The Most and Least Humid Cities in the U.S.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right city for your next move. Housing prices, local economy, and distance to friends and family all play considerable roles in your decision. However, weather and regional humidity are two aspects of a location you should never overlook. If you’ve never lived in a city with extreme humidity, it can be a jarring experience.

To help you make the best possible decision for your next relocation, we here at Today’s Homeowner conducted a study that looked at the most and least humid cities in the U.S. This article sheds light on our findings and briefly discusses some of the major impacts humidity can have on your home.

Main Findings

Our research shows that the top five most humid cities in the U.S. are:

Lake Charles, LA (90% humidity)
Jackson, MI (90% humidity)
Meridian, MI (90% humidity)
Brownsville, TX (90% humidity)
Port Arthur, TX (90% humidity)

On the other end of the spectrum, the least humid cities in the U.S. are:

Las Vegas, NV (36% humidity)
Bishop, CA (38% humidity)
Phoenix, AZ (46% humidity)
Tucson, AZ (47% humidity)
El Paso, TX (50% humidity)

Average Humidity by City

We gathered comprehensive data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on the humidity of each city in the U.S. We then compiled this information to find the average annual humidity. We could rank each city from there, finding the most humid to the least humid. Below we will present each end of the spectrum, followed by the complete list of all analyzed cities.

Cities With the Highest Humidity

In the top five, we have Lake Charles, LA, Jackson, MS, Meridian, MS, Brownsville, TX, and Port Arthur, TX, all at 90% humidity. While Lake Charles, Jackson, and Meridian were not a big surprise, Port Arthur and Brownsville were more unexpected. Most people picture large pastures and arid deserts when they envision Texas. However, Texas is still a coastal state in the Gulf of Mexico with plenty of port cities.

Beyond the top five, we have Victoria, TX (90%), Gainesville, FL (89%), Baton Rouge, LA (89%), Corpus Christi, TX (89%), and Houston, TX (89%). Again, we see that Texas holds the most spots, comprising five of the top 10, followed by Louisiana and Mississippi, tied for second place. It should be no surprise that all states in the top 10 have been within the Gulf of Mexico. Jackson is the most inland city on this list, but its humidity is explained by its proximity to the state’s massive inland swamps and bogs.

The final five most humid cities on our list are Quillayute, WA (89%), St. Paul Island, AK (88%), Fort Myers, FL (88%), Jacksonville, FL (88%), and Orlando, FL (88%). This final set of cities threw a few curve balls, most notably St. Paul. We would have never guessed a small island in Alaska would rank in the top 15 most humid cities. The city of St. Paul rests on an island of the same name, located in the Bering Sea between Mainland Alaska and Russia. The island is cold, with temperatures ranging from minus 26°F to 66°F, with an average of around 32°F. Due to the island’s high winds, small size, and the surrounding water, even at its frigid temperatures, it possesses high humidity.

Our data shows that the most humid cities are those along the country’s southern border. While there are some exceptions, mainly Washington and Alaska, it’s important to remember that you don’t always need high heat to have high humidity. While heat is a major factor in producing humid climates, a location with enough rainfall (like Washington state) or a location exposed to high winds along large bodies of water (such as St. Paul) can produce humidity.

Cities With the Lowest Humidity

Graphic of the least humid cities in the U.S.

If you’re looking to avoid humidity, you might want to consider cities located in the Central or Western portions of the United States. The top five least humid cities are Las Vegas, NV (36%), Bishop, CA (38%), Phoenix, AZ (46%), Tucson, AZ (47%), and El Paso, TX (50%). This data shows the true diversity of some states’ ecosystems and environments. While California is a coastal state, Bishop lies far inland, on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, resting along the border of Nevada. We also have El Paso, showing Texas contains both the most and least humid cities in the U.S. While Texas does possess great humidity along its coast, it contains arid deserts, where El Paso lies. Specifically, El Paso rests in Texas’s northwestern corner, along the border of Mexico and New Mexico.

The next five driest cities are Denver, CO (50%), Blue Canyon, CA (51%), Winslow, AZ (52%), Albuquerque, NM (53%), and Grand Junction, CO (56%). With this next set of cities, Colorado ties with New Mexico and California, each holding two spots, respectively.

The last set of least humid cities in the U.S. follow suit to the first 10, including mostly central desert states. The final five include Roswell, NM (58%), Colorado Springs, CO (58%), Los Angeles, CA (58%), Lander, WY (60%), and Winnemucca, NV (60%). Unsurprisingly, Arizona holds the most spots in the top 10 driest cities, with a total of three. Behind Arizona, we have Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado, all tied for second place with two entries a piece.

While coastlines create the most humidity, we can see that deserts create the least. If you’re looking for arid locations, your best bet is heading to the Central states. Or you can try locations like Texas or California, whose diversity of climates can allow you to experience both extremes with a quick car ride across the state.

Full Data

This table shows the results of our study, presented in the form of a sortable table. You can sort the table by rank, city name, or average annual humidity.

