Several Upstate New York cities rank among the worst in the nation for seasonal allergies, but none fared as poorly as the “Flower City,” which landed near the top of a new national report.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recently released its 2026 “Allergy Capitals” report, and Rochester jumped to No. 5 on the list of the most challenging places to live with pollen allergies, a large change from its previous No. 85 ranking. The Western New York city scored 96.74 overall, with worse-than-average rankings for pollen levels but a better-than-average ranking for access to allergy specialists.
The report evaluates the 100 largest U.S. metro areas using data on tree, grass and weed pollen levels, over-the-counter allergy medication use, and access to allergy specialists…