Metro area air quality · 2025
Sonora, CA
Median AQI 39 (Good). 87.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 39
- Median AQI
- 87.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 82%
- Cleaner than US metros
Sonora, CA posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) with 87.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Sonora, CA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 39 across 338 monitored days in 2025, with 87.0% 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 Sonora, CA CBSA's 87.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 82% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Bay City, MI (70.4% Good, median AQI 39) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Sonora, CA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Sonora, CA's Good-day share moved +7.6 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 39
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 338 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
The Sonora, CA metro runs good on the EPA scale, cleaner than most US metros, a median AQI of 39 with 87.0% of 338 monitored days in the Good band.
- 39
- median AQI · Good
- 87.0%
- days rated Good
- 82%
- cleaner than US metros
- 105
- 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
- Sonora, CA metro's Good-day share rose from 81.7% to 87.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.5 percentage points.
- Sonora, CA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 115 to 105 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -10 points.
Insights: Sonora, CA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 39 over 338 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Good metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 294 Good days (87%), 43 Moderate (13%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 54 while the highest single-day reading hit 105 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 26.1 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 +7.6 points and the median AQI moved -2 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 Bay City, MI (70.4% good, AQI 39); Brainerd, MN (74.3% good, AQI 39); Cambridge, MD (86.0% good, AQI 39).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
39
Good
Good Days
87.0%
294 of 338 days
Max AQI
105
USG
Health Grade
Good
90th pct: 54
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 338 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
294
87%
Moderate
43
13%
USG
1
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Sonora, CA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 87.0% 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 Sonora, CA metro compare?
How Sonora, CA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Sonora, CA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (95.2%, 237 of 249 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 277 | 71 | 0 | 41 | 143 |
| 2021 | 295 | 63 | 0 | 41 | 136 |
| 2022 | 237 | 12 | 0 | 39 | 108 |
| 2023 | 237 | 51 | 0 | 43 | 112 |
| 2024 | 286 | 64 | 0 | 40 | 115 |
| 2025 | 294 | 43 | 0 | 39 | 105 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Sonora, CA (39).
Bay City, MI
Median AQI 39 · 70.4% Good-day share
Brainerd, MN
Median AQI 39 · 74.3% Good-day share
Cambridge, MD
Median AQI 39 · 86.0% Good-day share
Charleston, WV
Median AQI 39 · 77.0% Good-day share
Dalton, GA
Median AQI 39 · 90.3% Good-day share
Harrisonburg, VA
Median AQI 39 · 80.0% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Sonora, 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 Sonora, CA metro area? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Sonora, CA have? ▼
Is air quality in Sonora, CA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 39 mean for health? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Sonora, CA? ▼
How does Sonora, 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.