Rank	City	State	Average Annual Relative Humidity
1	Lake Charles	LA	90
2	Jackson	MS	90
3	Meridian	MS	90
4	Brownsville	TX	90
5	Port Arthur	TX	90
6	Victoria	TX	90
7	Gainesville	FL	89
8	Baton Rouge	LA	89
9	Corpus Christi	TX	89
10	Houston	TX	89
11	Quillayute	WA	89
12	St. Paul Island	AK	88
13	Fort Myers	FL	88
14	Jacksonville	FL	88
15	Orlando	FL	88
16	Tallahassee	FL	88
17	Olympia	WA	88
18	Mobile	AL	87
19	Montgomery	AL	87
20	Cold Bay	AK	87
20	Daytona Beach	FL	87
20	San Francisco	CA	87
20	New Orleans	LA	87
20	Shreveport	LA	87
25	Asheville	NC	87
26	Yakutat	AK	86
27	Tampa	FL	86
28	Augusta	GA	86
29	Macon	GA	86
30	Savannah	GA	86
31	Tupelo	MS	86
32	Astoria	OR	86
33	Eugene	OR	86
34	Bristol	TN	86
35	Elkins	WV	86
36	Huntsville	AL	85
37	Fort Smith	AR	85
38	Pensacola	FL	85
39	Vero Beach	FL	85
40	Athens	GA	85
41	Columbus	GA	85
42	Charleston	SC	85
43	Chattanooga	TN	85
44	Birmingham	AL	84
45	Bethel	AK	84
46	Juneau	AK	84
47	Little Rock	AR	84
48	Waterloo	IA	84
49	Paducah	KY	84
50	Houghton Lake	MI	84
51	Saint Cloud	MN	84
52	Columbia	MO	84
53	Wilmington	NC	84
54	Salem	OR	84
55	Columbia	SC	84
56	Huron	SD	84
57	Knoxville	TN	84
58	Nashville	TN	84
59	Waco	TX	84
60	Peoria	IL	83
61	Rockford	IL	83
62	Springfield	IL	83
63	Evansville	IN	83
64	Dubuque	IA	83
65	Alpena	MI	83
66	Lansing	MI	83
67	International Falls	MN	83
68	Rochester	MN	83
69	Springfield	MO	83
70	North Platte	NE	83
71	Raleigh	NC	83
72	Grand Forks	ND	83
73	Toledo	OH	83
74	Aberdeen	SD	83
75	Austin	TX	83
76	Galveston	TX	83
77	San Antonio	TX	83
78	Charleston	WV	83
79	Huntington	WV	83
80	Green Bay	WI	83
81	Madison	WI	83
82	Annette	AK	82
83	Barrow	AK	82
84	King Salmon	AK	82
85	Miami	FL	82
86	West Palm Beach	FL	82
87	Fort Wayne	IN	82
88	Indianapolis	IN	82
89	Sioux City	IA	82
90	Topeka	KS	82
91	Flint	MI	82
92	Grand Rapids	MI	82
93	Duluth	MN	82
94	Lincoln	NE	82
95	Binghamton	NY	82
96	Mansfield	OH	82
97	Youngstown	OH	82
98	Portland	OR	82
99	Sioux Falls	SD	82
100	Seattle	WA	82
101	Beckley	WV	82
102	La Crosse	WI	82
103	Atlanta	GA	81
104	Hilo	HI	81
105	Moline	IL	81
106	South Bend	IN	81
107	Des Moines	IA	81
108	Concordia	KS	81
109	Lexington	KY	81
110	Muskegon	MI	81
111	Kansas City	MO	81
112	St. Louis	MO	81
113	Grand Island	NE	81
114	Norfolk	NE	81
115	Omaha	NE	81
116	Cape Hatteras	NC	81
117	Charlotte	NC	81
118	Greensboro	NC	81
119	Bismarck	ND	81
120	Fargo	ND	81
121	Williston	ND	81
122	Akron	OH	81
123	Cincinnati	OH	81
124	Dayton	OH	81
125	Tulsa	OK	81
126	Williamsport	PA	81
127	Greenville	SC	81
128	Richmond	VA	81
129	Kotzebue	AK	80
130	Chicago	IL	80
131	Wichita	KS	80
132	Jackson	KY	80
133	Detroit	MI	80
134	Concord	NH	80
135	Atlantic City	NJ	80
136	Rochester	NY	80
137	Columbus	OH	80
138	Oklahoma City	OK	80
139	Medford	OR	80
140	Memphis	TN	80
141	Homer	AK	79
142	Kodiak	AK	79
143	Valdez	AK	79
144	Key West	FL	79
145	Louisville	KY	79
146	Caribou	ME	79
147	Minneapolis	MN	79
148	Valentine	NE	79
149	Albany	NY	79
150	Buffalo	NY	79
151	Syracuse	NY	79
152	Cleveland	OH	79
153	Allentown	PA	79
154	Pittsburgh	PA	79
155	Wichita Falls	TX	79
156	Lynchburg	VA	79
157	Wallops Island	VA	79
158	Milwaukee	WI	79
159	Nome	AK	78
160	Sacramento	CA	78
161	Wilmington	DE	78
162	Lihue	HI	78
163	Dodge City	KS	78
164	Portland	ME	78
165	Avoca	PA	78
166	Dallas	TX	78
167	Del Rio	TX	78
168	Norfolk	VA	78
169	Santa Barbara	CA	77
170	Kahului	HI	77
171	Baltimore	MD	77
172	Blue Hill	MA	77
173	Kalispell	MT	77
174	Missoula	MT	77
175	Erie	PA	77
176	Harrisburg	PA	77
177	San Angelo	TX	77
178	Mcgrath	AK	76
179	Hartford	CT	76
180	Islip	NY	76
181	Philadelphia	PA	76
182	Burlington	VT	76
183	Roanoke	VA	76
184	Talkeetna	AK	75
185	Long Beach	CA	75
186	Santa Maria	CA	75
187	Bridgeport	CT	75
188	Worcester	MA	75
189	Providence	RI	75
190	Abilene	TX	75
191	Anchorage	AK	74
192	San Diego	CA	74
193	Washington	DC	74
194	Honolulu	HI	74
195	Lubbock	TX	74
196	Spokane	WA	74
197	Gulkana	AK	73
198	Fresno	CA	73
199	Sexton Summit	OR	73
200	Amarillo	TX	73
201	Bettles	AK	72
202	Fairbanks	AK	72
203	Stockton	CA	72
204	Goodland	KS	72
205	Boston	MA	72
206	Glasgow	MT	72
207	Scottsbluff	NE	72
208	Newark	NJ	72
209	Midland	TX	72
210	Yakima	WA	72
211	Walla Walla	WA	71
212	New York	NY	70
213	Alamosa	CO	69
214	Lewiston	ID	69
215	Havre	MT	69
216	Sheridan	WY	69
217	Big Delta	AK	68
218	Pocatello	ID	68
219	Pendleton	OR	68
220	Rapid City	SD	68
221	Helena	MT	67
222	Burns	OR	65
223	Casper	WY	65
224	Flagstaff	AZ	64
225	Boise	ID	64
226	Elko	NV	64
227	Pueblo	CO	63
228	Billings	MT	63
229	Great Falls	MT	63
230	Reno	NV	63
231	Salt Lake City	UT	63
232	Bakersfield	CA	62
233	Redding	CA	61
234	Clayton	NM	61
235	Cheyenne	WY	61
236	Ely	NV	60
237	Winnemucca	NV	60
238	Lander	WY	60
239	Los Angeles	CA	58
240	Colorado Springs	CO	58
241	Roswell	NM	58
242	Grand Junction	CO	56
243	Albuquerque	NM	53
244	Winslow	AZ	52
245	Blue Canyon	CA	51
246	Denver	CO	50
247	El Paso	TX	50
248	Tucson	AZ	47
249	Phoenix	AZ	46
250	Bishop	CA	38
251	Las Vegas	NV	36

