The 10 Smelliest States (And The Freshest)

What’s that smell?

Anyone who has ever taken a cross-country road trip knows that answer is sometimes “Maryland” and requires all the car windows to go up.

From landfills to the unbathed masses (yuck), sometimes states kind of stink. However, not all states are equally smelly.

But where are the smelliest places in the US? We set out to make smell a science and uncovered the states in dire need of deodorant. Keep reading to see what won these states the less-than-sought-after title of smelliest states in America.

How We Determined This

We started with undisputed metrics of gross-ery.

• Dirty air

• Trash, or the percentage of each state that is landfill

To measure the dirtiness of the air, we referred Air Filters Delivered thorough ranking on air quality. Cleaner air smells better.

For the trash rating, we simply used the EPA’s data on the percentage of each state’s land that is taken up by landfills.

From there, we decided to look into human smell factors. Because smell is other people:

• Population density

• Bad breath (Dental health by state)

First, we examined population density using population numbers from the US Census to find the number per square mile. The more people the smellier.

However, not all states take personal hygiene to the same lengths. In fact, some states are in dire need of some soap and Crest toothpaste. So, we sought to examine the dental hygiene of every state using a thorough study by Wallethub. This study looks into dental visits, brushing frequency, and other important oral hygiene factors.

Keep reading to see what set the 10 smelliest states apart (in a bad way) and where fared the best in our rankings.

1. Maryland

Landfills: 0.026%
People per Sq. Mile: 610

Sorry Marylanders, but Maryland is the smelliest state in the US. What makes Maryland pinch your nose smelly? Not only is 0.026% of the state pungent landfill, but there’s also the groddy air and a lot of people to smell up the place.

2. California

Landfills: 0.015%
People per Sq. Mile: 246.1

California may be the golden state, but I don’t think that nickname is supposed to refer to the teeth there. Unfortunately for people with good sense of smell, Californians don’t have great dental hygiene.

3. Florida

Landfills: 0.017%
People per Sq. Mile: 364.6

When you think of Florida, you might think of beautiful beaches or fun theme parks. However, judging from the rankings, you might should be thinking of air freshener.

4. Delaware

Landfills: 0.040%
People per Sq. Mile: 475.1

Delaware is pretty crowded. In fact, for every square mile there are 475 people living in the state. 475 people, and all of them with their own smells. And unfortunately, not all of them appreciate deodorant.

5. Massachusetts

Landfills: 0.021%
People per Sq. Mile: 858

No one factor alone makes Massachusetts the 5th smelliest state. However, mediocre air quality, more than their share of landfills, and plenty of people to stink up the place leave it less than fragrant.

6. Alabama

Landfills: 0.006%
People per Sq. Mile: 95.4

The 6th smelliest state is Alabama. What makes Alabama so smelly? This Southern state has some of the worst air quality in the nation. If that wasn’t bad enough, the state also has inadequate dental care. I don’t want a whiff of any of that.

7. New Jersey

Landfills: 0.042%
People per Sq. Mile: 1,210.10

The tiny, densely populated state of New Jersey has a trash problem. In fact, 0.0421% of the state is landfill- More than any other state in the country. To put that into perspective, Alaska only has 0.0001% of its land mass dedicated to being filled with trash.

8. New York

Landfills: 0.015%
People per Sq. Mile: 417

New York, New York…what a smelly state? New York may be wonderful and full of both beautiful nature and cultural landmarks but the state is also home to trash, mediocre air quality, and dubious dental hygiene. Yuck.

9. Pennsylvania

Landfills: 0.019%
People per Sq. Mile: 285.5

In 9th place is the state of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is a relatively crowded state with lots of residents to spice up the aroma. Of course, those residents also have a lot of trash- so much so the state is 0.019% landfill. While that might not be much of a good thing, it’s way too much smelly trash.

10. Mississippi

Landfills: 0.004%
People per Sq. Mile: 63.7

In 10th place is Mississippi. Mississippi has the worst oral health in the nation. Of course, with a lack of dental visits and flossing, comes bad breath. Wonder if they also lead in the amount of breath mints sold?

Life isn’t always roses

Sometimes life smells. Sometimes it smells enough breath mints, Febreeze, and rolled-up car windows can’t hide it.

Unfortunately, for residents in the 10 states above, life just might have more of those smelly moments than most other states’ residents have to put up with.

You can see the full ranking of all 50 states below, from smelliest to least:

Rank	State	Landfills	People Per Sq. Mile	Air Quality Rank (Higher Is Worse)
1	Maryland	0.0263%	610	47
2	California	0.0153%	246	41
3	Florida	0.0166%	364	33
4	Delaware	0.0399%	475	35
5	Massachusetts	0.0205%	858	45
6	Alabama	0.0058%	95	49
7	New Jersey	0.0421%	1,210	27
8	New York	0.0146%	417	23
9	Pennsylvania	0.0191%	285	13
10	Mississippi	0.0035%	63	39
11	Arkansas	0.0035%	56	43
12	North Carolina	0.0119%	202	21
12	Connecticut	0.0111%	742	37
14	Rhode Island	0.0375%	1,017	12
15	Georgia	0.0122%	173	31
16	Indiana	0.0174%	183	23
16	Kentucky	0.0086%	111	17
18	Louisiana	0.0072%	107	15
19	South Carolina	0.0105%	158	11
19	New Hampshire	0.0079%	147	29
21	Michigan	0.0079%	175	43
22	Tennessee	0.0095%	157	9
22	Missouri	0.0046%	87	37
24	Ohio	0.0165%	283	17
25	Hawaii	0.0060%	218	29
26	Texas	0.0083%	101	8
26	Illinois	0.0160%	232	25
28	Colorado	0.0039%	50	39
29	Arizona	0.0038%	58	45
29	Maine	0.0013%	43	49
31	Virginia	0.0136%	209	5
32	West Virginia	0.0067%	77	3
33	Alaska	0.0001%	1	47
34	Montana	0.0004%	7	35
35	Nevada	0.0016%	25	31
36	Oklahoma	0.0034%	56	15
37	Minnesota	0.0028%	68	41
38	New Mexico	0.0013%	17	25
39	Iowa	0.0045%	55	21
40	Nebraska	0.0016%	24	33
41	Kansas	0.0032%	35	19
42	Vermont	0.0026%	68	6
42	Washington	0.0038%	104	4
44	Oregon	0.0019%	40	14
45	Utah	0.0019%	35	7
46	Wisconsin	0.0058%	106	2
47	Idaho	0.0008%	19	27
48	Wyoming	0.0004%	6	1
49	South Dakota	0.0007%	11	10
49	North Dakota	0.0007%	10	19