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AirHistory

What Is the Air Quality in Amador, California?

Amador, California has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 37. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been improving over the past decade.

Amador, California Air Quality Snapshot

Air Quality GradeB71/100
5-Year Median AQI37 (Good)
Most Recent Median AQI (2023)36 (Good)
Dominant PollutantGround-Level Ozone
10-Year TrendImproving (-0.56 AQI/yr)
Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr)10
National Rank (cleanest = #1)#314 of 1,020 (31th cleanest percentile)
California Rank#9 of 53

What Does the B Grade Mean?

Amador, California earns a B — air quality is reliably in the safe range for most residents most of the time, with a 5-year median AQI of 37. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.

Amador, California's 5-year median AQI of 37 is 4 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within California, Amador, California runs cleaner than the state average of 49 — a positive signal that local conditions (terrain, wind patterns, emission sources) are working in residents' favor.

For context within California: Humboldt, California currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 28), while Inyo, California sits at the bottom (F, AQI 57).

What's in Amador, California's Air?

The dominant pollutant in Amador, California 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)

PollutantDays as DominantShare of Year
Ground-Level Ozone360100%

Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?

Air quality in Amador, California has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 0.6 points per year. That is consistent with the broader national pattern — most U.S. metros have seen steady reductions in particulate and ozone pollution since the 2010s as cleaner vehicles and power plants come online.

In 2014, Amador, California posted a median AQI of 42. By 2023 that figure was 36 — a drop of 6 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.

Year-by-Year AQI in Amador, California

YearMedian AQIGood DaysUnhealthy DaysDominant Pollutant
20144226310Ozone
2015412838Ozone
2016373045Ozone
2017382914Ozone
2018402886Ozone
2019393082Ozone
2020373273Ozone
2021373074Ozone
2022363331Ozone
2023363410Ozone

Health Context for Amador, California

Across the past five years, this area has logged just 10 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 2 days per year, or roughly one every other month. That is a low count by national standards.

For most healthy adults, current air quality in this area does not require any change in behavior. People with severe asthma, COPD, or recent cardiac events should still keep an eye on daily AQI alerts, especially during wildfire 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.

Amador, California has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 37. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been improving 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.