years
Jack	8K	6.1	0.1 years
Dimmit	8K	5.8	0.1 years
Yoakum	8K	3.9	0.0 years
Hamilton	8K	6.2	0.1 years
Carson	8K	5.4	0.0 years
Coleman	8K	5.4	0.0 years
Archer	8K	6.7	0.2 years
San Augustine	7K	8.3	0.3 years
Brooks	7K	5.4	0.0 years
Hartley	7K	4.5	0.0 years
McCulloch	7K	5.8	0.1 years
Winkler	7K	4.7	0.0 years
Bailey	7K	4.8	0.0 years
Castro	7K	4.6	0.0 years
Childress	7K	4.9	0.0 years
Swisher	7K	4.5	0.0 years
Garza	7K	4.3	0.0 years
La Salle	7K	5.0	0.0 years
Refugio	7K	5.9	0.1 years
Presidio	6K	6.6	0.2 years
Goliad	6K	5.6	0.1 years
Dallam	6K	4.6	0.0 years
San Saba	5K	6.1	0.1 years
Lynn	5K	4.6	0.0 years
Hansford	5K	6.3	0.1 years
Haskell	5K	4.9	0.0 years
Floyd	5K	4.6	0.0 years
Jim Hogg	5K	5.1	0.0 years
Wheeler	5K	5.2	0.0 years
Delta	5K	7.9	0.3 years
Martin	5K	5.3	0.0 years
Crane	5K	5.1	0.0 years
Crosby	5K	4.4	0.0 years
Kimble	4K	7.2	0.2 years
Mills	4K	6.2	0.1 years
Mason	4K	5.7	0.1 years
Hardeman	3K	5.0	0.0 years
Reagan	3K	8.1	0.3 years
Sutton	3K	6.6	0.2 years
Baylor	3K	5.6	0.1 years
Donley	3K	4.9	0.0 years
Fisher	3K	4.2	0.0 years
Upton	3K	6.8	0.2 years
Knox	3K	5.1	0.0 years
Hemphill	3K	6.3	0.1 years
Kinney	3K	6.8	0.2 years
Coke	3K	4.9	0.0 years
Concho	3K	6.0	0.1 years
Hudspeth	3K	5.4	0.0 years
Lipscomb	3K	6.4	0.1 years
Shackelford	3K	5.9	0.1 years
Crockett	3K	6.5	0.1 years
Sherman	3K	5.2	0.0 years
Hall	3K	5.0	0.0 years
Real	3K	5.9	0.1 years
Cochran	2K	3.8	0.0 years
Collingsworth	2K	5.0	0.0 years
Culberson	2K	4.4	0.0 years
Schleicher	2K	6.0	0.1 years
Jeff Davis	2K	3.4	0.0 years
Oldham	2K	4.5	0.0 years
Menard	2K	5.8	0.1 years
Dickens	2K	4.1	0.0 years
Armstrong	2K	4.9	0.0 years
Irion	2K	6.9	0.2 years
Briscoe	1K	4.7	0.0 years
Sterling	1K	6.2	0.1 years
Throckmorton	1K	5.4	0.0 years
Cottle	1K	4.7	0.0 years
Edwards	1K	6.2	0.1 years
Stonewall	1K	4.8	0.0 years
Glasscock	982	5.8	0.1 years
Foard	959	4.8	0.0 years
Motley	932	4.4	0.0 years
Roberts	688	5.9	0.1 years
Kent	640	4.3	0.0 years
Terrell	633	6.5	0.1 years
Borden	583	4.3	0.0 years
McMullen	482	6.7	0.2 years
Kenedy	477	5.4	0.0 years
King	263	4.4	0.0 years
Loving	64	5.3	0.0 years

Showing 254 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Texas is Injurious to Health.