Cities With the Highest Ozone Right Now
Queens has the highest ground-level ozone concentration in our major-city sample right now, at about 168.0 µg/m³.
Cities with at least 200,000 residents; 100 cities shown.
Top Cities Ranked by Ozone (O3)
| # | City | Country | US AQI | PM2.5 | Ozone (O3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Queens | United States | 73 | 21.1 µg/m³ | 168.0 µg/m³ |
| 🥈 | Haikou | China | 71 | 19.8 µg/m³ | 154.0 µg/m³ |
| =3 | Mexico City | Mexico | 60 | 14.0 µg/m³ | 145.0 µg/m³ |
| =3 | Ecatepec de Morelos | Mexico | 60 | 14.0 µg/m³ | 145.0 µg/m³ |
| 4 | Chicago | United States | 60 | 13.7 µg/m³ | 131.0 µg/m³ |
| =5 | Philadelphia | United States | 55 | 11.1 µg/m³ | 129.0 µg/m³ |
| =5 | Zhanjiang | China | 69 | 19.0 µg/m³ | 129.0 µg/m³ |
| 6 | Kuwait City | Kuwait | 171 | 83.4 µg/m³ | 128.0 µg/m³ |
| 7 | The Bronx | United States | 47 | 8.5 µg/m³ | 123.0 µg/m³ |
| 8 | Santiago de Querétaro | Mexico | 53 | 10.0 µg/m³ | 120.0 µg/m³ |
| 9 | Maoming | China | 70 | 19.4 µg/m³ | 119.0 µg/m³ |
| 10 | Cixi | China | 53 | 10.0 µg/m³ | 118.0 µg/m³ |
| 11 | Ningbo | China | 56 | 11.8 µg/m³ | 117.0 µg/m³ |
| 12 | Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | 18 | 3.2 µg/m³ | 116.0 µg/m³ |
| =13 | New York City | United States | 44 | 7.9 µg/m³ | 114.0 µg/m³ |
| =13 | Brooklyn | United States | 44 | 7.9 µg/m³ | 114.0 µg/m³ |
| =13 | Manhattan | United States | 44 | 7.9 µg/m³ | 114.0 µg/m³ |
| =13 | Taizhou | China | 56 | 11.6 µg/m³ | 114.0 µg/m³ |
| =14 | Toronto | Canada | 58 | 13.0 µg/m³ | 113.0 µg/m³ |
| =14 | Kananga | Democratic Republic of Congo | 189 | 109.4 µg/m³ | 113.0 µg/m³ |
| =15 | Phoenix | United States | 62 | 14.8 µg/m³ | 112.0 µg/m³ |
| =15 | Dallas | United States | 40 | 7.2 µg/m³ | 112.0 µg/m³ |
| =16 | Shaoxing | China | 55 | 11.4 µg/m³ | 111.0 µg/m³ |
| =16 | Iztapalapa | Mexico | 51 | 9.3 µg/m³ | 111.0 µg/m³ |
| 17 | Changde | China | 55 | 11.0 µg/m³ | 109.0 µg/m³ |
| 18 | Los Angeles | United States | 75 | 22.1 µg/m³ | 108.0 µg/m³ |
| 19 | Changsha | China | 57 | 12.2 µg/m³ | 107.0 µg/m³ |
| =20 | Zapopan | Mexico | 37 | 6.6 µg/m³ | 106.0 µg/m³ |
| =20 | Baoji | China | 120 | 43.3 µg/m³ | 106.0 µg/m³ |
| =20 | Guadalajara | Mexico | 37 | 6.6 µg/m³ | 106.0 µg/m³ |
| =21 | Hangzhou | China | 57 | 12.3 µg/m³ | 104.0 µg/m³ |
| =21 | Qingdao | China | 59 | 13.2 µg/m³ | 104.0 µg/m³ |
| =21 | Doha | Qatar | 152 | 56.7 µg/m³ | 104.0 µg/m³ |
| =21 | Yiyang | China | 54 | 10.8 µg/m³ | 104.0 µg/m³ |
