Lincoln, Montana 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, Lincoln, Montana's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 53 (Moderate) against a 5-year median of 52 and an overall Grade of C. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), which tells you which days are most likely to spike.
Check Today's Live AQI in Lincoln, Montana
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Lincoln, Montana 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, Lincoln, Montana posted a median AQI of 53 (Moderate), with 151 "Good" days and 4 days that crossed into "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or worse. The dominant pollutant, Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), is the one most likely to push today's number up — Fine particulate matter — particles less than 2.5 micrometers across — comes mostly from combustion: vehicle exhaust, wildfire smoke, residential wood burning, and industrial emissions. Because these particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is the pollutant most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature death.
Lincoln, Montana Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | C50/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 52 (Moderate) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 53 (Moderate) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) |
| 10-Year Trend | Worsening (+0.83 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 37 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #963 of 1,020 (94th most polluted percentile) |
| Montana Rank | #18 of 19 |
What Does the C Grade Mean?
Lincoln, Montana earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 52, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.
Lincoln, Montana's 5-year median AQI of 52 is 11 points above the national average of 41 — meaningfully more polluted than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within Montana, Lincoln, Montana runs more polluted than the state average of 31 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.
For context within Montana: Rosebud, Montana currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 23), while Sanders, Montana sits at the bottom (D, AQI 36).
What's in Lincoln, Montana's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Lincoln, Montana is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). Fine particulate matter — particles less than 2.5 micrometers across — comes mostly from combustion: vehicle exhaust, wildfire smoke, residential wood burning, and industrial emissions. Because these particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is the pollutant most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature death.
Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 364 | 100% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Lincoln, Montana has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 0.8 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, Montana posted a median AQI of 41. By 2023 that figure was 53 — a rise of 12 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Lincoln, Montana
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41 | 209 | 2 | PM2.5 |
| 2015 | 52 | 168 | 21 | PM2.5 |
| 2016 | 44 | 212 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2017 | 53 | 151 | 13 | PM2.5 |
| 2018 | 55 | 139 | 20 | PM2.5 |
| 2019 | 48 | 189 | 1 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 52 | 175 | 9 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 56 | 125 | 17 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 49 | 184 | 6 | PM2.5 |
| 2023 | 53 | 151 | 4 | PM2.5 |
Health Context for Lincoln, Montana
Across the past five years, this area has logged 37 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 7 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 PM2.5 penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream, an N95 or KN95 mask provides meaningful protection on smoky or high-particulate days — surgical masks do not.
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, Montana
Lincoln, Montana has an Air Quality Grade of C (fair) with a 5-year median AQI of 52. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), 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.