San Francisco vs Santa Rosa Air Quality Comparison
Which city has cleaner air right now, from the latest EPA AirNow AQI
As of November 8, 2026, Santa Rosa, CA has cleaner air than San Francisco, CA — AQI 6 (Good) vs 13 (Good), a gap of 7 AQI points in the latest EPA AirNow observations. Lower AQI means cleaner air. San Francisco's reading is driven by O3 and Santa Rosa's by O3.
San Francisco, CA
Good
Santa Rosa, CA
Good
Summary
Santa Rosa has 7 points better air quality
Santa Rosa has an AQI of 6 compared to 13
Reduce Indoor Ozone in San Francisco
Today's main pollutant in San Francisco is ground-level ozone (AQI 13). 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.
Compare activated-carbon purifiers (for gases & ozone):
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5-Day Forecast Comparison
| Day | San Francisco | Santa Rosa | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | AQI 55 | AQI 44 | Santa Rosa |
| Sun, Nov 8 | AQI 56 | AQI 50 | Santa Rosa |