Metro area air quality · 2025
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Median AQI 35 (Good). 87.7% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 35
- Median AQI
- 87.7%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 82%
- Cleaner than US metros
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA posted a 2025 median AQI of 35 (Good) with 87.7% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 35 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 87.7% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA CBSA's 87.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 82% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Baraboo, WI (75.6% Good, median AQI 35) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA's Good-day share moved +14.4 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -4).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 35
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro runs good on the EPA scale, cleaner than most US metros, a median AQI of 35 with 87.7% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 35
- median AQI · Good
- 87.7%
- days rated Good
- 82%
- cleaner than US metros
- 71
- 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
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro's Good-day share rose from 80.1% to 87.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +7.6 percentage points.
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro's median AQI fell from 39 to 35 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -4 points.
Insights: Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 35 over 365 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Good metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 320 Good days (88%), 45 Moderate (12%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 53 while the highest single-day reading hit 71 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 26.3 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.
Across the 2020–2025 trend window, the share of monitored days rated Good shifted by +14.4 points and the median AQI moved -4 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as improving. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Baraboo, WI (75.6% good, AQI 35); Effingham, IL (95.5% good, AQI 35); Ithaca, NY (93.2% good, AQI 35).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
35
Good
Good Days
87.7%
320 of 365 days
Max AQI
71
Moderate
Health Grade
Good
90th pct: 53
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
320
88%
Moderate
45
12%
USG
0
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 87.7% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro compare?
How Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro. Best year: 2025 (320 good days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 261 | 85 | 10 | 39 | 624 |
| 2021 | 298 | 67 | 0 | 37 | 80 |
| 2022 | 287 | 78 | 0 | 35 | 93 |
| 2023 | 300 | 64 | 0 | 36 | 130 |
| 2024 | 293 | 73 | 0 | 39 | 80 |
| 2025 | 320 | 45 | 0 | 35 | 71 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (35).
Baraboo, WI
Median AQI 35 · 75.6% Good-day share
Effingham, IL
Median AQI 35 · 95.5% Good-day share
Ithaca, NY
Median AQI 35 · 93.2% Good-day share
Kinston, NC
Median AQI 35 · 97.5% Good-day share
Meridian, MS
Median AQI 35 · 94.6% Good-day share
Morehead City, NC
Median AQI 35 · 96.2% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA'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
More Air Quality Data
Explore EPA air quality rankings and guides across U.S. metros and counties.
Cleanest Metro Areas
U.S. metros ranked by their share of Good air-quality days.
Worst Air Quality
Counties and metros with the most unhealthy air days.
All Metro Areas
Annual AQI by CBSA for every monitored U.S. metro area.
Best and Worst City Air
What drives urban air quality and how metro areas compare.
Air Quality Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the air quality in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA have? ▼
Is air quality in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 35 mean for health? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA? ▼
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA compare to other metro areas? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset, 2020–2025. 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 files (metro-level) · 2020–2025
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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.