Tulsa received a high national ranking it most likely didn’t want, one for landing on the “Most Polluted Cities” list by the American Lung Association.
The group ranked the Tulsa-Bartlesville-Muskogee metro 20th on the list while Tulsa county received an F for its number of high ozone days in the 2026 “State of the Air” report.
The listing of the cities was based on three years of collected data and showed Tulsa County recorded 28 “orange” days when air was described as unhealthy for sensitive groups. The 28 was the most in Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Eagle reported Clint Johnson, who monitors Tulsa County’s air quality and works for the Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) blamed it on gas-using cars, trucks and other equipment.
“It doesn’t come out of a tailpipe. It doesn’t come out of a factory stack. Nobody emits ozone,” said Johnson, who directs the council’s Office of Energy and Environmental Sustainability.“But any of us that are using gas-powered equipment, we’re contributing to it.”
Eight of the 15 counties compared in the state received an “F” in the study. They were: Canadian, Cleveland, Comanche, McClain, Oklahoma, Osage, Pittsburg and Tulsa.
While Tulsa County had 28 “orange” days because of high ozone levels, Oklahoma County recorded 24 such days.
Creek, Dewey and Ottawa counties weren’t far behind as they were graded a “D” in the report. Only one “A” was recorded in the 15 counties and it was Sequoyah County in the eastern part of the state along the state line. Sallisaw is the county seat and it had no “orange” days according to the report.
The nearby Fort Smith, Arkansas was ranked among the cleanest air cities in the U.S.
Two counties received a “B” grade and they were Adair and Pontotoc.
“State of the Air” is the American Lung Association’s annual national air quality “report card.” It uses the most recent air pollution data, compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for the two most widespread types of pollution—ozone (smog) and particle pollution (PM2.5, also known as soot). The report grades counties and ranks cities and counties based on their scores for ozone, year-round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution levels. Since 2000, the American Lung Association has analyzed data from official air quality monitors to compile the “State of the Air” report.
Tulsa County and Oklahoma perform much better on particle pollution than ozone. The county received a “C” grade with only five orange days.
However, it’s still a concern, according to Charlie Gagen, the American Lung Association’s advocacy director for Texas and Oklahoma.
“It is worth noting, the annual particle pollution is down significantly over the last two decades in the Tulsa metro, but the annual levels are still kind of flirting up and above what we deem a passing line,” Gagen said. “We give Tulsa passing grades, but that doesn’t mean that the air is perfectly safe.”