| 22 | Guankou | China | 58 | 12.7 µg/m³ | 102.0 µg/m³ |
| =23 | Al Başrah al Qadīmah | Iraq | 192 | 114.3 µg/m³ | 101.0 µg/m³ |
| =23 | Kaohsiung | Taiwan | 63 | 15.4 µg/m³ | 101.0 µg/m³ |
| =23 | Basrah | Iraq | 192 | 114.3 µg/m³ | 101.0 µg/m³ |
| =24 | Ganzhou | China | 63 | 15.3 µg/m³ | 100.0 µg/m³ |
| =24 | Milan | Italy | 57 | 12.3 µg/m³ | 100.0 µg/m³ |
| 25 | Puebla | Mexico | 36 | 6.5 µg/m³ | 98.0 µg/m³ |
| =26 | Singapore | Singapore | 80 | 24.6 µg/m³ | 97.0 µg/m³ |
| =26 | Singapore | Singapore | 80 | 24.6 µg/m³ | 97.0 µg/m³ |
| =26 | Nanyang | China | 56 | 11.7 µg/m³ | 97.0 µg/m³ |
| =26 | Dammam | Saudi Arabia | 153 | 58.7 µg/m³ | 97.0 µg/m³ |
| =26 | Xinyang | China | 60 | 13.9 µg/m³ | 97.0 µg/m³ |
| =27 | Kabul | Afghanistan | 86 | 27.9 µg/m³ | 96.0 µg/m³ |
| =27 | Brasilia | Brazil | 25 | 4.5 µg/m³ | 96.0 µg/m³ |
| =27 | León de los Aldama | Mexico | 39 | 7.0 µg/m³ | 96.0 µg/m³ |
| 28 | Xiangyang | China | 58 | 12.8 µg/m³ | 95.0 µg/m³ |
| =29 | La Paz | Bolivia | 60 | 13.9 µg/m³ | 93.0 µg/m³ |
| =29 | Goiânia | Brazil | 29 | 5.3 µg/m³ | 93.0 µg/m³ |
| =29 | San Diego | United States | 65 | 16.6 µg/m³ | 93.0 µg/m³ |
| =30 | Shanghai | China | 30 | 5.4 µg/m³ | 92.0 µg/m³ |
| =30 | São Paulo | Brazil | 65 | 16.7 µg/m³ | 92.0 µg/m³ |
| =30 | Baku | Azerbaijan | 51 | 9.1 µg/m³ | 92.0 µg/m³ |
| =30 | Xining | China | 70 | 19.4 µg/m³ | 92.0 µg/m³ |
| =31 | Houston | United States | 52 | 9.9 µg/m³ | 90.0 µg/m³ |
| =31 | Lubumbashi | Democratic Republic of Congo | 139 | 50.8 µg/m³ | 90.0 µg/m³ |
| =31 | San Antonio | United States | 23 | 4.2 µg/m³ | 90.0 µg/m³ |
| 32 | Qinzhou | China | 61 | 14.2 µg/m³ | 89.0 µg/m³ |
| =33 | Aleppo | Syria | 52 | 9.7 µg/m³ | 87.0 µg/m³ |
| =33 | Karbala | Iraq | 66 | 17.4 µg/m³ | 87.0 µg/m³ |
| =34 | Gaziantep | Türkiye | 61 | 14.4 µg/m³ | 86.0 µg/m³ |
| =34 | Liuzhou | China | 71 | 20.0 µg/m³ | 86.0 µg/m³ |
| =35 | Manaus | Brazil | 58 | 12.6 µg/m³ | 85.0 µg/m³ |
| =35 | Ordos | China | 55 | 11.2 µg/m³ | 85.0 µg/m³ |
| =36 | Montréal | Canada | 30 | 5.4 µg/m³ | 84.0 µg/m³ |
| =36 | Yiwu | China | 9 | 1.6 µg/m³ | 84.0 µg/m³ |
| =37 | Istanbul | Türkiye | 55 | 11.5 µg/m³ | 83.0 µg/m³ |
| =37 | Belo Horizonte | Brazil | 52 | 9.7 µg/m³ | 83.0 µg/m³ |
| =37 | Prague | Czechia | 48 | 8.7 µg/m³ | 83.0 µg/m³ |
