Metro area air quality · 2025

Hobbs, NM

Median AQI 44 (Good). 68.8% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

44
Median AQI
68.8%
Good-air days
5
Unhealthy days
43%
Cleaner than US metros

Hobbs, NM posted a 2025 median AQI of 44 (Good) with 68.8% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Hobbs, NM CBSA recorded a median AQI of 44 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 68.8% rated Good and 5 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 Hobbs, NM CBSA's 68.8% Good-day share places it cleaner than 43% 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 Hobbs, NM.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Hobbs, NM's Good-day share moved -15.4 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 44

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

The verdict

Hobbs, NM's peak reading 193 is in the upper max-AQI tercile among CBSA metros here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 44 and 68.8% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

44
median AQI · Good
68.8%
days rated Good
43%
cleaner than US metros
193
worst single reading

5 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Hobbs, NM metro's Unhealthy-category days rose from 0 to 5 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5 days.
  • Hobbs, NM metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 150 to 193 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +43 points.
  • Hobbs, NM metro's Good-day share fell from 71.0% to 69.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.7 percentage points.

Compared against 359 monitored days in 2024 and 362 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

Hobbs, NM's peak reading 193 is in the upper max-AQI tercile among CBSA metros here. Signature read: peak AQI 193 (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 44 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 251 Good (69%), 106 Moderate (29%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 64; the highest single-day reading hit 193 (Unhealthy).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -15.4 points and median AQI moved +4 (worsening). The annual record contains 5 days at Unhealthy or worse. 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).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

44

Good

Good Days

68.8%

251 of 365 days

Max AQI

193

Unhealthy

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 64

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

251

69%

Moderate

106

29%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

5

1%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Hobbs, NM metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 68.8% good air days. There were 5 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality is acceptable most days, but 3 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and peak AQI reached 193. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.

How does the Hobbs, NM metro compare?

How Hobbs, NM compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Hobbs, NM 68.8%
Bartlesville, OK 68.0%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Hobbs, NM 44
Bartlesville, OK 44
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical
Hobbs, NM 5
Bartlesville, OK 1
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Hobbs, NM metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (84.7%, 310 of 366 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 310 56 0 40
2021 257 105 1 44
2022 237 123 0 44
2023 235 122 0 45
2024 255 104 0 44
2025 251 106 5 44

Metros with a similar median AQI

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

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Hobbs, NM's 5 (independent of median AQI).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 90th percentile AQI for Hobbs, NM?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Hobbs, NM metro area is 64, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 193 (Unhealthy).
How many unhealthy air days does Hobbs, NM have?
In 2025, the Hobbs, NM metro area recorded 5 unhealthy air days (5 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 193.
What is the air quality in the Hobbs, NM metro area?
The Hobbs, NM metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 44, rated "Good." 68.8% of monitored days (251 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Hobbs, NM getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Hobbs, NM 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: 2020 at 84.7% (310 of 366 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 65.8% (235 of 357 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 Hobbs, NM compare to other metro areas?
The Hobbs, NM metro has 68.8% good air days. Similar metros: Bartlesville, OK (68.0% good), Berlin, NH-VT (81.5% good), Bloomington, IL (66.0% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Hobbs, NM, 2025. See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary, Hobbs, NM · 2020–2025