Montana · County air quality · 2025
Sanders County, Montana
Median AQI 16 (Good). 82.0% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 16
- Median AQI
- 82.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 62%
- Cleaner than US counties
Sanders County's 2025 annual median AQI is 16 (Good), with 82.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Sanders County, Montana posted a 2025 median AQI of 16 (Good) across 345 monitored days, with 82.0% rated Good and 0 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- Sanders County's 82.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 62% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Cook County (88.0% Good, median AQI 16) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Sanders County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Sanders County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is improving from 2020 to 2025 (83.2% → 82.0%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 16
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Sanders County, Montana ranks #21 of 951 by median AQI (16) and #365 by good-day share (82.0%). 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
- Sanders County's Good-day share fell from 93.1% to 82.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -11.1 percentage points.
- Sanders County's median AQI fell from 21 to 16 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5 points.
- Sanders County's peak single-day AQI rose from 69 to 85 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +16 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 283 d · 82.0%
- Moderate · 62 d · 18.0%
How did Sanders County's air break down in 2025?
Across 345 monitored days, 283 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 85 (Moderate).
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 Sanders County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Sanders County's Good-day share is 82.0% - cleaner than 62% of that comparison set.
Sanders County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
82.0% Cleaner than 62% higher than 62% 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 Sanders County.
- PM10 · 326 days · 94.5%
- PM2.5 · 19 days · 5.5%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Sanders County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (364 reported days in 2024). Jan posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 40, peak 65); May was cleanest at median 15. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 26 vs 29 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,815 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Nov has the highest matched-month median AQI (47), while May is lowest (23). 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
Sanders County's air quality is rated Good based on 82.0% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.
Air quality was acceptable on 82.0% of monitored days in 2025, with a median AQI of 16. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.
The dominant pollutant is PM10, driving AQI on 326 of 345 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in Sanders County. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (93.1%, 339 of 364 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 302 | 56 | 1 | 4 | 31 | 261 |
| 2021 | 232 | 104 | 8 | 11 | 42 | 207 |
| 2022 | 266 | 94 | 2 | 3 | 36 | 188 |
| 2023 | 263 | 96 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 181 |
| 2024 | 339 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 69 |
| 2025 | 283 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 85 |
How does Sanders County compare?
How Sanders 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 Sanders County, Montana · 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.