A survey based on 311 calls, complaints finds Sacramento the second dirtiest American city

As Sacramento deals with a growing homeless population and the political wrangling accompanying it, a recent study seemingly validates complaints by neighborhood and business advocates on how politicians and bureaucracies are dealing with the situation.

The study from HomeFresh.com found Sacramento was the second dirtiest American city based on an analysis of 311 calls. The dirtiest city, based on the study’s parameters, was Baltimore.

HomeFresh said they “analyzed 12.3 million sanitation-related 311 complaints placed over the last 365 days to reveal the dirtiest cities in America. Covering categories related to sanitation issues — such as garbage, waste, and recycling — we ranked locations based on the number of sanitation-related reports per 100,000 population.”

Baltimore had 47,295 complaints per 100,000 people filed at 311, and Sacramento had 34,186. The cleanest of the 24 cities studied was Milwaukee, with 347.

Several large cities like Atlanta, Detroit, and Newark, and mid-sized municipalities like Fresno and Portland, which has a large homeless population, were not analyzed.

Although Sacramento and portions of Sacramento faired poorly, all the information gleaned was not unfavorable. Sacramento County Zip Code 955660, North Highlands, had the third fewest complaints per 100,000 nationally.

Conversely, Zip Code 95818, which includes Curtis Park and Land Park, has the seventh most complaints per 100,000 with 48,864.

The study does not account for the socioeconomic status of each zip code, which could explain the discrepancies between Zip Codes 95660 and 95818. North Highland is less prosperous, and perhaps residents are accustomed to poor county services and less likely to file a 311 complaint, while Land Park residents probably receive more services and have different expectations of the city.

The complete HomeFresh survey can be viewed here.