What Is the Air Quality in Yuma, Arizona?

Yuma, Arizona earns a C — air quality is fair, but not great. With a 5-year median AQI of 48, the city sees a meaningful number of "Moderate" days each year, when the EPA flags air as a concern for unusually sensitive people.

Yuma, Arizona's 5-year median AQI of 48 is 7 points above the national average of 41 — meaningfully more polluted than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within Arizona, Yuma, Arizona runs more polluted than the state average of 46 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.

For context within Arizona: Apache, Arizona currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 13), while Maricopa, Arizona sits at the bottom (F, AQI 90).

Air quality in Yuma, Arizona has held roughly steady over the past decade, with year-to-year shifts in median AQI of less than half a point. That stability makes the city's long-run grade a reliable signal of what residents can expect day-to-day.

In 2014, Yuma, Arizona posted a median AQI of 49. By 2023 that figure was 48 — a drop of 1 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.

Across the past five years, this area has logged 32 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.

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.