| 38 | Wenzhou | China | 40 | 7.2 µg/m³ | 82.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | Alexandria | Egypt | 63 | 15.8 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | İzmir | Türkiye | 59 | 13.2 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | Lianyungang | China | 49 | 8.8 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | Hamburg | Germany | 52 | 9.5 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | Chaozhou | China | 55 | 11.1 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =39 | Suqian | China | 40 | 7.2 µg/m³ | 81.0 µg/m³ |
| =40 | Berlin | Germany | 46 | 8.3 µg/m³ | 80.0 µg/m³ |
| =40 | Guayaquil | Ecuador | 55 | 11.3 µg/m³ | 80.0 µg/m³ |
| =40 | Jieyang | China | 57 | 12.3 µg/m³ | 80.0 µg/m³ |
| =41 | Lucknow | India | 84 | 26.9 µg/m³ | 79.0 µg/m³ |
| =41 | Tijuana | Mexico | 64 | 16.2 µg/m³ | 79.0 µg/m³ |
| =41 | Qingyuan | China | 73 | 21.1 µg/m³ | 79.0 µg/m³ |
| =41 | Multan | Pakistan | 159 | 66.8 µg/m³ | 79.0 µg/m³ |
| =41 | Xuchang | China | 53 | 10.1 µg/m³ | 79.0 µg/m³ |
| =42 | Lusaka | Zambia | 74 | 21.5 µg/m³ | 78.0 µg/m³ |
| =42 | Mbuji-Mayi | Democratic Republic of Congo | 156 | 62.4 µg/m³ | 78.0 µg/m³ |
| =42 | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 83 | 26.3 µg/m³ | 78.0 µg/m³ |
| =43 | Lima | Peru | 64 | 15.9 µg/m³ | 77.0 µg/m³ |
| =43 | London | United Kingdom | 34 | 6.2 µg/m³ | 77.0 µg/m³ |
| =43 | Suzhou | China | 38 | 6.9 µg/m³ | 77.0 µg/m³ |
| =43 | Kunshan | China | 38 | 6.9 µg/m³ | 77.0 µg/m³ |
| =43 | Luohe | China | 54 | 10.6 µg/m³ | 77.0 µg/m³ |
| =44 | Algiers | Algeria | 70 | 19.3 µg/m³ | 76.0 µg/m³ |
| =44 | Santo Domingo | Dominican Republic | 66 | 17.3 µg/m³ | 76.0 µg/m³ |
| =44 | Bayan Nur | China | 63 | 15.4 µg/m³ | 76.0 µg/m³ |
| =44 | Yinchuan | China | 70 | 19.5 µg/m³ | 76.0 µg/m³ |
| =44 | Jinhua | China | 9 | 1.6 µg/m³ | 76.0 µg/m³ |
Methodology: Current pollutant concentrations are sampled from WeatherAPI for up to 400 large cities; US AQI values are calculated from PM2.5 using EPA breakpoints.
Why Is Ground-Level Ozone So High in These Cities?
Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight drives reactions between pollutants from traffic, industry and other sources. Concentrations often peak on warm, sunny afternoons and can irritate the lungs even when particle pollution is modest.
Frequently Asked Questions: Cities With the Highest Ozone Right Now
Which city has the highest ozone right now?
Among the major cities we track, Queens has the highest current ozone concentration at about 168.0 µg/m³ (as of August 9, 2026).
Is ground-level ozone the same as the ozone layer?
It is the same molecule but in the wrong place: stratospheric ozone protects Earth, while ozone near the ground is a harmful air pollutant.