What Is the Air Quality in Scott, Iowa?
Scott, Iowa has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 52. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), and air quality has been improving over the past decade.
Scott, Iowa Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | B66/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 52 (Moderate) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 53 (Moderate) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) |
| 10-Year Trend | Improving (-1.15 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 29 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #965 of 1,020 (95th most polluted percentile) |
| Iowa Rank | #16 of 16 |
What Does the B Grade Mean?
Scott, Iowa 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 52. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.
Scott, Iowa's 5-year median AQI of 52 is 11 points above the national average of 41 — meaningfully more polluted than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within Iowa, Scott, Iowa runs more polluted than the state average of 42 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.
For context within Iowa: Cerro Gordo, Iowa currently holds the state's cleanest grade (B, AQI 18), while Linn, Iowa sits at the bottom (C, AQI 49).
What's in Scott, Iowa's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Scott, Iowa is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). Fine particulate matter — particles less than 2.5 micrometers across — comes mostly from combustion: vehicle exhaust, wildfire smoke, residential wood burning, and industrial emissions. Because these particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is the pollutant most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature death.
Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 225 | 62% |
| Ground-Level Ozone | 113 | 31% |
| Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10) | 27 | 7% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Scott, Iowa has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 1.1 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, Scott, Iowa posted a median AQI of 59. By 2023 that figure was 53 — a drop of 6 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Scott, Iowa
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 59 | 45 | 4 | PM2.5 |
| 2015 | 61 | 65 | 2 | PM2.5 |
| 2016 | 60 | 62 | 2 | PM2.5 |
| 2017 | 56 | 88 | 1 | PM2.5 |
| 2018 | 56 | 100 | 4 | PM2.5 |
| 2019 | 52 | 168 | 2 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 52 | 173 | 3 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 53 | 145 | 1 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 49 | 202 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2023 | 53 | 142 | 23 | PM2.5 |
Health Context for Scott, Iowa
Across the past five years, this area has logged 29 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 6 days per year. That is roughly typical for a U.S. metro, with most caution days clustered in summer (ozone) or wildfire season.
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 PM2.5 penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream, an N95 or KN95 mask provides meaningful protection on smoky or high-particulate days — surgical masks do not.
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.
Scott, Iowa has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 52. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), 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.