Sacramento vs Riverside Air Quality Comparison

Which city has cleaner air right now, from the latest EPA AirNow AQI

As of September 23, 2026, Sacramento, CA has cleaner air than Riverside, CA — AQI 52 (Moderate) vs 172 (Unhealthy), a gap of 120 AQI points in the latest EPA AirNow observations. Lower AQI means cleaner air. Sacramento's reading is driven by PM2.5 and Riverside's by O3.

Sacramento, CA

Moderate

StateCalifornia

Dominant PollutantPM2.5

CategoryModerate

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Riverside, CA

Unhealthy

StateCalifornia

Dominant PollutantO3

CategoryUnhealthy

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Summary

Sacramento has 120 points better air quality

Sacramento has an AQI of 52 compared to 172

Our Pick

Reduce Indoor Ozone in Riverside

Today's main pollutant in Riverside is ground-level ozone (AQI 172). 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.

Best for Gases4.6(8,000+ ratings)

Coway AP-1512HH (HEPA + Carbon)

True HEPA + activated carbon layer · rooms up to 361 sq ft

Heavy activated-carbon bed adsorbs ozone & VOCs that HEPA filters cannot capture

~$230

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Compare activated-carbon purifiers (for gases & ozone):

Carbon Value

Levoit Core 300

HEPA + Carbon

True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft

~$1004.7