You know that feeling. You step off a plane in Phoenix or Las Vegas, and suddenly, the air doesn't feel like a wet wool blanket anymore. It's crisp. It's light. It basically feels like your lungs are finally doing their job for the first time in years. But then, about six hours later, your nose starts bleeding, your skin turns into parchment paper, and you’re wondering why on earth you ever thought "dry heat" was a selling point.
Finding the right states with low humidity isn't just about escaping the swampy misery of a Florida summer. It’s a health choice. For people with asthma or chronic mold allergies, moving to a low-humidity state is often a literal lifesaver. But it’s not as simple as just pointing at a map of the West and calling it a day. The geography of the American West is weird, and "dry" means something very different in the mountains of Colorado than it does in the salt flats of Utah.
The arid heavyweights you actually know
Most people jump straight to Arizona. It’s the obvious choice. According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Arizona consistently tops the charts for the lowest average relative humidity in the lower 48. Places like Yuma and Phoenix aren't just dry; they are aggressively arid. In Yuma, the average relative humidity is about 23%. That is wild. For context, if you’re living in New Orleans, you’re looking at an average closer to 75%.
But here is the thing about Arizona that people forget: the monsoon season. From June through September, the "dry heat" gets a weird, humid guest. Moisture creeps up from the Gulf of California, and suddenly, you’re dealing with 110-degree days and 40% humidity. It feels like being in a dishwasher.
Then you have Nevada. Nevada is technically the driest state in the country based on annual precipitation. Las Vegas is the poster child for this. It’s a literal desert. The humidity here often dips into the single digits during the afternoon. If you’ve ever left a bag of chips open on the counter in Vegas, you’ll notice they don't get stale—they just get crunchier. It’s a strange phenomenon.
Why Nevada and Arizona dominate the conversation
- Rain Shadows: The Sierra Nevada mountains act like a giant wall, stripping moisture out of the air before it can reach the Great Basin.
- Latitude: They sit in a sweet spot where high-pressure systems like to hang out, pushing clouds away.
- Urban Heat Islands: In cities like Phoenix, the concrete holds onto the heat, which keeps the relative humidity lower even when there's a tiny bit of moisture in the air.
Utah and the "Goldilocks" dry air
Utah is the sleeper hit of states with low humidity. It’s not quite as scorching as the Mojave, but it’s remarkably dry. Salt Lake City has an average afternoon humidity of around 35%. What makes Utah different is the elevation.
When you get up into the Wasatch Range, the air is thin and dry. This is why Utah claims to have the "Greatest Snow on Earth." Because the air is so dry, the snow doesn't have much water content. It’s fluffy. It’s powder. You can’t even make a snowball out of it because it just falls apart like flour.
Honestly, if you hate the feeling of sweat sticking to your shirt, Utah is probably your best bet. You still get four seasons, which you don't really get in the low deserts of Arizona. But be warned: the "Great Salt Lake effect" is a real thing. When the wind blows off the lake, it can carry a bit of moisture (and a very specific, salty smell) into the valley, though it’s still nothing compared to the East Coast.
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The Colorado struggle: Altitude vs. Aridity
Colorado is a tricky one. People move to Denver thinking it’s going to be a desert. It’s not. It’s a semi-arid climate.
The humidity in Colorado is generally low, usually hovering around 33% to 40% on average. But because Colorado is so high up, the sun is incredibly intense. This makes the air feel drier than it actually is. Your skin loses moisture faster at 5,280 feet because the atmospheric pressure is lower. It’s a process called "insensible water loss." You’re dehydrating and you don't even know it because your sweat evaporates the millisecond it hits the surface of your skin.
I’ve talked to doctors in the Front Range who say the number one complaint from newcomers isn't altitude sickness—it's nosebleeds and "Colorado itch." Your body just isn't used to the air sucking the moisture out of your pores.
New Mexico: The high desert reality
New Mexico is arguably the most underrated of the states with low humidity. Albuquerque and Santa Fe are incredibly dry, but because Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet, it stays much cooler than Phoenix.
The air in New Mexico has a specific quality. It’s clear. There’s a reason why so many painters and photographers flocked to Taos and Ghost Ranch. Without moisture in the air to scatter the light, the colors look more vivid.
