Air Quality Rankings for Minnesota 2026

Minnesota has 21 cities with EPA air quality data. Cook, Minnesota has the cleanest air with a 5-year average AQI of 12. Hennepin, Minnesota has the highest AQI at 47.

#	City	5yr Avg AQI	Current AQI	Worst Pollutant	Trend	Grade
1	Cook, Minnesota	12	13	PM2.5	Improving	A
2	Winona, Minnesota	23	28	PM2.5	Improving	B
3	Beltrami, Minnesota	27	27	PM2.5	Worsening	B
4	Carlton, Minnesota	29	38	Ozone	Stable	B
5	Cass, Minnesota	32	32	PM2.5	Worsening	C
6	Lake, Minnesota	33	36	PM2.5	Worsening	C
7	Mille Lacs, Minnesota	35	40	Ozone	Worsening	C
8	Crow Wing, Minnesota	36	43	PM2.5	Worsening	C
9	Washington, Minnesota	37	42	Ozone	Improving	B
10	Goodhue, Minnesota	38	43	Ozone	Worsening	C
11	Lyon, Minnesota	38	46	PM2.5	Worsening	C
12	Saint Louis, Minnesota	39	44	PM2.5	Stable	B
13	Becker, Minnesota	39	44	PM2.5	Worsening	C
14	Stearns, Minnesota	39	48	PM2.5	Worsening	C
15	Dakota, Minnesota	40	49	PM2.5	Worsening	C
16	Ramsey, Minnesota	41	49	PM2.5	Improving	B
17	Anoka, Minnesota	41	46	Ozone	Stable	C
18	Scott, Minnesota	41	51	Ozone	Worsening	C
19	Wright, Minnesota	41	49	PM2.5	Worsening	C
20	Olmsted, Minnesota	41	49	PM2.5	Worsening	C
21	Hennepin, Minnesota	47	52	PM2.5	Improving	C

Air quality data for Minnesota is sourced from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), which monitors outdoor air quality at thousands of stations nationwide.
— EPA Air Quality System

Frequently Asked Questions

Cook, Minnesota has the best air quality in Minnesota with a 5-year average AQI of 12 and a grade of A.

Minnesota has 21 cities with EPA air quality monitoring data in our database, covering multiple years of AQI measurements.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures five major pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Lower AQI values indicate cleaner air — 0-50 is "Good," while 150+ is "Unhealthy."

Sources: EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cities ranked by 5-year average AQI (lower is better). Grades factor in average AQI, trend direction, unhealthy days, and dominant pollutant.

Cleanest Cities Nationwide →All Air Quality in Minnesota →