What Is the Air Quality in Inyo, California?

Inyo, California earns an F — among the most polluted areas tracked by EPA monitoring, with a 5-year median AQI of 57. The city sees a high count of unhealthy air days, and residents with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions should treat AQI forecasts as a serious daily input.

Inyo, California's 5-year median AQI of 57 is 16 points above the national average of 41 — meaningfully more polluted than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within California, Inyo, California runs more polluted than the state average of 49 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.

For context within California: Humboldt, California currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 28), while San Bernardino, California sits at the bottom (F, AQI 82).

Air quality in Inyo, California has been getting worse over the past decade, with median AQI climbing by roughly 1.7 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, Inyo, California posted a median AQI of 48. By 2023 that figure was 61 — a rise of 13 AQI points dirtier across 10 years of EPA records.

Across the past five years, this area has logged 163 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 33 days per year, or roughly one every five to seven days. That is well above the national norm and explains the F grade.

Treat daily AQI forecasts as essential input. On flagged days, sensitive groups (asthma, COPD, heart disease, pregnancy, young children, older adults) should limit outdoor exertion and keep windows closed. A HEPA air cleaner sized to a bedroom or family room can cut indoor PM2.5 by 80%+ during smoke or pollution events. Because ozone peaks in the afternoon on hot sunny days, plan outdoor exercise for early morning or after sunset on bad-air days.