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AirHistory

What Is the Air Quality in Caguas, Puerto Rico?

Caguas, Puerto Rico has an Air Quality Grade of A (excellent) with a 5-year median AQI of 10. The dominant pollutant is Nitrogen Dioxide, and air quality has been improving over the past decade.

Caguas, Puerto Rico Air Quality Snapshot

Air Quality GradeA97/100
5-Year Median AQI10 (Good)
Most Recent Median AQI (2023)6 (Good)
Dominant PollutantNitrogen Dioxide
10-Year TrendImproving (-2.30 AQI/yr)
Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr)5
National Rank (cleanest = #1)#9 of 1,020 (1th cleanest percentile)
Puerto Rico Rank#2 of 11

What Does the A Grade Mean?

Caguas, Puerto Rico earns an A — it is among the cleanest U.S. cities tracked by EPA monitoring, with median AQI averaging just 10 over the past five years. Days in the "Good" category dominate the calendar; air-quality alerts are rare.

Caguas, Puerto Rico's 5-year median AQI of 10 is 31 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within Puerto Rico, Caguas, Puerto Rico runs cleaner than the state average of 23 — a positive signal that local conditions (terrain, wind patterns, emission sources) are working in residents' favor.

For context within Puerto Rico: San Juan, Puerto Rico currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 10), while Catano, Puerto Rico sits at the bottom (D, AQI 42).

What's in Caguas, Puerto Rico's Air?

The dominant pollutant in Caguas, Puerto Rico is Nitrogen Dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide is emitted directly from vehicle engines, power plants, and gas appliances. It is highest near busy roads and in urban centers. Long-term NO2 exposure is linked to the development of asthma in children and to higher rates of respiratory infection.

Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)

PollutantDays as DominantShare of Year
Carbon Monoxide13452%
Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)8935%
Nitrogen Dioxide3313%

Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?

Air quality in Caguas, Puerto Rico has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 2.3 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 2016, Caguas, Puerto Rico posted a median AQI of 25. By 2023 that figure was 6 — a drop of 19 AQI points cleaner across 8 years of EPA records.

Year-by-Year AQI in Caguas, Puerto Rico

YearMedian AQIGood DaysUnhealthy DaysDominant Pollutant
20162591NO2
2017242091NO2
201891990CO
2019103224NO2
2020103060CO
2021141800CO
202292910NO2
202362421CO

Health Context for Caguas, Puerto Rico

Across the past five years, this area has logged just 5 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.

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. NO2 concentrations drop quickly as you move away from traffic. Walking or biking on residential streets rather than along major arterials can cut personal exposure in half.

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.

Caguas, Puerto Rico has an Air Quality Grade of A (excellent) with a 5-year median AQI of 10. The dominant pollutant is Nitrogen Dioxide, 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.