{"id":87044,"date":"2026-08-31T05:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/?p=87044"},"modified":"2026-08-28T09:42:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T16:42:29","slug":"air-quality-migration-waning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/air-quality-migration-waning\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Are Leaving Areas at Risk of Poor Air Quality, Mostly Because They\u2019re Expensive"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><i>U.S. counties at high risk of poor air quality lost 277,740 residents in 2025\u2013roughly half as many as they lost in 2021, at the peak of pandemic-era migration.\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><i>While air-quality concerns may influence some movers, affordability is a bigger factor, with Americans leaving expensive high-risk counties and moving into relatively affordable ones. Almost every part of the country faces at least some risk of poor air quality.\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><i>The at-risk parts of the U.S. gaining the most residents are Boise, Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe.\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><strong><i>The at-risk places losing the most residents are expensive coastal markets: Los Angeles, New York City and Orange County. <\/i><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Americans are moving away from places facing high risk of poor air quality, but at a slower pace than during the pandemic. In 2025, 277,740 more people moved out of high-risk U.S. counties than into them. That\u2019s less than half the peak net outflow of 603,270 in 2021; the outflow has fallen each year since then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some places at high risk of poor air quality are bucking the trend. Boise, ID, Lake Tahoe, CA and Provo, UT are among the places that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gained<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> thousands of residents last year, suggesting that affordability, lifestyle and other draws are outweighing potentially smoky air.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"datawrapper-vis-KZikj\" style=\"min-height: 448px;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\" defer src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/KZikj\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" data-target=\"#datawrapper-vis-KZikj\"><\/script><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/KZikj\/full.png\" alt=\"Americans Are Leaving Places With Poor Air Quality, But the Pace Is Slowing (Column Chart)\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More people are moving <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">into <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">than out of<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">U.S. counties at <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">low <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">risk of poor air quality\u2013but at a slower rate than during the pandemic. Counties at low risk posted a net inflow of 296,342 in 2025, roughly half the 594,556 inflow in 2021; inflows have declined each year since then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is based on a Redfin analysis of domestic<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau (excludes immigration) and climate-risk scores from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firststreet.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Street<\/span><\/a>, a part of MSCI<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We define a high-risk county as one in the top 10% for the share of homes facing high risk of poor air quality\u2014in other words, counties with 12.2%-100% of homes facing high risk. Migration data for 2025 covers July 1, 2024-July 1, 2025. Net outflow measures how many more people moved out of than into an area, while net inflow measures how many more people moved in than out. Data is subject to revision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Relocation trends are strongly related to housing costs. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many high-risk counties that are losing the most residents\u2013including Los Angeles County, Kings County (Brooklyn), Orange County and King County (Seattle)\u2013are among the nation\u2019s most expensive. Meanwhile, several high-risk counties gaining residents,<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">like Ada County, ID (Boise) and Weld County, CO, are fairly affordable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The slowdown in outmigration also reflects the fading pandemic-era exodus from major job hubs. Santa Clara County, CA, lost 19,775 residents in 2025, down from 58,753 in 2021. Los Angeles County\u2019s net outflow fell to 105,471 from 195,168, while Kings County\u2019s dropped to 38,847 from 100,839.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air quality is top of mind as wildfire smoke <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.stanford.edu\/stories\/2023\/09\/wildfire-smokes-toxic-influence\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">becomes more frequent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and intense. For instance, the Spokane Complex fires blanketed much of Washington, Oregon and Idaho in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.king5.com\/article\/news\/local\/wildfire\/live-air-quality-map-washington-wildfires-smoke-seattle-wenatchee-spokane\/281-dc9ce98d-f1e9-4d10-adb0-84536cf785ae\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hazardous smoke <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in early August, and Canadian wildfires spread <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/canadian-wildfire-smoke-descends-us-spreading-great-lakes\/story?id=134774391\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unhealthy smoke<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the Midwest and East Coast in July. It\u2019s possible air quality factors into some long-distance moves\u2013perhaps for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/07\/09\/bad-air-quality-wildfire-smoke-ozone\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">people with serious lung conditions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013but it\u2019s unlikely to be a decision-maker for most Americans. Nearly all of the country is susceptible to smoke and\/or smog at least some of the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWildfire smoke doesn\u2019t respect state lines,\u201d said Redfin Chief Economist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/author\/darylfairweather\/\">Daryl Fairweather<\/a>. \u201cMy family left Seattle for a small town in Wisconsin during the pandemic. We had many reasons for moving, but a bad smoke event was the final straw. Then the smoke followed us. This summer, Wisconsin and the entire Midwest had <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/smoke-wisconsin-clear-return-july-summer-north-wildfires\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stretches of awful air<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from fires hundreds of miles away. That experience evolved the way I think about climate migration: You can choose a place with lower risk, but there\u2019s no smoke-free bubble to move to. For most people, the answer isn\u2019t packing up and leaving\u2014it\u2019s adapting to a world where bad-air days can show up almost anywhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Air Filtration Systems Top Homebuyers\u2019 Wish Lists\u2013and When Bad Air Moves In, Homeowners Should Use Them<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/house-hunters-value-clean-homes-survey\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">recent Redfin survey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that 36% of U.S. house hunters say a clean home\u2013i.e. one with high-end filtration systems for air, water, etc.