Rankings · Weather

Highest light pollution by state

Annual upward radiance.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Annual mean upward radiance within county boundaries, in nanowatts per square centimetre per steradian. VIIRS measures artificial light emitted upward to the satellite; lower values generally mean less upward light. It does not measure skyglow overhead, a Bortle class, or how dark a particular yard appears — clouds, terrain and nearby sources can differ. NASA Black Marble annual composite, 2025.

  1. 1District of Columbia68 nW/cm²/sr
  2. 2New York35 nW/cm²/sr
  3. 3Illinois26 nW/cm²/sr
  4. 4New Jersey23 nW/cm²/sr
  5. 5Texas20 nW/cm²/sr
  6. 6Maryland16 nW/cm²/sr
  7. 7Pennsylvania14 nW/cm²/sr
  8. 8Virginia13 nW/cm²/sr
  9. 9Georgia12 nW/cm²/sr
  10. 10Massachusetts12 nW/cm²/sr
  11. 11Ohio12 nW/cm²/sr
  12. 12Nebraska11 nW/cm²/sr
  13. 13Missouri11 nW/cm²/sr
  14. 14Florida11 nW/cm²/sr
  15. 15Michigan10 nW/cm²/sr
  16. 16California10 nW/cm²/sr
  17. 17Wisconsin9.3 nW/cm²/sr
  18. 18Indiana9.0 nW/cm²/sr
  19. 19Delaware8.6 nW/cm²/sr
  20. 20Colorado8.4 nW/cm²/sr
  21. 21Oklahoma8.4 nW/cm²/sr
  22. 22Tennessee7.9 nW/cm²/sr
  23. 23Minnesota7.8 nW/cm²/sr
  24. 24North Carolina7.8 nW/cm²/sr
  25. 25Utah7.2 nW/cm²/sr
  26. 26Kentucky7.2 nW/cm²/sr
  27. 27Kansas7.0 nW/cm²/sr
  28. 28Rhode Island6.8 nW/cm²/sr
  29. 29Louisiana6.5 nW/cm²/sr
  30. 30Connecticut5.6 nW/cm²/sr
  31. 31Hawaii4.4 nW/cm²/sr
  32. 32Nevada4.3 nW/cm²/sr
  33. 33South Carolina4.1 nW/cm²/sr
  34. 34Arizona4.0 nW/cm²/sr
  35. 35Iowa3.9 nW/cm²/sr
  36. 36Alabama3.6 nW/cm²/sr
  37. 37Washington3.3 nW/cm²/sr
  38. 38Oregon3.1 nW/cm²/sr
  39. 39Arkansas2.6 nW/cm²/sr
  40. 40New Mexico2.4 nW/cm²/sr
  41. 41Mississippi2.3 nW/cm²/sr
  42. 42Idaho2.1 nW/cm²/sr
  43. 43West Virginia2.0 nW/cm²/sr
  44. 44New Hampshire1.9 nW/cm²/sr
  45. 45Alaska1.4 nW/cm²/sr
  46. 46South Dakota1.4 nW/cm²/sr
  47. 47North Dakota1.1 nW/cm²/sr
  48. 48Maine0.8 nW/cm²/sr
  49. 49Vermont0.4 nW/cm²/sr
  50. 50Montana0.3 nW/cm²/sr
  51. 51Wyoming0.2 nW/cm²/sr
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Source: NASA Black Marble VNP46A4 / VIIRS. · How this is built