Top 10 Cities for Air Quality
The best air quality based on average AQI measurements and air quality data.
The short answer
Across the US metro areas EPA published a full 2025 AQI record for, Santa Rosa, CA had the highest share of Good-air days: 365 of 365 days (100%) at AQI 50 or below, median AQI 9, with 0 days above AQI 100. The 10 cleanest are ranked below on the same measure.
| # | City (EPA area) | Good days (2025) | Median AQI | Days over 100 | Days over 150 | Main pollutant | AQI now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CASanta Rosa, CA | 365 / 365 (100%) | 9 | 0 | 0 | coarse dust (PM10) | 6 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HIUrban Honolulu, HI | 355 / 365 (97.3%) | 29 | 0 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 28 |
| 3 | Lubbock, TXLubbock, TX | 314 / 338 (92.9%) | 24 | 2 | 1 | fine particulate matter (PM2.5) | 4 |
| 4 | San Jose, CASan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 334 / 365 (91.5%) | 39 | 0 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 48 |
| 5 | Burlington, VTBurlington-South Burlington, VT | 320 / 365 (87.7%) | 38 | 4 | 1 | ground-level ozone | 26 |
| 6 | Billings, MTBillings, MT | 315 / 365 (86.3%) | 38 | 0 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 58 |
| 7 | Manchester, NHManchester-Nashua, NH | 310 / 365 (84.9%) | 38 | 4 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 12 |
| 8 | Syracuse, NYSyracuse, NY | 305 / 365 (83.6%) | 36 | 4 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 36 |
| 9 | Flint, MIFlint, MI | 252 / 303 (83.2%) | 38 | 3 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 54 |
| 10 | Atlantic City, NJAtlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 300 / 365 (82.2%) | 36 | 1 | 0 | ground-level ozone | 21 |
Figures are EPA's published annual AQI summaries by metropolitan area (Annual AQI by CBSA, 2019–2025), retrieved 2026-09-07. The daily AQI EPA summarises is the highest value any monitor in the area reported that day, so these are metro-area readings, not statewide or rural ones. Only cities with at least 300 reported days in 2025 are ranked — a partial year cannot be compared fairly against a full one — and cities in areas EPA publishes no summary for are left out rather than given an estimated value. "AQI now" is the latest AirNow observation at build time and is blank where AirNow has none.
How to read these numbers
The ranking metric is the share of monitored days at AQI 0–50. It rewards cities that are clean most of the time, which is what matters for day-to-day breathing. It is not the same as ranking by median AQI: a city can have a low median and still lose days to a wildfire week, which is why the "days over 100" and "days over 150" columns are shown alongside it.
EPA reports the AQI per metropolitan area, and each day's value is the highest reading from any monitor in that area. That makes the figures conservative for a large metro — one bad monitor sets the day — and it means rural areas without regulatory monitors do not appear at all.
About This Ranking
This ranking is based on Air Quality Index (AQI) measurements from EPA monitoring stations across the United States. Cities with lower AQI values have cleaner air and better air quality.
What Makes Air Quality Good?
Cities with good air quality typically have favorable geography (coastal locations, good ventilation), lower population density, fewer industrial sources, stricter environmental regulations, and less vehicle traffic.
Data Sources
Rankings are based on current AQI data from the EPA AirNow system, which monitors air quality continuously.