Burke, North Dakota 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, Burke, North Dakota's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 44 (Good) against a 5-year median of 38 and an overall Grade of C. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, which tells you which days are most likely to spike.
Check Today's Live AQI in Burke, North Dakota
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Burke, North Dakota 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, Burke, North Dakota posted a median AQI of 44 (Good), with 221 "Good" days and 21 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.
Burke, North Dakota Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | C60/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 38 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 44 (Good) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Ground-Level Ozone |
| 10-Year Trend | Worsening (+0.56 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 30 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #377 of 1,020 (37th cleanest percentile) |
| North Dakota Rank | #7 of 10 |
What Does the C Grade Mean?
Burke, North Dakota earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 38, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.
Burke, North Dakota's 5-year median AQI of 38 is 3 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within North Dakota, Burke, North Dakota's air quality is roughly typical for the state, where the average city posts a 5-year median AQI of 37.
For context within North Dakota: Williams, North Dakota currently holds the state's cleanest grade (B, AQI 34), while Ward, North Dakota sits at the bottom (C, AQI 36).
What's in Burke, North Dakota's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Burke, North Dakota 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 | 202 | 56% |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 159 | 44% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Burke, North Dakota has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 0.6 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, Burke, North Dakota posted a median AQI of 37. By 2023 that figure was 44 — a rise of 7 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Burke, North Dakota
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 37 | 316 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2015 | 39 | 290 | 10 | Ozone |
| 2016 | 33 | 350 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2017 | 36 | 313 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 34 | 311 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 34 | 348 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 35 | 340 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 38 | 283 | 9 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 40 | 304 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 44 | 221 | 21 | Ozone |
Health Context for Burke, North Dakota
Across the past five years, this area has logged 30 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 6 days per year. That is roughly typical for a U.S. metro, with most caution days clustered in summer (ozone) or wildfire season.
Healthy adults can continue normal outdoor activity in most weather, but should pay attention to AQI alerts during the worst pollution windows. People with asthma, heart disease, or pregnancy should reduce prolonged or intense outdoor exertion on flagged days, and consider running an indoor HEPA air cleaner during peak season. 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 Burke, North Dakota
Burke, North Dakota has an Air Quality Grade of C (fair) with a 5-year median AQI of 38. 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.
A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.
Source: EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data, 2026.