Honolulu Air Quality in 2020

In 2020, Honolulu's air quality (Urban Honolulu, HI area) had a median daily AQI of 28 (Good) across 366 monitored days. 0 days (0.0%) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, 363 were Good, and the year's peak AQI was 63 (Moderate). Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 229 of those days. The cleanest month of 2020 was August (median AQI 19, 0 days above 100) and the worst was February (median 36, 0 days above 100, peak 43).

28
Median AQI
Good
0
Days above AQI 100
0.0% of 366 days
38
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
63
Peak AQI
Moderate
O3
Main pollutant
229 of 366 days
363
Good days
99.2% of days
  • Good: 99.2%
  • Moderate: 0.8%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%

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QUICK ANSWER

How was Honolulu's air quality in 2020?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 28, with 0 days above AQI 100 out of 366 monitored — the 2nd cleanest of 7 years on record for the area.

  • Peak AQI in 2020: 63 (Moderate).
  • Ground-level ozone was the main pollutant on 229 days.
  • Cleanest month: August; worst: February.

Frequently asked questions

What was the average AQI in Honolulu in 2020?

EPA's Air Quality System puts Honolulu's (Urban Honolulu, HI) median daily AQI for 2020 at 28, which is Good. 0 days were Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse and the year's highest AQI was 63.

Which month had the worst air quality in Honolulu in 2020?

The cleanest month of 2020 was August (median AQI 19, 0 days above 100) and the worst was February (median 36, 0 days above 100, peak 43).

Was 2020 a good or bad year for Honolulu's air?

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2020 ranks 2nd cleanest by days above AQI 100. 2020's median of 28 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 29.

Honolulu month by month in 2020

Honolulu air quality month by month, 2020 (Urban Honolulu, HI, EPA AQS daily AQI)

MonthDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
January3134063O3
Februaryworst2936043O3
March3133054O3
April3031041O3
May3124036O3
June3024036O3
July3120036PM2.5
Augustcleanest3119032PM2.5
September3022029PM2.5
October3127044PM2.5
November3030038O3
December3128052O3

How 2020 compares

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2020 ranks 2nd cleanest by days above AQI 100.

2020's median of 28 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 29.

Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.

Right now in Honolulu

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Honolulu's AQI at 21 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year annual statistics, not today's reading.

View current Honolulu air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Urban Honolulu, HI), 2019–2025. Daily AQI per CBSA is the highest AQI reported by any monitor in the area that day; the defining parameter is the pollutant that set it. Month and season statistics pool every such day in the period across all years listed. Retrieved 2026-09-09.