Scott, Minnesota 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, Scott, Minnesota's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 51 (Moderate) against a 5-year median of 41 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 Scott, Minnesota
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Scott, Minnesota 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, Scott, Minnesota posted a median AQI of 51 (Moderate), with 173 "Good" days and 17 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.
Scott, Minnesota Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | C53/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 41 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 51 (Moderate) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Ground-Level Ozone |
| 10-Year Trend | Worsening (+1.39 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 18 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #556 of 1,020 (55th most polluted percentile) |
| Minnesota Rank | #18 of 21 |
What Does the C Grade Mean?
Scott, Minnesota earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 41, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.
Scott, Minnesota's 5-year median AQI of 41 is right around the national average of 41 across the 1,020 monitored U.S. cities tracked here. Within Minnesota, Scott, Minnesota runs more polluted than the state average of 36 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.
For context within Minnesota: Cook, Minnesota currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 12), while Cass, Minnesota sits at the bottom (C, AQI 32).
What's in Scott, Minnesota's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Scott, Minnesota 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 219 | 60% |
| Ground-Level Ozone | 146 | 40% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Scott, Minnesota has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 1.4 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, Scott, Minnesota posted a median AQI of 36. By 2023 that figure was 51 — a rise of 15 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Scott, Minnesota
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 36 | 255 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2015 | 34 | 331 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2016 | 32 | 328 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2017 | 34 | 321 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 37 | 306 | 2 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 38 | 273 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 35 | 307 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 39 | 263 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 42 | 282 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 51 | 173 | 17 | PM2.5 |
Health Context for Scott, Minnesota
Across the past five years, this area has logged just 18 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 4 days per year, or roughly one every other month. That is a low count by national standards.
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 Scott, Minnesota
Scott, Minnesota has an Air Quality Grade of C (fair) with a 5-year median AQI of 41. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, 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.