Final Thoughts

The results of our study came with plenty of surprises. For example, most homeowners would not suspect a city on an island just off Alaska to be one of the most humid in the U.S. It also shows that many states, particularly those along a coastline, like California and Texas, can have both extremely arid and humid cities. Overall, if you’re looking for a humid location to live in, you’ll want to move to a location along the Southeastern portion of the U.S. On the other hand, if you can’t stand humidity and want something much dryer, you’re best suited to move inland, aiming for western states like Arizona or Colorado.

What Does High Humidity Even Mean?

Humidity is the measure of the amount of water vapor within the air. There are several kinds of humidity, such as absolute and specific, but relative humidity is the most common, often referenced in weather reports. This humidity measurement tracks the current level of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of moisture the current temperature can hold. Air can only hold so much moisture depending on its current temperature, so if it is 86°F outside, it can only hold about 30 grams of water vapor per cubic meter.

How Does Humidity Affect Mold Growth?

Mold requires water to grow and spread. Areas with higher humidity allow mold to grow more quickly and effectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

What areas in the U.S. are most humid?

The most humid location in the U.S. is the Southeastern Coastal Plain along the Gulf of Mexico. Other locations, specifically along the Northwest Coast, also have high humidity.

Is humidity worse in Texas or Florida?

It depends on how you want to look at it. Texas holds five spots in the top 10 most humid cities, while Florida only holds one, so Texas possesses more cities with extreme humidity. But, if you look further out to the top 20 or 30 cities, Florida has more overall entries than Texas. So, Florida has more locations with high humidity, but Texas has the most locations with the highest intensity of humidity.

Where is the most humid place to live?

The most humid city in the United States is Lake Charles, LA. But, Jackson, MI, Meridian, MI, Brownsville, TX, and Port Arthur, TX, also have humidity that rivals Lake Charles.

Methodology

To find the most and least humid cities, we analyzed weather data from the NOAA. We analyzed data for 251 cities throughout the United States. We used data on the average annual humidity data for mornings, using the most recent 2021 and 2022 data. This annual average data accounts for changes in months and seasons.