Santa Fe Air Quality in 2021

In 2021, Santa Fe's air quality (Santa Fe, NM area) had a median daily AQI of 44 (Good) across 364 monitored days. 2 days (0.5%) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, 275 were Good, and the year's peak AQI was 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). Ground-level ozone set the daily AQI on 324 of those days. The cleanest month of 2021 was January (median AQI 38, 0 days above 100) and the worst was June (median 54, 1 day above 100, peak 112).

44
Median AQI
Good
2
Days above AQI 100
0.5% of 364 days
64
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
113
Peak AQI
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
O3
Main pollutant
324 of 364 days
275
Good days
75.5% of days
  • Good: 75.5%
  • Moderate: 23.9%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.5%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%

Reduce Indoor Ozone in Santa Fe

Today's main pollutant in Santa Fe is ground-level ozone (AQI 31). Important: standard HEPA filters do NOT remove ozone — only a purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed adsorbs it. The biggest wins are cutting indoor sources (gas appliances, certain "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.

Recommended: Levoit Core 300True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft

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QUICK ANSWER

How was Santa Fe's air quality in 2021?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 44, with 2 days above AQI 100 out of 364 monitored — the 7th cleanest of 7 years on record for the area.

  • Peak AQI in 2021: 113 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
  • Ground-level ozone was the main pollutant on 324 days.
  • Cleanest month: January; worst: June.

Frequently asked questions

What was the average AQI in Santa Fe in 2021?

EPA's Air Quality System puts Santa Fe's (Santa Fe, NM) median daily AQI for 2021 at 44, which is Good. 2 days were Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse and the year's highest AQI was 113.

Which month had the worst air quality in Santa Fe in 2021?

The cleanest month of 2021 was January (median AQI 38, 0 days above 100) and the worst was June (median 54, 1 day above 100, peak 112).

Was 2021 a good or bad year for Santa Fe's air?

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2021 ranks 7th cleanest by days above AQI 100 — the worst year on record here. 2021's median of 44 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 44.

Santa Fe month by month in 2021

Santa Fe air quality month by month, 2021 (Santa Fe, NM, EPA AQS daily AQI)

MonthDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
Januarycleanest3138045O3
February2841051O3
March3145058O3
April3048058O3
May3151080O3
Juneworst30541112O3
July3063093O3
August31481113O3
September3048071O3
October3142047O3
November3038043O3
December3138058O3

How 2021 compares

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2021 ranks 7th cleanest by days above AQI 100 — the worst year on record here.

2021's median of 44 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 44.

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

Right now in Santa Fe

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Santa Fe's AQI at 31 (O3). The figures above are multi-year annual statistics, not today's reading.

View current Santa Fe air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Santa Fe, NM), 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.