Iowa City, Iowa Air Quality
Iowa City air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Iowa City, IA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Iowa City, IA is 28 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.
Is it safe to be outside in Iowa City today?
AQI 28 Yes — air quality is Good
Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: OzoneObserved 1:00 AM CDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.53.1 µg/m³fine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM103.2 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone61 µg/m³Main pollutantsmog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂3.2 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.
How to read Iowa City’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 Iowa City
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Iowa City’s cleanest year was 2025 (median AQI 37) and its most polluted was 2023 (median AQI 53); the typical (median) day has trended cleaner since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 47 | 0 | PM2.5 | 1 | 154 | 207 |
| 2021 | 52 | 0 | PM2.5 | 2 | 190 | 172 |
| 2022 | 44 | 0 | PM2.5 | 1 | 141 | 223 |
| 2023 | 53 | 4 | PM2.5 | 2 | 216 | 143 |
| 2024 | 39 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 107 | 259 |
| 2025 | 37 | 1 | PM2.5 | 3 | 105 | 256 |
“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 Iowa City?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2023 had the most days above AQI 100: 6 days (2 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 4 Unhealthy or worse). It also had the highest median AQI, 53.
- How many unhealthy air days does Iowa City have?
- Across 2020–2025, under 1% of the days reported for Iowa City's county had an AQI above 100 (14 of 2187), about 2 days a year. 2025 had 4 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in Iowa City?
- PM2.5: it drove Iowa City's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2025 records.