Is New York the Dirtiest U.S. City?

No. Multiple studies rank other cities higher in perceived dirtiness. A 2021 RentCafe analysis (rats, garbage, air quality) placed San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Chicago above NYC. WalletHub's 2019 study ranked NYC 29th out of 150 large cities. Rankings vary by methodology (sanitation, pollution, litter, pests). NYC's Department of Sanitation runs extensive cleaning, recycling, and street-sweeping programs to maintain cleanliness.