The U.S. is among the very low performing countries, at 57th in the current Climate Performance Rankings. The U.S. receives a very low rating for GHG Emissions, Energy Use, and Renewable Energy, and a medium for Climate Policy. This is, however, above Canda (in a lowly 62nd place) but well below the UK (in 6th position).
There had been an increase in wind and solar power capacity under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, which resulted in massive investments and incentives. However, such measures are being reversed under the Trump regime.
While the U.S. occupies a low spot, there are clear divergences between its regions. Pollution and the environmental impact of modern life are a concern for many in the U.S. The U.S. produces over 292 million tons of waste per year, or over 4.9 pounds per person per day, according to the latest data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This concern is not manifest evenly across the different states; some are clearly more socially conscious than others.
With over half of U.S. citizens worried about contamination of waterways and soil, the non-profit organization SmileHub has released new reports on the Best Charities for Environmental Protection and the Best States for Environmental Protection in 2025. The data has been shared with Digital Journal.
To derive the findings, SmileHub compared the eco-friendliness of all 50 states across 25 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of environmental protection charities per capita to industrial toxins per square mile of land area to climate change vulnerability.
This revealed lists of the best and worst states.
Best States
1. California
2. Washington
3. New York
4. Vermont
5. Maryland
6. Hawaii
7. Massachusetts
8. New Jersey
9. Oregon
10. Virginia
Worst States
41. Tennessee
42. Iowa
43. Kansas
44. Wyoming
45. Kentucky
46. North Dakota
47. Alabama
48. Mississippi
49. West Virginia
50. Louisiana
While the rankings are clear-cut, the data set reveals some interesting variations between states for specific metrics. For example, on the basis of charitable organisations seeking to address environmental concerns, then California has the highest number of environmental protection charities per capita – 9.9 times higher than Oklahoma, which has the lowest number.
On a different measure – travel – here New York has the highest share of workers that use green transportation – 3 times higher than in Mississippi, which has the lowest share.
An important set of environmental remediation efforts is based on renewable energy, to divest away from fossil fuels. Examining this, South Dakota has the highest share of renewable energy consumption – 18.3 times higher than Delaware, which has the lowest share.
An indicator of pollution is contaminated earth, and this a is a significant issue for growing crops. Looking at this area of agriculture, Hawaii is one of the states with the highest soil quality – 27 times higher than New Mexico, which has the lowest soil quality.
