Bernalillo, New Mexico Air Quality Today
AirHistory tracks long-run EPA monitoring rather than live readings, so for the live number check AirNow.gov below. As a baseline, Bernalillo, New Mexico's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 59 (Moderate) against a 5-year median of 59 and an overall Grade of D. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, which tells you which days are most likely to spike.
Check Today's Live AQI in Bernalillo, New Mexico
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Bernalillo, New Mexico typically looks like — not the live reading for this exact hour. For today's real-time AQI, check AirNow.gov (the EPA's official live index) or the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map during wildfire season.
That said, the history is the best predictor of a normal day. In 2023, Bernalillo, New Mexico posted a median AQI of 59 (Moderate), with 97 "Good" days and 4 days that crossed into "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or worse. The dominant pollutant, Ground-Level Ozone, is the one most likely to push today's number up — Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. It is worst on hot, sunny, stagnant summer days. Ozone irritates the lungs, triggers asthma attacks, and reduces lung function — even healthy adults can feel chest tightness and shortness of breath after exercising in elevated ozone.
Bernalillo, New Mexico Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | D41/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 59 (Moderate) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 59 (Moderate) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Ground-Level Ozone |
| 10-Year Trend | Worsening (+1.28 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 71 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #1006 of 1,020 (99th most polluted percentile) |
| New Mexico Rank | #16 of 16 |
What Does the D Grade Mean?
Bernalillo, New Mexico earns a D — air quality falls below the U.S. average, with a 5-year median AQI of 59. Residents with asthma, COPD, heart disease, or young children should watch daily AQI forecasts and limit outdoor exertion when alerts go out.
Bernalillo, New Mexico's 5-year median AQI of 59 is 18 points above the national average of 41 — meaningfully more polluted than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within New Mexico, Bernalillo, New Mexico runs more polluted than the state average of 34 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.
For context within New Mexico: Luna, New Mexico currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 17), while Eddy, New Mexico sits at the bottom (D, AQI 47).
What's in Bernalillo, New Mexico's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Bernalillo, New Mexico is Ground-Level Ozone. Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. It is worst on hot, sunny, stagnant summer days. Ozone irritates the lungs, triggers asthma attacks, and reduces lung function — even healthy adults can feel chest tightness and shortness of breath after exercising in elevated ozone.
Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-Level Ozone | 193 | 53% |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 88 | 24% |
| Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) | 83 | 23% |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | 1 | 0% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Bernalillo, New Mexico has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 1.3 points per year. That bucks the national trend of broad improvement, and most often reflects either growing wildfire smoke exposure (particularly across the West) or rising local emissions from population and freight growth.
In 2014, Bernalillo, New Mexico posted a median AQI of 52. By 2023 that figure was 59 — a rise of 7 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Bernalillo, New Mexico
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 52 | 156 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2015 | 51 | 166 | 4 | Ozone |
| 2016 | 52 | 170 | 3 | Ozone |
| 2017 | 53 | 145 | 4 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 57 | 137 | 19 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 55 | 134 | 4 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 57 | 105 | 9 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 63 | 60 | 21 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 63 | 81 | 33 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 59 | 97 | 4 | Ozone |
Health Context for Bernalillo, New Mexico
Across the past five years, this area has logged 71 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 14 days per year. That is roughly typical for a U.S. metro, with most caution days clustered in summer (ozone) or wildfire season.
Treat daily AQI forecasts as essential input. On flagged days, sensitive groups (asthma, COPD, heart disease, pregnancy, young children, older adults) should limit outdoor exertion and keep windows closed. A HEPA air cleaner sized to a bedroom or family room can cut indoor PM2.5 by 80%+ during smoke or pollution events. Because ozone peaks in the afternoon on hot sunny days, plan outdoor exercise for early morning or after sunset on bad-air days.
How This Grade Is Calculated
The AirHistory Air Quality Grade combines four signals: the 5-year median AQI (40% of the score), the 10-year trend direction (30%), the count of unhealthy days per year (20%), and the dominant pollutant type (10%). All four come directly from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), which aggregates readings from federally certified monitors. Read the full methodology.
More about Bernalillo, New Mexico
Bernalillo, New Mexico has an Air Quality Grade of D (poor) with a 5-year median AQI of 59. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been worsening over the past decade.
This answer pulls from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), the authoritative federal source for U.S. air quality and pollution monitoring. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data, 2026.