With warmer temperatures and drought conditions blamed for more pollen spikes and longer pollen seasons in the West, many Coloradans have likely noticed their allergies a bit more in recent months. According to a report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, one local city is particularly bad when it comes to allergies.

Ranking 15th nationwide as an ‘allergy capital’ in their 2026 report was Colorado Springs, with spring being a particularly nasty time of the year when it comes to tree pollen in this city. While Colorado Springs was the only Centennial State city to crack the ‘top 25’ nationwide, Denver wasn’t far behind, ranking 30th. The ranking included the 100 most-populated metropolitan statistical areas across the United States, taking factors like how many high-pollen count days were recorded locally, over-the-counter allergy medicine use, and availability of board-certified allergists and immunologists. Data utilized in the 2026 report was recorded throughout last year.

One noteworthy aspect of Colorado Springs’ placement at 15th in the 2026 report is that this represents a significant jump from a placement of 84th in the same report from 2025. This was said to be due to tree pollen count peaking earlier and at high levels, the presence of grass pollen lasting longer, and weed pollen having a longer and more impactful season.

With the report noting that dryness can be a key factor in allergy issues, it’s worth addressing just how dry Colorado, as a whole, is headed into peak allergy season. Roughly 95 percent of the state is experiencing drought – oddly enough, Colorado Springs and the greater El Paso County is one of the last places where conditions are considered to be a little bit better – ‘abnormally dry,’ not yet in drought. There’s a good chance that changes in weeks to come.

Find the full report on ‘allergy capitals’ around the country here.

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