Bad Air Days in Becker County, Minnesota: 4 a Year

4 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 313 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (83% particle days).

Which months to watch

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

What actually helps 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 2 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 4. It has got worse. The worst recent year was 2025, with 11 bad days on 315 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2021-07-30	208	PM2.5
2021-07-29	190	PM2.5
2025-06-02	185	PM2.5
2025-07-12	180	PM2.5
2025-07-11	175	PM2.5

An ordinary day in Becker

Across 3,565 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Becker County rated Good on 79% of them, more often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 20%. The median day sat at AQI 37; one day in ten went above 58.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)57%2,018 days
ozone43%1,547 days

Becker County by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	315	233	71	11	6	38	185
2024	365	304	59	2	1	36	152
2023	365	224	133	8	2	44	173
2022	354	321	32	1	0	36	125
2021	357	147	199	11	5	52	208
2020	366	325	40	1	0	34	101
2019	360	325	34	1	0	31	105
2018	358	301	57	0	0	35	100
2017	364	322	42	0	0	35	89
2016	361	324	37	0	0	29	90
2015	358	293	63	2	0	36	130
2014	346	273	73	0	0	36	97
2013	352	281	71	0	0	39	80
2012	343	253	89	1	0	41	108
2011	357	294	63	0	0	36	100
2010	358	280	78	0	0	37	100

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

Minnesota compared

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.