Air Quality Rankings for New Mexico 2026

New Mexico has 16 cities with EPA air quality data. Catron, New Mexico has the cleanest air with a 5-year average AQI of 13. Bernalillo, New Mexico has the highest AQI at 59.

#	City	5yr Avg AQI	Current AQI	Worst Pollutant	Trend	Grade
1	Catron, New Mexico	13	13	PM2.5	Stable	B
2	Los Alamos, New Mexico	13	14	PM2.5	Stable	B
3	Lincoln, New Mexico	14	14	PM2.5	Stable	B
4	Socorro, New Mexico	15	14	PM2.5	Stable	B
5	Luna, New Mexico	17	16	PM10	Improving	A
6	Taos, New Mexico	23	20	PM2.5	Worsening	B
7	Chaves, New Mexico	24	24	PM2.5	Stable	B
8	Rio Arriba, New Mexico	43	43	Ozone	Stable	B
9	Valencia, New Mexico	43	42	Ozone	Stable	B
10	Sandoval, New Mexico	44	44	Ozone	Worsening	C
11	Santa Fe, New Mexico	44	44	Ozone	Stable	C
12	Lea, New Mexico	44	45	Ozone	Stable	C
13	San Juan, New Mexico	46	46	Ozone	Stable	C
14	Eddy, New Mexico	47	49	Ozone	Worsening	D
15	Dona Ana, New Mexico	54	52	Ozone	Stable	D
16	Bernalillo, New Mexico	59	59	Ozone	Worsening	D

Air quality data for New Mexico 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

Catron, New Mexico has the best air quality in New Mexico with a 5-year average AQI of 13 and a grade of B.

New Mexico has 16 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 New Mexico →