This Is the Smelliest State in America

Some states are known for their crisp air and pine tree scent (looking at you, Vermont). But not all are so lucky—many smell like rotten eggs or sewage when you're driving through. So why are some foul-smelling and others fresh? We decided to find out for ourselves by parsing through the data to rank each state from freshest to stinkiest.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), high emissions of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide are the main culprits behind the stench. Using the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, we calculated the methane emissions per capita, as well as the percentage of each state that's covered in landfills, from the EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program. We then factored in the natural gas plant liquid production for each state, with data provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture's Major Land Uses Survey.

This left us with one final important metric: cropland. According to the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force, roughly 60 to 85 percent of ammonia emissions in the United States are estimated to come from agricultural sources. Agriculture is also a major source of methane emissions (36 percent) followed by oil and natural gas systems (31 percent), according to the EPA.

Together, we compiled and analyzed these numbers through our exclusive algorithm to determine the Smelliness Score for each state. While the stinkiest state had the second highest amount of landfills (phew!), the runner-up had the most methane emissions. Keep reading to discover which state is really the smelliest and learn where your state stands. And for more places that aren't so fresh and clean, This is the Dirtiest State in the U.S.

Methane emissions per capita: 0.14 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0016

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 0.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 0.01

And for more places that aren't very pleasant, This Is the Rudest State in America.

Methane emissions per capita: 0.19 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0013

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 2

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 1.15

Methane emissions per capita: 0.31 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0019

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 2.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 301

Smelliness Score: 4.43

And for more areas you may not enjoy, This Is the Most Hated State in America.

Methane emissions per capita: 0.24 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0038

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 1.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 5.44

Methane emissions per capita: 0.1 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0026

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 7.21

Methane emissions per capita: 0.23 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0019

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 7.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 7.88

Methane emissions per capita: 0.32 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0008

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 11

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 2.6

Smelliness Score: 10.05

Methane emissions per capita: 0.26 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0079

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 1.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 12.48

Methane emissions per capita: 0.32 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0004

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 17.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 136.6

Smelliness Score: 16.03

Methane emissions per capita: 0.25 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.006

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 9.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 16.36

Methane emissions per capita: 0.82 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0013

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 2.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 8115.9

Smelliness Score: 16.82

Methane emissions per capita: 0.75 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0004

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 3.2

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 9511.4

Smelliness Score: 16.93

Methane emissions per capita: 0.09 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0111

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 18.56

Methane emissions per capita: 0.19 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0038

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 17.7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 20.17

Methane emissions per capita: 0.76 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.01

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: N/A

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 2,714.4

Smelliness Score: 22.48

Methane emissions per capita: 0.41 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0039

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 16.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 2485.7

Smelliness Score: 23.79

Methane emissions per capita: 0.8 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0035

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 17.2

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 0.2

Smelliness Score: 25.22

Methane emissions per capita: 0.36 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0105

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 9.9

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 25.73

Methane emissions per capita: 0.63 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0035

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 24.7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 8.5

Smelliness Score: 30.65

And for more places that aren't very pretty, This Is the Ugliest State in the U.S.

Methane emissions per capita: 1.87 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0058

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 8.7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 64.6

Smelliness Score: 31.57

Methane emissions per capita: 0.22 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0153

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 9.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 22.2

Smelliness Score: 32.18

Methane emissions per capita: 0.57 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0122

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 11.9

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 32.53

Methane emissions per capita: 0.44 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0119

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 14.4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 33.1

Methane emissions per capita: 0.13 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0205

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 3

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 33.73

Methane emissions per capita: 0.51 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0079

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 21.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 11.2

Smelliness Score: 33.81

Methane emissions per capita: 0.44 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0095

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 19.9

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 0.2

Smelliness Score: 34.29

Methane emissions per capita: 0.36 tonsae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0166

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 8.3

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 1.4

Smelliness Score: 34.49

Methane emissions per capita: 0.16 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0146

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 14.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 34.67

Methane emissions per capita: 0.28 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0058

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 29.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 35.26

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Methane emissions per capita: 0.51 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0083

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 17.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 4116.1

Smelliness Score: 35.32

Methane emissions per capita: 0.7 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0136

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 11.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 0.6

Smelliness Score: 36.09

Methane emissions per capita: 0.3 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0007

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 39.9

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 0.1

Smelliness Score: 37.07

Methane emissions per capita: 1.35 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0072

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 16.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 1121.5

Smelliness Score: 37.53

Methane emissions per capita: 0.27 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0046

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 35.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 39.17

Methane emissions per capita: 0.72 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0034

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 25.7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 7212.2

Smelliness Score: 40.4

Methane emissions per capita: 0.83 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0086

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 25.2

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 114.1

Smelliness Score: 41.78

Methane emissions per capita: 0.35 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0028

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 44.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 45.12

Methane emissions per capita: 0.64 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0016

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 44.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 46.28

Methane emissions per capita: 0.94 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0191

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 15.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 746.2

Smelliness Score: 52.32

Methane emissions per capita: 0.62 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0032

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 54.6

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 531.4

Smelliness Score: 58.96

Methane emissions per capita: 0.21 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0263

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 22.2

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 62.47

Methane emissions per capita: 0.23 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0375

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 3.8

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 64.09

Methane emissions per capita: 0.51 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0165

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 41.4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 444.7

Smelliness Score: 67.63

Methane emissions per capita: 0.22 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0421

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 9.5

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 77.09

Methane emissions per capita: 0.54 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0045

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 74.7

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 78.77

Methane emissions per capita: 0.89 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0174

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 55.4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 85.67

Methane emissions per capita: 0.9 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0007

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 61.4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 21082.5

Smelliness Score: 86.97

Methane emissions per capita: 0.51 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.016

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 67.4

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 0.3

Smelliness Score: 90.93

Methane emissions per capita: 7.22 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0067

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 5.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: 10497.7

Smelliness Score: 93.8

Methane emissions per capita: 0.45 tons

Percentage of state occupied by landfills: 0.0399

Percentage of state occupied by cropland: 35.1

Natural gas plant liquid production per capita: N/A

Smelliness Score: 99.91