Driest Cities, Las Vegas, Nevada Leads (2026)

Name: Driest cities and states by annual rainfall, The Honest Local
Creator: The Honest Local
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Las Vegas, Nevada is the driest of the 106 US cities we rank, with 4.2 inches of rain a year (NOAA, 1991-2020). Bakersfield, California is next, with 6.4 inches of rain a year.

By The Honest Local · 106 cities · every value links to its public source

4.2 inLas Vegas, Nevada leads on the list, the lowest reading of 106 cities

The top five cities inches of rain a year

No. 1Las Vegas, Nevada4.2 ininches of rain a year
No. 2Bakersfield, California6.4 ininches of rain a year
No. 3Phoenix, Arizona7.2 ininches of rain a year
No. 4Reno, Nevada7.4 ininches of rain a year
No. 5Albuquerque, New Mexico8.8 ininches of rain a year

Driest Cities on the map

Driest cities and states by annual rainfall, cities hover for the numbers, click for every one

Loading the numbers…

Inches of rain and melted snow a year, from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals.

Driest Cities, all 106

The full ranking inches of rain a year

	Place	inches of rain a year
1	Las Vegas, Nevadabig city	4.2 in
2	Bakersfield, Californiabig city	6.4 in
3	Phoenix, Arizonabig city	7.2 in
4	Reno, Nevadabig city	7.4 in
5	Albuquerque, New Mexicobig city	8.8 in
5	El Paso, Texasbig city	8.8 in
7	Riverside, Californiabig city	9.4 in
8	San Diego, Californiabig city	9.8 in
9	Tucson, Arizonabig city	10.6 in
10	Fresno, Californiabig city	11 in
11	Boise, Idaho	11.5 in
12	Oxnard, California	12.9 in
13	San Jose, Californiabig city	13.5 in
13	Stockton, Californiabig city	13.5 in
15	Los Angeles, Californiabig city	14.3 in
16	Denver, Coloradobig city	14.5 in
17	Provo, Utah	15.5 in
17	Salt Lake City, Utah	15.5 in
19	Colorado Springs, Coloradobig city	15.9 in
20	Honolulu, Hawaiibig city	16.4 in
20	Ogden, Utah	16.4 in
22	Spokane, Washington	16.5 in
23	Sacramento, Californiabig city	19.2 in
24	McAllen, Texas	22.2 in
25	San Francisco, Californiabig city	22.9 in
26	Minneapolis, Minnesotabig city	31.6 in
27	Omaha, Nebraskabig city	31.9 in
28	San Antonio, Texasbig city	32.4 in
29	Akron, Ohio	32.5 in
30	Detroit, Michiganbig city	34.3 in
30	Wichita, Kansasbig city	34.3 in
32	Milwaukee, Wisconsinbig city	34.6 in
33	Toledo, Ohiobig city	35 in
34	Rochester, New York	35.1 in
35	Austin, Texasbig city	36.3 in
36	Oklahoma City, Oklahomabig city	36.4 in
37	Des Moines, Iowa	36.6 in
38	Portland, Oregonbig city	36.9 in
39	Dallas, Texasbig city	37 in
40	Madison, Wisconsinbig city	37.1 in
41	Vancouver, Washington	37.5 in
42	Chicago, Illinoisbig city	37.9 in
43	Kansas City, Missouribig city	39.3 in
43	Seattle, Washingtonbig city	39.3 in
45	Grand Rapids, Michigan	39.4 in
46	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvaniabig city	39.6 in
47	Syracuse, New York	39.9 in
48	Asheville, North Carolina	40.6 in
49	Albany, New York	40.7 in
49	Buffalo, New Yorkbig city	40.7 in
51	Cleveland, Ohiobig city	41 in
51	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania	41 in
51	Tulsa, Oklahomabig city	41 in
54	Dayton, Ohio	41.3 in
55	Columbus, Ohiobig city	41.6 in
56	St. Louis, Missouribig city	41.7 in
57	New Haven, Connecticut	41.8 in
57	Washington, DCbig city	41.8 in
59	Poughkeepsie, New York	41.9 in
60	Winston-Salem, North Carolinabig city	43.2 in
61	Boston, Massachusettsbig city	43.6 in
61	Charlotte, North Carolinabig city	43.6 in
61	Indianapolis, Indianabig city	43.6 in
64	Greensboro, North Carolinabig city	44 in
65	Augusta, Georgia	44.1 in
65	Bridgeport, Connecticut	44.1 in
65	Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniabig city	44.1 in
68	Baltimore, Marylandbig city	45 in
69	Columbia, South Carolina	45.2 in
70	Cincinnati, Ohiobig city	45.3 in
71	Richmond, Virginia	45.5 in
72	Durham, North Carolinabig city	46.1 in
72	Lakeland, Florida	46.1 in
72	Raleigh, North Carolinabig city	46.1 in
75	Fayetteville, Arkansas	47 in
76	Hartford, Connecticut	47.1 in
77	Allentown, Pennsylvania	47.4 in
78	Providence, Rhode Island	47.5 in
79	Portland, Maine	48.1 in
79	Savannah, Georgia	48.1 in
81	Louisville, Kentuckybig city	48.3 in
81	Worcester, Massachusetts	48.3 in
83	Sarasota, Florida	49.1 in
84	Virginia Beach, Virginiabig city	49.2 in
85	New York, New Yorkbig city	49.5 in
85	Tampa, Floridabig city	49.5 in
87	Greenville, South Carolina	49.7 in
88	Atlanta, Georgiabig city	50.4 in
88	Little Rock, Arkansas	50.4 in
90	Nashville, Tennesseebig city	50.5 in
91	Melbourne, Florida	50.8 in
92	Daytona Beach, Florida	51.3 in
92	Jackson, Mississippi	51.3 in
94	Orlando, Floridabig city	51.5 in
95	Houston, Texasbig city	51.8 in
96	Knoxville, Tennessee	51.9 in
97	Charleston, South Carolina	52.5 in
98	Jacksonville, Floridabig city	53.4 in
99	Huntsville, Alabama	54.3 in
100	Memphis, Tennesseebig city	54.9 in
101	Chattanooga, Tennessee	55 in
102	Birmingham, Alabama	56.6 in
103	Cape Coral, Florida	57.4 in
104	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	61.9 in
105	New Orleans, Louisianabig city	63.4 in
106	Miami, Floridabig city	67.4 in

Sources and method

NOAA 1991 to 2020 monthly climate normals · 1991-2020

How we got this. We add up NOAA's twelve monthly precipitation normals, 1991 to 2020, at each city's nearest airport station that reports them. A state is the population-weighted mean of its five largest cities, not NOAA's statewide figure, so it reads where most people live. Cities and states rank on their own lists. It refreshes when NOAA reissues its climate normals.

Rankings by The Honest Local from public data, one page per list, refreshed on each source’s own cycle. Places with no reading are left out rather than estimated. Every value on this page carries its source in the page’s structured data.

Photos Shutterstock · More Than Just Parks.