\u2013is a must-have for their next house, making it the most common priority for prospective buyers. House hunters value clean air more than features including views, smart-home technology or luxury amenities like pools or gyms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s emblematic of the increasing prevalence of wildfire smoke across the country, and the steps Americans are taking to live with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who live in places prone to wildfire smoke or smog can prepare much like they would for extreme heat or a storm: Have a plan before bad air arrives. If possible, a clean air filtration system is a great first step. That can also mean keeping a few N95 masks on hand, buying a portable air purifier and stocking replacement HVAC filters. It\u2019s also worth getting in the habit of checking the local <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airnow.gov\/?\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Air Quality Index<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, since conditions can deteriorate quickly and may vary substantially over the course of a day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the air turns unhealthy, breathe as little polluted air as possible. Keep windows and doors closed, run air conditioning or HVAC on recirculate, use an air purifier and cut back on strenuous outdoor exercise until conditions improve. An N95 can reduce exposure to fine particles from wildfire smoke when going outside. People should also avoid making indoor air worse by burning candles, using fireplaces or doing lots of frying. When outdoor air clears, open up the house and let fresh air back in.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Boise, Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe Are Gaining Residents<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ada County, ID\u2013home to Boise and Eagle\u2013gained 8,528 more residents than it lost last year, the largest <\/span><b>net inflow<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> among high-risk counties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riverside County, CA\u2013where Palm Springs and Temecula are located\u2013followed with a gain of 7,758, and Placer County, CA, home to part of Lake Tahoe, gained 7,074 residents. Canyon County, ID and Weld County, CO round out the top five.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Americans are moving into those places partly because they\u2019re fairly affordable, especially compared to coastal markets. The average median sale price in the top 10 is roughly $522,000, higher than the national median, but much lower than coastal job hubs like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York or Seattle; some remote workers are still relocating to more affordable inland parts of the country. Plus, many of those <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expensive <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">places are at risk of poor air quality, too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot of these destinations also offer outdoor recreation and\/or resort-town appeal, from skiing and boating in Lake Tahoe to sunny retirement living in Palm Springs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>The 10 At-Risk* Counties With the Largest Net Inflows in 2025<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At risk of poor air quality<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net inflow = How many more residents moved in than moved out<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Rank<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. county<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Net domestic inflow<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Share of homes facing high risk of poor air quality<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Median home-sale price (July 2026)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ada County, ID<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8,528<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$537,438<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riverside County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7,758<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">76.1%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$609,260<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Placer County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7,074<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$674,997<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canyon County, ID<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5,684<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$423,260<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Weld County, CO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3,857<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$499,902<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Henry County, GA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3,723<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$334,875<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clark County, WA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3,400<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$555,958<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utah County, UT<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3,162<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">24.9%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$514,391<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kootenai County, ID<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3,161<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$562,626<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nassau County, FL<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2,578<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">51.