Elk Grove, California Air Quality
Elk Grove air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Elk Grove, CA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Elk Grove, CA is 52 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in Elk Grove today?
AQI 52 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 4:00 AM PDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.58.3 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM1011 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone35 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂12 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
How to read Elk Grove’s air quality
Guides: The AQI Scale, Explained · Air Quality Alerts, Decoded · How to Read a Wildfire Smoke Map · Why Wildfire Smoke Travels 1,000 Miles.
Air quality over time in Elk Grove
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Elk Grove’s cleanest year was 2025 (median AQI 49) and its most polluted was 2020 (median AQI 55); the typical (median) day has trended cleaner since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 55 | 19 | PM2.5 | 17 | 185 | 145 |
| 2021 | 55 | 6 | Ozone | 30 | 183 | 146 |
| 2022 | 53 | 2 | Ozone | 17 | 184 | 162 |
| 2023 | 51 | 0 | Ozone | 12 | 173 | 180 |
| 2024 | 51 | 0 | Ozone | 15 | 169 | 182 |
| 2025 | 49 | 0 | Ozone | 5 | 162 | 198 |
“USG” is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (AQI 101–150); “Unhealthy+” combines the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous days. In 2024 the EPA tightened the annual fine-particle (PM2.5) standard to 9 µg/m³ from the previous 12 µg/m³, so counties near the old limit read worse against the new one. Source: EPA AQS annual summaries, 2020–2025.
Frequently asked
- What was the worst year for air quality in Elk Grove?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2020 had the most days above AQI 100: 36 days (17 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 19 Unhealthy or worse). It also had the highest median AQI, 55.
- How many unhealthy air days does Elk Grove have?
- Across 2020–2025, 6% of the days reported for Elk Grove's county had an AQI above 100 (123 of 2192), about 21 days a year. 2025 had 5 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in Elk Grove?
- Ozone drove Elk Grove's county AQI on the most days in 5 of 6 years (2020–2025); PM2.5 in 2020.