California · County air quality · 2025
Kern County, California
Median AQI 70 (Moderate). 17.5% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 70
- Median AQI
- 17.5%
- Good-air days
- 4
- Unhealthy days
- 1%
- Cleaner than US counties
Kern County's 2025 annual median AQI is 70 (Moderate), with 17.5% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Kern County, California posted a 2025 median AQI of 70 (Moderate) across 365 monitored days, with 17.5% rated Good and 4 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- Kern County's 17.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 1% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- El Paso County (18.1% Good, median AQI 70) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Kern County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Kern County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is improving from 2020 to 2025 (15.5% → 17.5%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 70
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Kern County, California ranks #946 of 951 by median AQI (70) and #944 by good-day share (17.5%). Ponce County, Puerto Rico is #1 of 951 by median AQI (3, 91.4% Good days) at good-day-share #159 ≠ largest of 7 at 100.0% Good days #1 by good-day share (100.0%, median AQI 9) at median-AQI #7.
Annual release change
What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release
- Kern County's Unhealthy-category days fell from 21 to 4 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -17 days.
- Kern County's Good-day share fell from 20.8% to 17.5% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.2 percentage points.
- Kern County's peak single-day AQI rose from 177 to 200 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +23 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 64 d · 17.5%
- Moderate · 236 d · 64.7%
- USG · 61 d · 16.7%
- Unhealthy · 4 d · 1.1%
How did Kern County's air break down in 2025?
Across 365 monitored days, 64 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 4 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 200 (Unhealthy).
EPA AQS →Share of monitored days at AQI 0-50 (Good band).
Share of monitored days above AQI 150 (Unhealthy or worse). Bar maxes at 10% (worst-county ceiling).
Where Kern County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Kern County's Good-day share is 17.5% - cleaner than 1% of that comparison set.
Kern County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
17.5% 1st percentile higher than 1% of 951 US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System (AQS) · 2025
Pollutant Breakdown
Days where each pollutant was the primary driver of AQI readings in Kern County.
- Ozone · 196 days · 53.7%
- PM2.5 · 153 days · 41.9%
- PM10 · 16 days · 4.4%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Kern County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Jul posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 126, peak 174); Mar was cleanest at median 43. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 106 vs 67 in Dec–Feb. 21 days crossed Unhealthy (AQI >150) at least once that year.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,827 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Sep has the highest matched-month median AQI (112), while Mar is lowest (48). Each cell is that month’s median daily AQI, not a current-air forecast.
Lower AQI is better. The colors summarize EPA AQI bands; gaps mean the county had no day-level record for that month.
Health Impact Assessment
Kern County's air quality is rated Very Poor based on 17.5% good air days. There were 4 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality is acceptable most days, but 61 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" (AQI 101-150) and peak AQI reached 200. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
The dominant pollutant is Ozone, driving AQI on 196 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in Kern County. Highest Good-day share: 2023 (23.3%, 85 of 365 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 56 | 180 | 98 | 28 | 83 | 267 |
| 2021 | 35 | 202 | 97 | 29 | 84 | 314 |
| 2022 | 47 | 196 | 109 | 12 | 80 | 289 |
| 2023 | 85 | 210 | 58 | 12 | 69 | 174 |
| 2024 | 76 | 196 | 73 | 21 | 72 | 177 |
| 2025 | 64 | 236 | 61 | 4 | 70 | 200 |
How does Kern County compare?
How Kern County compares
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by County dataset, 2020–2025 (aqs.epa.gov). For current conditions (not shown here — this page is historical annual data), see EPA AirNow (airnow.gov). See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.
Informational only, not professional advice. Data from EPA AQS. See our disclaimer. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by county summary files for Kern County, California · 2020–2025
Download this county's annual AQI row as CSV , with the same EPA fields and denominator shown on this page.
Every figure on PlainAirData is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.