What Is the Air Quality in Brookings, South Dakota?

Brookings, South Dakota earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 40, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.

Brookings, South Dakota's 5-year median AQI of 40 is right around the national average of 41 across the 1,020 monitored U.S. cities tracked here. Within South Dakota, Brookings, South Dakota 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 South Dakota: Hughes, South Dakota currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 13), while Codington, South Dakota sits at the bottom (D, AQI 40).

Air quality in Brookings, South Dakota has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 0.5 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, Brookings, South Dakota posted a median AQI of 36. By 2023 that figure was 42 — a rise of 6 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.

Across the past five years, this area has logged just 20 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.