Fastest-Improving Air Quality Cities
Of 1,020 US cities tracked, 346 show improving air quality trends over the past decade. These cities have the steepest downward AQI trend slopes — meaning their air is getting cleaner faster than anywhere else in the country.
Ranked by trend slope using 10 years of EPA monitoring data (2014-2023). A negative trend slope means AQI is decreasing (improving). The steeper the decline, the faster the improvement.
#1Hawaii, Hawaii
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#2Carbon, Wyoming
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#3Uinta, Wyoming
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#4Rosebud, Montana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#5St Croix, Virgin Islands
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#6Monroe, Michigan
Primary pollutant: PM10
#7Matanuska-Susitna, Alaska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#8Alexandria City, Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM10
#9Napa, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#10Colleton, South Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#11Caguas, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: NO2
#12Humboldt, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#13Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#14Jefferson, Oregon
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#15Cook, Minnesota
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#16Floyd, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#17Floyd, Georgia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#18Juncos, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#19Douglas, Nevada
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#20Jackson, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#21Fairbanks North Star, Alaska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#22Jackson, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#23Morgan, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#24Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#25Roane, Tennessee
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#26Fresno, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#27Kern, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#28Allen, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#29Mercer, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#30Pike, Kentucky
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#31Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#32Howard, Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#33Clermont, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#34Westmoreland, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#35Orleans, Louisiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#36Anchorage, Alaska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#37Luna, New Mexico
Primary pollutant: PM10
#38Madera, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#39Suffolk, Massachusetts
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#40Marion, West Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#41Taney, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#42Prince George's, Maryland
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#43Marin, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#44Lemhi, Idaho
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#45Northampton, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#46Maui, Hawaii
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#47Montgomery, Tennessee
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#48San Joaquin, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#49Hughes, South Dakota
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#50Silver Bow, Montana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#51Martin, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#52Cobb, Georgia
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#53St John, Virgin Islands
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#54Deschutes, Oregon
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#55Kings, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#56Garfield, Washington
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#57Bucks, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#58Ravalli, Montana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#59Bay, Michigan
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#60Elkhart, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#61Howard, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#62Monroe, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#63Chester, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#64Erie, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#65Athens, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#66Baltimore (City), Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#67Caswell, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#68Ellis, Texas
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#69New York, New York
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#70Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#71Maverick, Texas
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#72Mitchell, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#73Scott, Iowa
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#74Hartford, Connecticut
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#75Lake, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#76Sarpy, Nebraska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#77Warren, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#78Lubbock, Texas
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#79Riverside, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#80Orange, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#81Black Hawk, Iowa
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#82Ventura, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#83San Juan, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: CO
#84Salem City, Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#85Cumberland, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#86Aroostook, Maine
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#87Skagit, Washington
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#88Solano, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#89Greene, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#90Hardin, Kentucky
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#91Harrison, West Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#92Orange, Florida
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#93Androscoggin, Maine
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#94Campbell, Kentucky
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#95Lynchburg City, Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#96San Luis Obispo, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#97Fayette, Texas
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#98Clay, Alabama
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#99Juneau, Alaska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#100Armstrong, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#101Calaveras, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#102Posey, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#103Richmond, New York
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#104Wasco, Oregon
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#105Berks, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#106Box Elder, Utah
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#107Putnam, Tennessee
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#108Hudson, New Jersey
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#109Jefferson, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#110Lexington, South Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#111Rockingham, New Hampshire
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#112Los Angeles, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#113Muscatine, Iowa
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#114Bristol City, Virginia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#115Carroll, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#116Merced, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#117Perry, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#118Lackawanna, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#119Tulare, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#120Washington, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#121Warrick, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#122Chesterfield, South Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#123Kent, Maryland
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#124Maury, Tennessee
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#125Saint Louis, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#126Washington, Minnesota
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#127Fairfield, Connecticut
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#128Thurston, Washington
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#129Union, Oregon
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#130Blair, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#131Kay, Oklahoma
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#132Twin Falls, Idaho
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#133Boone, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#134Nassau, Florida
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#135Oconee, South Carolina
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#136Butte, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#137Charlton, Georgia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#138Montgomery, Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#139Cecil, Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#140East Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#141Lawrence, Tennessee
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#142Washington, Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#143Jefferson, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#144Van Buren, Iowa
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#145Northampton, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#146Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: CO
#147Shoshone, Idaho
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#148San Mateo, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#149Santa Barbara, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#150Wake, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#151Imperial, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#152Muskogee, Oklahoma
Primary pollutant: PM10
#153Clayton, Georgia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#154Hyde, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#155Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#156Cowlitz, Washington
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#157Harford, Maryland
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#158Miami-Dade, Florida
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#159Penobscot, Maine
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#160Rapides, Louisiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#161Cass, Nebraska
Primary pollutant: PM10
#162Delaware, Pennsylvania
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#163Erie, New York
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#164Shelby, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#165Anne Arundel, Maryland
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#166Kauai, Hawaii
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#167LaPorte, Indiana
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#168Palo Alto, Iowa
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#169Coffee, Georgia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#170Buchanan, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#171Tippecanoe, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#172Davidson, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#173DeKalb, Georgia
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#174Dubois, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#175Guayama, Puerto Rico
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#176Honolulu, Hawaii
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#177Macoupin, Illinois
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#178San Bernardino, California
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#179Cass, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#180Etowah, Alabama
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#181Garfield, Utah
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#182Lawrence, Alabama
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#183Lucas, Ohio
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#184Jefferson, Washington
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#185Lyon, Nevada
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#186Spencer, Indiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#187Franklin, Idaho
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#188Lafayette, Louisiana
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#189Ohio, West Virginia
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#190Catawba, North Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#191Columbia, Georgia
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#192Ector, Texas
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#193Kootenai, Idaho
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#194Orange, New York
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#195Richland, South Carolina
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#196Stoddard, Missouri
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#197Washington, Nebraska
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#198San Francisco, California
Primary pollutant: PM2.5
#199Stafford, Virginia
Primary pollutant: Ozone
#200Clark, Illinois
Primary pollutant: Ozone