Colorado Springs ranks as the top 15 allergy capital in the U.S.
Mackenzie Stafford
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A new report released in March ranks Colorado Springs as the number 15 allergy capital in the United States. In 2025, Colorado Springs held #84. The research released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) details how climate change is leading to longer and more intense allergy seasons.
Experts say warmer temperatures mean plants start growing sooner, and they produce more highly allergenic pollen. They say the extreme weather driven by climate change may also prompt more pollen production or longer pollen seasons.
According to AAFA, specifically in Colorado Springs, tree pollen peaked earlier and higher, grass pollen lasted longer and weed pollen started earlier and peaked higher, meaning there were more days with weed pollen.
KRDO13 spoke with a local allergist who said this has been one of the busiest years yet.
“Now that we’re in the tree pollen season, it’s just exploded. So it’s been extremely busy the last several weeks, especially as the pollen counts have gone up. So, it’s going to be, I think, an unfortunate year for allergy sufferers,” explained Dr. Jill Hanson.
If over-the-counter medicine isn’t working, Dr. Hanson recommends coming in to Colorado ENT & Allergy. She says they can provide allergy shots or drops that can be personalized to your needs.
“That’s a treatment where we can take exactly what you’re allergic to and customize your vials essentially to what your allergies are and give you what you’re allergic to to try to build up your immunity. So it’s a really awesome treatment, especially if medications are not working. It gives long-lasting results to you. So instead of having to rely on medications long term, eventually a lot of people do see a big reduction in that,” explained Dr. Hanson.
She also detailed a treatment for patients who are not as receptive to over-the-counter medication and would prefer not to get shots.
“I mentioned allergy shots. Those are actually a very effective treatment option, but they do require that you come into the office, which is not always an option for people with busy schedules, busy lives. So we also offer sublingual, meaning under the tongue, allergy treatment. So, it’s a recipe of drops essentially, that we can make based on your allergy test. And that’s just done at home, with drops under the tongue every day. So that can also be an option, even if shots are not something that you can fit into your schedule,” offered Dr. Hanson.
Dr. Hanson tells KRDO13 that the increase in pollen can also cause difficulties day-to-day for those with respiratory disorders.
“Most people with asthma are triggered by allergies, amongst other things. But that’s another issue. I think in this area that’s a little unique because not only do we have the high pollen counts, we also have the wildfire smoke and the dryness, and those can all compound to make asthma more difficult to control. So making sure we’re attacking the allergy part of that is important,” shared Dr. Hanson.
Overall, she said she doesn’t anticipate allergy season getting much better anytime soon, since the pollen count continues to increase year after year.