Metro area air quality · 2025

Española, NM

Median AQI 44 (Good). 85.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 23, 2026

44
Median AQI: 85.2%
Good-air days: 0
Unhealthy days: 79%
Cleaner than US metros

Española, NM posted a 2025 median AQI of 44 (Good) with 85.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Española, NM CBSA recorded a median AQI of 44 across 359 monitored days in 2025, with 85.2% rated Good and 0 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 Española, NM CBSA's 85.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 79% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer: Bartlesville, OK (68.0% Good, median AQI 44) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Española, NM.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Española, NM's Good-day share moved -1.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 44

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 359 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Española, NM sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (85.2% of 359 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than most US metros, with a median AQI of 44 and 85.2% of 359 monitored days in the Good band.

44
median AQI · Good: 85.2%
days rated Good: 79%
cleaner than US metros: 87
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Española, NM metro's Good-day share rose from 70.8% to 85.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +14.5 percentage points.
Española, NM metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 108 to 87 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -21 points.

Española, NM sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (85.2% of 359 monitored days). Signature read: 85.2% Good-day share (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 44 over 359 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 306 Good (85%), 53 Moderate (15%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 54; the highest single-day reading hit 87 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -1.2 points and median AQI moved +0 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Bartlesville, OK (68.0% good, AQI 44); Berlin, NH-VT (81.5% good, AQI 44); Bloomington, IL (66.0% good, AQI 44).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Good

Good Days

85.2%

306 of 359 days

Max AQI

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 54

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 359 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

306

85%

Moderate

15%

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Española, NM metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 85.2% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.

Air quality is generally acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.

How does the Española, NM metro compare?

How Española, NM compares

Compare against

Good-day share better than typical

Española, NM 85.2%

Bartlesville, OK 68.0%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI worse than typical

Española, NM 44

Bartlesville, OK 44

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr better than typical

Española, NM 0

Bartlesville, OK 1

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Española, NM metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (92.1%, 304 of 330 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	313	49	44	90
2021	276	86	44	143
2022	304	26	40	105
2023	318	28	43	71
2024	252	104	45	108
2025	306	53	44	87

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Española, NM (44).

Bartlesville, OK

Median AQI 44 · 68.0% Good-day share

Berlin, NH-VT

Median AQI 44 · 81.5% Good-day share

Bloomington, IL

Median AQI 44 · 66.0% Good-day share

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

Median AQI 44 · 71.0% Good-day share

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

Median AQI 44 · 64.7% Good-day share

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

Median AQI 44 · 63.8% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Española, NM's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Española, NM have? ▼

In 2025, the Española, NM metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 87.

What is the air quality in the Española, NM metro area? ▼

The Española, NM metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 44, rated "Good." 85.2% of monitored days (306 out of 359) had good air quality in 2025.

Is air quality in Española, NM getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Española, NM metro is stable across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2022 at 92.1% (304 of 330 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 70.8% (252 of 356 days).

What does AQI 44 mean for health? ▼

An AQI of 44 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.

How does Española, NM compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Española, NM metro has 85.2% good air days. Similar metros: Bartlesville, OK (68.0% good), Berlin, NH-VT (81.5% good), Bloomington, IL (66.0% good).

What is the 90th percentile AQI for Española, NM? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Española, NM metro area is 54, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 87 (Moderate).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Española, NM, 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, Española, NM · 2020–2025 Accessed 2026-07-06