Metro area air quality · 2025

Grand Junction, CO

Median AQI 46 (Good). 65.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

46
Median AQI
65.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
34%
Cleaner than US metros

Grand Junction, CO posted a 2025 median AQI of 46 (Good) with 65.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Grand Junction, CO CBSA recorded a median AQI of 46 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 65.2% 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 Grand Junction, CO CBSA's 65.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 34% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Albany, GA (57.3% Good, median AQI 46) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Grand Junction, CO.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Grand Junction, CO's Good-day share moved -7.0 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 46

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Grand Junction, CO's median AQI 46 is in the upper (dirtier) CBSA tercile on this site. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 46 and 65.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

46
median AQI · Good
65.2%
days rated Good
34%
cleaner than US metros
97
worst single reading

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

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Grand Junction, CO metro's Good-day share rose from 59.9% to 65.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.3 percentage points.
  • Grand Junction, CO metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 136 to 97 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -39 points.

Compared against 359 monitored days in 2024 and 365 in 2025. These are arithmetic differences between two stored EPA annual summaries, not a cause claim or a live advisory.

National release changes Two-year CSV

Grand Junction, CO's median AQI 46 is in the upper (dirtier) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 46 (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 46 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 238 Good (65%), 127 Moderate (35%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 64; the highest single-day reading hit 97 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -7.0 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Albany, GA (57.3% good, AQI 46); Athens-Clarke County, GA (57.8% good, AQI 46); Brookings, SD (58.6% good, AQI 46).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

46

Good

Good Days

65.2%

238 of 365 days

Max AQI

97

Moderate

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 64

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

238

65%

Moderate

127

35%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Grand Junction, CO metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 65.2% 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 Grand Junction, CO metro compare?

How Grand Junction, CO compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Grand Junction, CO 65.2%
Albany, GA 57.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Grand Junction, CO 46
Albany, GA 46
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Grand Junction, CO 0
Albany, GA 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Grand Junction, CO metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (77.5%, 282 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 262 101 0 44
2021 247 116 0 46
2022 282 82 0 44
2023 246 119 0 46
2024 215 144 0 48
2025 238 127 0 46

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Grand Junction, CO (46).

Albany, GA

Median AQI 46 · 57.3% Good-day share

46

Athens-Clarke County, GA

Median AQI 46 · 57.8% Good-day share

46

Brookings, SD

Median AQI 46 · 58.6% Good-day share

46

Chico, CA

Median AQI 46 · 65.2% Good-day share

46

Colorado Springs, CO

Median AQI 46 · 68.2% Good-day share

46

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

Median AQI 46 · 56.7% Good-day share

46

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

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

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AQI 46 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 46 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 many unhealthy air days does Grand Junction, CO have? ▼
In 2025, the Grand Junction, CO metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 97.
What is the air quality in the Grand Junction, CO metro area? ▼
The Grand Junction, CO metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 46, rated "Good." 65.2% of monitored days (238 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Grand Junction, CO getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Grand Junction, CO metro is worsening 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 77.5% (282 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 59.9% (215 of 359 days).
How does Grand Junction, CO compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Grand Junction, CO metro has 65.2% good air days. Similar metros: Albany, GA (57.3% good), Athens-Clarke County, GA (57.8% good), Brookings, SD (58.6% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Grand Junction, CO? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Grand Junction, CO metro area is 64, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 97 (Moderate).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Grand Junction, CO, 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, Grand Junction, CO · 2020–2025