Metro area air quality · 2025
Bakersfield, CA
Median AQI 70 (Moderate). 17.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 70
- Median AQI
- 17.5%
- Good-air days
- 4
- Unhealthy days
- 1%
- Cleaner than US metros
Bakersfield, CA posted a 2025 median AQI of 70 (Moderate) with 17.5% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Bakersfield, CA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 70 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 17.5% rated Good and 4 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual metro comparison, not a live advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US metros
- The Bakersfield, CA CBSA's 17.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 1% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- El Paso, TX (18.1% Good, median AQI 70) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Bakersfield, CA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Bakersfield, CA's Good-day share moved -0.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -13).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 70
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Bakersfield, CA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (17.5% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs moderate, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 70 and 17.5% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 70
- median AQI · Moderate
- 17.5%
- days rated Good
- 1%
- cleaner than US metros
- 200
- worst single reading
4 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.
Annual release change
What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release
- Bakersfield, CA metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 21 to 4 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -17 days.
- Bakersfield, CA metro's Good-day share fell from 25.9% to 21.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -4.9 percentage points.
- Bakersfield, CA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 177 to 200 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +23 points.
Bakersfield, CA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (17.5% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 17.5% Good-day share (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 70 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Very Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 64 Good (18%), 236 Moderate (65%), and 61 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (17%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 112; the highest single-day reading hit 200 (Unhealthy).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -0.2 points and median AQI moved -13 (improving). The annual record contains 4 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include El Paso, TX (18.1% good, AQI 70); San Diego-Carlsbad, CA (17.5% good, AQI 67); Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (10.7% good, AQI 74).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
70
Moderate
Good Days
17.5%
64 of 365 days
Max AQI
200
Unhealthy
Health Grade
Very Poor
90th pct: 112
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
64
18%
Moderate
236
65%
USG
61
17%
Unhealthy
4
1%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Bakersfield, CA metro area'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" and peak AQI reached 200. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
How does the Bakersfield, CA metro compare?
How Bakersfield, CA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Bakersfield, CA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2023 (27.7%, 85 of 307 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 56 | 180 | 28 | 83 | 267 |
| 2021 | 35 | 202 | 29 | 84 | 314 |
| 2022 | 47 | 196 | 12 | 80 | 289 |
| 2023 | 85 | 210 | 12 | 69 | 174 |
| 2024 | 76 | 196 | 21 | 72 | 177 |
| 2025 | 64 | 236 | 4 | 70 | 200 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Bakersfield, CA (70).
El Paso, TX
Median AQI 70 · 18.1% Good-day share
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
Median AQI 67 · 17.5% Good-day share
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Median AQI 74 · 10.7% Good-day share
El Centro, CA
Median AQI 64 · 27.7% Good-day share
Visalia-Porterville, CA
Median AQI 64 · 24.1% Good-day share
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Median AQI 63 · 10.1% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Bakersfield, CA's 4 (independent of median AQI).
Bishop, CA
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 55
Bismarck, ND
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 40
Dickinson, ND
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 53
St. Louis, MO-IL
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 56
Wausau, WI
4 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 36
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Bakersfield, CA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Bakersfield, CA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Bakersfield, CA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 70 mean for health? ▼
How does Bakersfield, CA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Bakersfield, CA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Bakersfield, CA, 2025. See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.
Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary, Bakersfield, CA · 2020–2025