Is the Air Quality Good in Lincoln, Wyoming?
Mostly — air quality in Lincoln, Wyoming is fair, not pristine. The city earns a Grade of C (fair) on a 5-year median AQI of 29 (Good), with 7 unhealthy-air days over five years (about 1 per year). Healthy adults are fine most of the time, but sensitive groups should watch the daily forecast.
Who Can Safely Breathe the Air in Lincoln, Wyoming?
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. PM10 is largely a near-source pollutant — staying upwind of busy roads, construction, and unpaved areas can substantially reduce exposure.
Across the past five years, this area has logged just 7 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 1 days per year, or roughly one every other month. That is a low count by national standards.
Lincoln, Wyoming Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | C57/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 29 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 44 (Good) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) |
| 10-Year Trend | Worsening (+3.42 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 7 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #120 of 1,020 (12th cleanest percentile) |
| Wyoming Rank | #5 of 18 |
What Does the C Grade Mean?
Lincoln, Wyoming earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 29, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.
Lincoln, Wyoming's 5-year median AQI of 29 is 12 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within Wyoming, Lincoln, Wyoming runs cleaner than the state average of 37 — a positive signal that local conditions (terrain, wind patterns, emission sources) are working in residents' favor.
For context within Wyoming: Carbon, Wyoming currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 16), while Johnson, Wyoming sits at the bottom (C, AQI 40).
What's in Lincoln, Wyoming's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Lincoln, Wyoming is Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10). Coarse particulate matter — particles up to 10 micrometers across — typically comes from dust, construction sites, agriculture, unpaved roads, and natural sources like windblown soil. PM10 is less hazardous than PM2.5 because the larger particles do not penetrate as deeply into the lungs, but high levels still aggravate asthma and irritate airways.
Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-Level Ozone | 344 | 94% |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | 9 | 2% |
| Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) | 7 | 2% |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 5 | 1% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Lincoln, Wyoming has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 3.4 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, Lincoln, Wyoming posted a median AQI of 14. By 2023 that figure was 44 — a rise of 30 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Lincoln, Wyoming
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14 | 358 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2015 | 13 | 355 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2016 | 13 | 363 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2017 | 14 | 348 | 1 | PM10 |
| 2018 | 16 | 343 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2019 | 12 | 364 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2020 | 15 | 357 | 0 | PM10 |
| 2021 | 30 | 297 | 6 | PM10 |
| 2022 | 43 | 321 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 44 | 298 | 0 | Ozone |
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 Lincoln, Wyoming
Lincoln, Wyoming has an Air Quality Grade of C (fair) with a 5-year median AQI of 29. The dominant pollutant is Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10), and air quality has been worsening over the past decade.
The data source behind this answer is the EPA Air Quality System (AQS). Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
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.