States with the highest - and lowest - sperm counts REVEALED

Men in the western US have the strongest swimmers - with males in that region having the highest sperm count. 

Fertility company Legacy analyzed more than 20,000 semen samples from around the country and judged the quality.

A normal sperm count is considered to be between 40million and 200million sperm per milliliter of semen. Amounts below that pose serious infertility risks for men. 

Results revealed men in Wyoming had the highest quality of sperm, with 56.8million sperm per 1ml of semen tested.  

This was followed by Idaho, with the average sperm count of 55.6 million per ml of semen and Montana, with 54.4 million. 

Researchers couldn't conclusively say why these states topped the list, but research has shown there are many factors that affect sperm count, including diet, environment and lifestyle. 

Men living there may be able to thank their state's cooler temperatures, healthier hearts and lower levels of toxic pollutants for their sperm-packed semen. 

Rounding out the top five for highest sperm count was Iowa (51.3 million sperm per 1ml of semen) and Washington, DC (49.1 million).

According to the Legacy report, global sperm counts have drastically declined, with rates plunging 50 percent over the past 50 years. 

As the world faces down a 'sperm crisis' by 2045, scientists increasingly believe dwindling healthy sperm can be linked to increasing exposure to toxic chemicals like PFAS and forever chemicals that disrupt body processes and have been associated with cancers and infertility. 

Sperm are the male reproductive cells that are part of semen, which is a fluid that's produced when sperm mixes with other fluids from a man's prostate and seminal vesicles during sexual arousal.

While not enough sperm could make it more difficult to impregnate a partner, just because a man has a high sperm count, does not mean it is healthier quality sperm.  

Coming in at the bottom of the list - Mississippi had the lowest sperm count, with just 25.7million sperm per 1mL of semen. 

The state was followed by South Carolina (28.9million), Oklahoma (29.1million), North Dakota (30.2million) and Delaware (30.7million).

Among factors that affect sperm count, obesity is believed to be one of the biggest, with men with higher body mass indices having a lower amount of baby makers.

Mississippi has the fourth highest obesity rate in the country and Delaware has the eighth highest rate.

Another factor: alcohol. 

A study of more than 1,200 Danish men found those who drank five servings of alcohol per week - about three beers or three glasses of wine - had lower sperm counts and lower sperm quality than men who did not drink alcohol. 

Unexpectedly, though, Wyoming has binge drinking rates slightly above the national average of 17 percent, while Mississippi had a lower rate, according to the CDC. 

Another factor that could affect sperm count is heart health. While the link is not clear, it has been observed in studies that having a bad heart can affect the amount of sperm in semen - and vice versa.

One theory on the connection is that men who are generally unhealthy are more likely to have both heart problems and lower sperm counts. 

And a past analysis of heart health in each state shows a connection.  

In a separate Forbes analysis of state-by-state heart health, Mississippi ranked 49th out of all 50 states for residents having the worst heart health, and Oklahoma was 43rd.

Wyoming, Montana and Idaho were all in the top 20 states at spots 19, 13 and 11, respectively. 

Physical activity and leading a generally healthy lifestyle also affects sperm count. In the Forbes analysis, Mississippi had the lowest percentage of residents who exercised, while Montana had the fifth-most residents who exercised. 

The researchers at Legacy also said weather could impact sperm count and air quality and rising temperatures have been associated with poor sperm health.

Because of that, it makes sense, researchers said, that several of the country's hottest states are in the bottom 10 for sperm production, while cooler states rank higher - Wyoming has the fourth lowest average temperature in the US. 

A March 2024 analysis of 33,000 men's sperm found samples produced during hot weather had lower sperm concentration and an April 2024 study found men who were exposed to temperatures above 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit within three months of providing a sperm sample had a 40 percent higher risk of low sperm count. 

Among states with the lowest sperm counts, South Carolina had the seventh hottest summer temperatures last year, with an average of 91.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Oklahoma had the sixth hottest weather, with an average of 94 degrees, according to an analysis by U.S. News & World Report. 

Mississippi came in fifth for hottest summer temperatures in 2023 at 91 degrees.

When it comes to cooler temperatures, however, Idaho and Montana came in sixth and fourth place, respectively, with average weather in 2023 of 44 degrees.

Wyoming had the third coldest temperature at 42 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the U.S. News analysis.  

Additionally, the Legacy ranking said states with lower air quality also rank lower for sperm production - and Oklahoma was ranked 42nd for worst air quality. 

Experts believe a major contributor to declining sperm counts are toxic chemicals known as PFAS or 'forever chemicals' in the air, food, water, soil and common products Americans use every day. 

Wyoming ranked in the top five states in the US for low levels of industrial toxins, compared to Mississippi, which ranked 36th, and South Carolina in 39th place. 

A 2020 study linked air pollution to lower sperm count, as well as lower sperm concentration and motility, and a 2021 study of more than 10,000 couples found those in the top quartile of air pollution exposure had nearly double the risk of infertility compared to couples in the lowest quartile. 

Tobacco is also a sperm killer, and one study found smokers have a 13 to 17 percent lower sperm density than men who don't smoke tobacco. 

Of the states with highest rates of smoking, Mississippi ranks sixth.

Legacy also proposed nature as a sperm booster. In the first of its kind, a 2021 study of 9,000 men found those who were exposed more to nature had significantly higher semen volume, with a higher sperm count and better overall sperm quality. 

Legacy's CEO Khaled Kteily said of the fertility company's analysis: 'Taken from Legacy's data, our ranking of the best and worst states for sperm health underlines the fact that sperm quality can't be taken for granted — it really can vary, depending on where you live and how healthy you are.

'The environment will continue to impact sperm, and sperm health naturally declines with age. That's why it's time to save our sperm — every man should get his sperm tested, and consider freezing his youngest, healthiest sperm for the future.'