Bad Air Days in Albany County, New York: 2 a Year

2 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 479 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (73% particle days).

When the bad days come in Albany

Most bad days here fall in July and June and May and November. Averaged over 2016 to 2025.

Is a purifier worth it here?

Bad air days are rare here. A standard furnace filter is enough; no purifier needed for outdoor air.
On the odd bad day, check AirNow and keep windows shut.

The worst days on file

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 10 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 2. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 7 bad days on 365 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-07	186	PM2.5
2023-06-08	166	PM2.5
2023-06-06	162	PM2.5
2023-06-30	149	PM2.5
2023-07-01	145	PM2.5

Most days, not the worst ones

Across 3,652 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Albany County rated Good on 71% of them, close to the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 28%. The median day sat at AQI 40; one day in ten went above 60.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)57%2,080 days
ozone43%1,572 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	250	110	5	0	39	136
2024	366	280	85	1	0	36	105
2023	365	245	113	7	3	42	186
2022	365	276	89	0	0	40	88
2021	365	254	109	2	0	39	118
2020	365	235	127	3	0	42	143
2019	365	276	89	0	0	41	93
2018	365	250	113	2	0	42	112
2017	365	255	110	0	0	41	84
2016	366	280	84	2	0	39	119
2015	365	251	113	1	0	41	107
2014	365	259	106	0	0	42	87
2013	365	260	105	0	0	42	97
2012	366	261	98	7	0	42	143
2011	365	203	160	2	0	47	140
2010	365	219	140	6	0	44	147

*2025 may be a partial year in EPA's file.

Elsewhere in New York

How this is counted

A bad air day is a day the county's daily AQI from EPA AirData went above 100, the level where EPA tells children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease to cut back outdoors. Monitors do not run every day, so yearly counts are scaled to 365 days. This is the record, not today's air: for that, check AirNow. More on the method in how the county numbers are made, on the AQI 100 line in what counts as a bad air day.