California · County air quality · 2025
Orange County, California
Median AQI 53 (Moderate). 37.8% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 53
- Median AQI
- 37.8%
- Good-air days
- 2
- Unhealthy days
- 3%
- Cleaner than US counties
Orange County's 2025 annual median AQI is 53 (Moderate), with 37.8% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Orange County, California posted a 2025 median AQI of 53 (Moderate) across 365 monitored days, with 37.8% rated Good and 2 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- Orange County's 37.8% Good-day share places it cleaner than 3% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Cook County (40.8% Good, median AQI 53) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Orange County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Orange County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is improving from 2020 to 2025 (32.4% → 37.8%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 53
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Orange County, California ranks #916 of 951 by median AQI (53) and #925 by good-day share (37.8%). 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
- Orange County's Good-day share rose from 32.5% to 37.8% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.3 percentage points.
- Orange County's peak single-day AQI fell from 172 to 159 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -13 points.
- Orange County's Unhealthy-category days fell from 3 to 2 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 138 d · 37.8%
- Moderate · 214 d · 58.6%
- USG · 11 d · 3.0%
- Unhealthy · 2 d · 0.5%
How did Orange County's air break down in 2025?
Across 365 monitored days, 138 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 2 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 159 (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 Orange County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Orange County's Good-day share is 37.8% - cleaner than 3% of that comparison set.
Orange County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
37.8% 3rd percentile higher than 3% 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 Orange County.
- PM2.5 · 236 days · 64.7%
- Ozone · 119 days · 32.6%
- NO₂ · 8 days · 2.2%
- PM10 · 2 days · 0.5%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Orange County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Dec posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 71, peak 136); Feb was cleanest at median 39. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 56 vs 54 in Dec–Feb. 3 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: Oct has the highest matched-month median AQI (65), while Mar is lowest (45). 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
Orange County's air quality is rated Poor based on 37.8% good air days. There were 2 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality is acceptable most days, but 11 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" (AQI 101-150) and peak AQI reached 159. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
The dominant pollutant is PM2.5, driving AQI on 236 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in Orange County. Highest Good-day share: 2023 (43.8%, 160 of 365 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 118 | 207 | 28 | 11 | 56 | 218 |
| 2021 | 109 | 238 | 18 | 0 | 55 | 148 |
| 2022 | 143 | 215 | 5 | 2 | 53 | 156 |
| 2023 | 160 | 195 | 9 | 1 | 52 | 166 |
| 2024 | 119 | 231 | 13 | 3 | 54 | 172 |
| 2025 | 138 | 214 | 11 | 2 | 53 | 159 |
How does Orange County compare?
How Orange 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 Orange 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.