Bad Air Days in Valencia County, New Mexico: 1 a Year

1 bad air day a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 634 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly ozone: summer smog (0% particle days).

When the bad days come in Valencia

Most bad days here fall in July and August and June. 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 under 1 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 1. Not much has changed. The worst recent year was 2018, with 5 bad days on 359 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2021-06-09	136	Ozone
2021-08-08	119	Ozone
2018-08-02	108	Ozone
2018-07-24	105	Ozone
2020-08-22	105	Ozone

The air on a normal day

Across 3,594 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Valencia County rated Good on 78% of them, more often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 22%. The median day sat at AQI 43; one day in ten went above 64.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

ozone100%3,594 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	360	271	89	0	44	97
2024	358	300	56	2	43	105
2023	361	289	72	0	42	87
2022	361	317	44	0	41	93
2021	356	295	59	2	43	136
2020	359	283	74	2	44	105
2019	357	270	87	0	44	93
2018	359	238	116	5	45	108
2017	361	262	98	1	44	101
2016	362	280	82	0	43	97
2015	356	291	65	0	43	93
2014	358	294	64	0	42	93
2013	365	240	120	5	44	115
2012	366	243	118	5	44	115
2011	365	263	98	4	44	143
2010	365	309	56	0	43	87

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

Nearby counties on file

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, and on why a purifier does not touch ozone in smoke vs ozone.