Texas · County air quality · 2025
El Paso County, Texas
Median AQI 70 (Moderate). 18.1% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 70
- Median AQI
- 18.1%
- Good-air days
- 30
- Unhealthy days
- 1%
- Cleaner than US counties
El Paso County's 2025 annual median AQI is 70 (Moderate), with 18.1% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, El Paso County, Texas posted a 2025 median AQI of 70 (Moderate) across 365 monitored days, with 18.1% rated Good and 30 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- El Paso County's 18.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 1% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Kern County (17.5% Good, median AQI 70) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to El Paso County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- El Paso County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is worsening from 2020 to 2025 (26.0% → 19.0%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 70
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, El Paso County, Texas ranks #946 of 951 by median AQI (70) and #943 by good-day share (18.1%). 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
- El Paso County's peak single-day AQI rose from 431 to 2122 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +1691 points.
- El Paso County's Unhealthy-category days rose from 7 to 12 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5 days.
- El Paso County's Good-day share fell from 22.1% to 18.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -4.0 percentage points.
- El Paso County's median AQI rose from 67 to 70 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 66 d · 18.1%
- Moderate · 236 d · 64.7%
- USG · 33 d · 9.0%
- Unhealthy · 12 d · 3.3%
- Very Unhealthy · 6 d · 1.6%
- Hazardous · 12 d · 3.3%
How did El Paso County's air break down in 2025?
Across 365 monitored days, 66 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 30 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 2122 (Hazardous) - a reading beyond the EPA’s standard 0–500 AQI scale, reflecting an extreme wildfire-smoke event or a transient monitor anomaly.
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 El Paso County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. El Paso County's Good-day share is 18.1% - cleaner than 1% of that comparison set.
El Paso County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
18.1% 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 El Paso County.
- PM10 · 182 days · 49.9%
- Ozone · 108 days · 29.6%
- PM2.5 · 72 days · 19.7%
- NO₂ · 3 days · 0.8%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in El Paso County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Apr posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 86, peak 186); Jan was cleanest at median 44. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 80 vs 56 in Dec–Feb. 12 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: Jul has the highest matched-month median AQI (75), while Jan is lowest (50). 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
El Paso County's air quality is rated Very Poor based on 18.1% good air days. There were 30 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality posed significant health risk in 2025. Sensitive groups, including people with asthma, COPD, cardiovascular conditions, children, pregnant women, and adults over 65, should monitor AirNow.gov alerts and limit outdoor activity on Unhealthy (AQI 151+) and Very Unhealthy (201+) days. Peak readings reached AQI 2122, beyond EPA's standard 0-500 scale, indicating an extreme event.
Sensitive group advisory
People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, pregnant women, and adults 65+ should follow EPA AQI alerts daily and limit outdoor exertion when AQI exceeds 100. Real-time conditions: airnow.gov.
Note: EPA's standard AQI scale caps at 500 (Hazardous category 301-500). The 2122 peak reading represents an extreme event, typically wildfire smoke, extrapolated beyond the index's design range. See EPA wildfire smoke guidance.
The dominant pollutant is PM10, driving AQI on 182 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in El Paso County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (26.0%, 95 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 95 | 252 | 17 | 2 | 59 | 192 |
| 2021 | 91 | 255 | 19 | 0 | 59 | 150 |
| 2022 | 72 | 273 | 19 | 1 | 59 | 163 |
| 2023 | 69 | 277 | 18 | 1 | 64 | 155 |
| 2024 | 81 | 222 | 51 | 7 | 67 | 431 |
| 2025 | 66 | 236 | 33 | 12 | 70 | 2122 |
How does El Paso County compare?
How El Paso 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 El Paso County, Texas · 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.