Air Quality Rankings for New York 2026

New York has 29 cities with EPA air quality data. Oneida, New York has the cleanest air with a 5-year average AQI of 25. Queens, New York has the highest AQI at 46.

#	City	5yr Avg AQI	Current AQI	Worst Pollutant	Trend	Grade
1	Oneida, New York	25	32	PM2.5	Improving	B
2	Herkimer, New York	29	29	Ozone	Improving	B
3	Nassau, New York	30	31	PM2.5	Improving	B
4	Franklin, New York	31	31	Ozone	Worsening	C
5	Saratoga, New York	32	31	Ozone	Stable	B
6	Jefferson, New York	33	33	Ozone	Stable	B
7	Oswego, New York	33	33	Ozone	Stable	B
8	Wayne, New York	34	33	Ozone	Stable	B
9	Hamilton, New York	34	33	Ozone	Stable	B
10	Putnam, New York	34	32	Ozone	Stable	B
11	Dutchess, New York	34	33	Ozone	Stable	B
12	Niagara, New York	34	33	Ozone	Improving	B
13	Tompkins, New York	35	35	Ozone	Stable	B
14	Chautauqua, New York	37	37	Ozone	Stable	B
15	Orange, New York	37	34	Ozone	Improving	B
16	Rockland, New York	38	38	Ozone	Improving	B
17	Steuben, New York	38	40	Ozone	Worsening	C
18	Westchester, New York	38	39	Ozone	Improving	B
19	Onondaga, New York	38	40	Ozone	Worsening	C
20	Kings, New York	39	46	PM2.5	Worsening	C
21	Albany, New York	41	42	PM2.5	Stable	C
22	Essex, New York	41	42	Ozone	Stable	C
23	Richmond, New York	41	42	PM2.5	Improving	B
24	Monroe, New York	42	42	PM2.5	Stable	C
25	Suffolk, New York	42	41	Ozone	Improving	C
26	New York, New York	44	48	PM2.5	Improving	B
27	Erie, New York	44	48	PM2.5	Improving	B
28	Bronx, New York	46	47	PM2.5	Improving	C
29	Queens, New York	46	50	PM2.5	Stable	C

Air quality data for New York 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

Oneida, New York has the best air quality in New York with a 5-year average AQI of 25 and a grade of B.

New York has 29 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 York →