Virginia’s capital is now an asthma capital, report ranks Richmond 8th worst place to live with allergies, asthma

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia's capital city is now an asthma capital. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America's 2025 "Asthma Capitals" report recently ranked Richmond the eighth worst place to live for people who struggle with allergies and asthma.

8News spoke with the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts' Director, Dr. Elaine Perry, to learn more about the asthma and allergy outlook across Central Virginia.

"The burden of disease for asthma is higher in our region than in others," Dr. Perry explained.

The report looks at the number of people with asthma in certain communities, the number of emergency room visits related to asthma and even asthma-related deaths.

"Everybody's asthma is a little bit different," Perry said. "We look at asthma as a chronic disease or a disease that can have impact over many, many years or people lives."

According to researchers with the foundation, Richmond is "worse than average" when it comes to pollen levels and allergy medicine use. Factors like outdoor air quality and pollution rates also contribute to the river city's ranking.

Perry added that we also have to look at the "social determinants of health" when evaluating communities and the overarching picture of chronic illnesses within their populations.

"In an area where you have people who are suffering from the burdens of poverty, other negative impacts that you have, that also can lead to an increase in asthma," Perry clarified.

Asthma experts reported that Richmond has a crude death rate that's about 2.5 times higher than other U.S. cities evaluated in the foundation's study. Perry urged everyone to work with their healthcare providers to come up with an "Asthma Action Plan."

"For some people, it's managing their exposures," Perry said. "For a lot of people, they actually use different kinds of medications and so having an individualized asthma action plan makes sure that you, your health care professional, family members [and] others around are on the same page literally, regarding how to manage your asthma,"

Perry said asthma looks different in very young children than it does in older children and adults. Therefore, parents should look out for signs in their children like difficulty breathing, shortness or breath or a persistent cough. This can help them catch asthma earlier on in a child's life and allow them to expedite treatment.