But New Mexico has a "dust" problem. When you have low humidity and high winds, you get dust storms. Not just little puffs of dirt, but massive walls of grit that can shut down I-40 in a heartbeat. It’s the trade-off for that beautiful, dry mountain air.
Wyoming and Montana: The cold dry
We usually associate low humidity with heat. But the Mountain West—Wyoming, Montana, and parts of Idaho—are some of the driest places in the country. They just happen to be freezing for six months of the year.
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Wyoming is the second driest state after Nevada. Casper and Cheyenne have very low humidity, but they also have some of the highest average wind speeds in the US. Dry air + constant 40 mph winds = extreme chapping. If you move here, you basically have to buy lip balm in bulk.
Ranking the states by afternoon humidity (The real metric)
Relative humidity changes throughout the day. It’s almost always highest in the morning when it’s cool and lowest in the afternoon when it’s hot. If you’re looking for comfort, the afternoon number is what actually matters.
- Nevada: Often hits 15-20% in the afternoon.
- Arizona: Stays around 20-25% most of the year.
- Utah: Averages 30% in the summer months.
- New Mexico: Hovers around 25-30%.
- Wyoming: Consistently stays under 40%.
The health trade-offs nobody talks about
It's not all clear sinuses and easy breathing. Low humidity has a dark side.
First, there’s the "desert lung" or Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis). This is a fungal infection found in the soil of dry states like Arizona and California. When the soil is dry and gets kicked up by the wind, you breathe in the spores. For most, it’s nothing. For some, it’s a brutal respiratory illness.
Then there's the static electricity. In a low-humidity state, you become a human Tesla coil. You will get shocked every time you touch a doorknob, your car handle, or your cat. It sounds funny until it happens twenty times a day.
And your house? It will literally shrink. Wood floors in low-humidity environments can develop gaps because the wood fibers contract as they lose moisture. Musical instruments like guitars and violins can actually crack if they aren't kept in a humidified room.
Is California actually dry?
California is a massive state, so the answer is "kinda."
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If you’re in San Francisco, no. It’s humid and foggy. If you’re in Los Angeles, it’s hit or miss depending on the marine layer. But if you move inland to the Coachella Valley or the High Desert (places like Palm Springs or Joshua Tree), you are in some of the lowest humidity territory in the world.
The Death Valley region is the extreme. It has recorded humidity levels of 0%. That is almost impossible for a human to comprehend. At 0% humidity, your eyes start to feel like they are made of glass.
How to survive the move to a dry state
If you’re actually planning to move to one of these states with low humidity, you need a strategy. You can't just show up and expect your body to adapt overnight.
Hydration is a lie. Okay, it's not a lie, but drinking water isn't enough. You need electrolytes. In dry air, you lose salt as you sweat, and because you don't feel "sweaty," you don't realize you're depleting your minerals.
Invest in a "whole-house" humidifier. Don't bother with those little plastic ones from the drugstore that you have to refill every four hours. If you’re living in Nevada or Utah, you want a humidifier built into your HVAC system. It keeps your furniture from cracking and your skin from falling off.
The "Salty" trick. Some people in the desert swear by saline nasal sprays. Keeping your nasal passages moist prevents the tiny cracks that lead to nosebleeds and infections.
Actionable Next Steps for Low-Humidity Living
If you are seriously considering a move or a long-term stay in a dry climate to manage a health condition or just for comfort, do these three things first:
- Check the Dew Point, not the Humidity: Relative humidity is "relative" to temperature. A 50% humidity day in 40-degree weather feels much drier than 50% humidity in 90-degree weather. Look for locations where the average dew point stays below 45°F. That is the true measure of "dry" air.
- Test Drive the Season: Don't visit Arizona in December and think you know what "dry" feels like. Go in July. If you can handle the way the air feels when it's 110 degrees and 15% humidity—which is basically like standing behind a jet engine—then you're ready.
- Consult a Dermatologist: If you have eczema or psoriasis, moving to a dry state can actually make things worse for some people, while helping others. Get a professional opinion on how your specific skin barrier will react to a 20% humidity environment before you sign a lease.
Dry air is a tool. It can heal, and it can irritate. Knowing exactly which state fits your tolerance for heat, cold, and "the itch" is the only way to make it work.