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$511,111<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><b>Pricey Los Angeles and New York Lead High-Risk Counties Losing Residents\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles County lost 105,471 more residents than it gained last year, the largest <\/span><b>net outflow<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> among the U.S. counties at risk of poor air quality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next come two New York City boroughs: Kings County (Brooklyn) and Queens County (Queens), both with net outflows of about 38,000. Two other expensive parts of California, Orange County and Santa Clara County, round out the top five.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As noted above, housing costs are a major reason why Americans are moving away from New York and California. The average median sale price across those five counties is $1.1 million, and the average of all 10 high-risk counties with the largest outflows tops $900,000\u2013more than double the national median. And while movement out of those places has slowed, some remote workers are still leaving job hubs for more affordable parts of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"5\"><b>The 10 At-Risk* Counties With the Largest Net Outflows in 2025<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At risk of poor air quality<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net outflow = How many more residents left than moved in<\/span><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Rank<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>U.S. county<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Net domestic outflow<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Share of homes facing high risk of poor air quality<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Median home-sale price (July 2026)<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Los Angeles County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-105,471<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">85.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$913,583<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kings County, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-38,847<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,029,603<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Queens County, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-38,449<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$740,267<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orange County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-25,357<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">48.2%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,195,479<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Santa Clara County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-19,775<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,634,010<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bronx County, NY<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-18,685<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17.8%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$624,521<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">7<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alameda County, CA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-15,960<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$1,067,625<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">King County, WA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-9,079<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">100%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$869,396<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DeKalb County, GA<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-8,187<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">97.4%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$347,781<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denver County, CO<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-8,023<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">59.3%<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$582,808<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3><b>Methodology<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is based on a Redfin analysis of domestic<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau (excludes immigration) and climate-risk scores from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/firststreet.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First Street<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We define a high-risk county as one that ranks in the top 10% when it comes to the share of homes facing high risk of poor air quality\u2014in other words, counties with 12.2%-100% of homes facing high risk. The remaining counties are referred to as low-risk counties. Migration data for 2025 covers July 1, 2024-July 1, 2025. A \u201cnet outflow\u201d measures how many more people moved out of than into an area, while a \u201cnet inflow\u201d measures how many more people moved in than out. This data is subject to revision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate-risk scores are based on a property&#8217;s current risk as well as how that risk is expected to grow over the next 30 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For every county identified, we calculated the net domestic migration using the U.S. Census Bureau&#8217;s 2025 Vintage Population Estimates data. Net domestic migration is the difference between the number of people moving into an area and the number moving out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The United States has 3,144 counties and statistically equivalent entities. Redfin included in this analysis 3,103\u2014those for which there is both consistent migration data from the U.S. Census Bureau and flood-risk scores from First Street. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. counties at high risk of poor air quality lost 277,740 residents in 2025\u2013roughly half as many as they lost in 2021, at the peak of pandemic-era migration.\u00a0 While air-quality concerns may influence some movers, affordability is a bigger factor, with Americans leaving expensive high-risk counties and moving into relatively affordable ones. Almost every part [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13153,"featured_media":87048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[565,20,21],"dashboard":[],"coauthors":[124],"class_list":["post-87044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-migration","tag-climate","tag-housing-affordability","tag-migration"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.7 (Yoast SEO v28.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Americans Are Leaving Areas at Risk of Poor Air Quality, Mostly Because They\u2019re Expensive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The at-risk parts of the U.S. gaining the most residents are Boise, Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe. 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