Study ranks San Antonio among nation’s trashiest cities

HouseFresh ranked U.S. cities with at least 250,000 residents and their respective ZIP codes by the number of sanitation-related 311 calls made per 100,000 residents over the prior 365 days. The Alamo City racked up 8,929 calls during that time.

Dallas was the only other Texas city trashy enough to break into the top 10. It squeaked in at No. 10 with 8,382 resident complaints about trash. Even so, Dallas and San Antonio were no match for Baltimore, which took the title as the nation’s dirtiest city. It fielded nearly 50,000 sanitation complaints during the past year.

Locally, San Antonio ZIP code 78202, which includes the East Side and Frost Bank Center, was ranked the Alamo City’s dirtiest, with 21,062 complaints made per 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, ritzy 78260 on the far North Side was ranked the cleanest with only 103 calls made.

It’s not the first time San Antonio’s sanitation issues have grabbed headlines.

Two years ago, a study by lawn care service LawnStarter also ranked us among the 10 filthiest U.S. cities. However, that study ranked metros by analyzing a variety of metrics including pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction.

Here’s HouseFresh’s full list of the nation’s 10 trashiest cities:

1. Baltimore: 47,295 complaints
2. Sacramento: 34,186 complaints
3. Charlotte: 31,112 complaints
4. Los Angeles: 21,616 complaints
5. Memphis: 17,408 complaints
6. Boston: 10,252 complaints
7. San Antonio: 8,929 complaints
8. Kansas City: 8,874 complaints
9. Buffalo: 8,509 complaints
10. Dallas: 8,382 complaints

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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.