Pollen.com places Florida as having high pollen count levels on it’s National Allergy Map.

LAKELAND, Fla. — A Tampa Bay-area city is being recognized as one of the allergy capitals of the U.S. in 2026.

Lakeland in Polk County was ranked the 20th most challenging city to live with pollen allergies in the country by a report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

Factors taken into account in the report analyzed are pollen scores for tree, grass and weed pollen, over-the-counter medication use and the number of available allergy specialists. 

The study labels Lakeland as “worse than average” overall, including for availability of board-certified allergists/immunologists. It received an average for overall amount of tree, grass and weed pollen, and an average for use of over-the-counter allergy medicine.

Lakeland is the only Florida city ranked in the top 20 allergy capitals; however, other local cities such as Sarasota and Tampa were ranked No. 28 and 29, respectively.

Pollen.com places Florida as having high pollen count levels on it’s National Allergy Map.

As of Wednesday, the website grades the city of Tampa a 10.2/12 on it’s allergy report, a slight increase from Tuesday at a 10. It reports the city will have a 9.7 on Thursday.

AAFA says the southeast region of the U.S. tends to have higher allergy capitals due to warmer, more humid climates that support pollen production.

The study claims weather phenomena such as atmospheric rivers, warmer temperatures and droughts may have played a significant role in pollen production in 2025. The entire state of Florida was recently recorded in 100% drought coverage.

The number one allergy capital in the U.S., according to AAFA, is Boise, Idaho.