El Paso, Texas Air Quality
El Paso air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
El Paso, TX · Air quality right now
The air quality index in El Paso, TX is 53 (Moderate) right now — acceptable for most people.
Is it safe to be outside in El Paso today?
AQI 53 Yes — air quality is Moderate
Fine for most; unusually sensitive people can take it easy.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 8:00 AM MDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.524 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM1026 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone20 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂43 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run for most; sensitive athletes can ease the intensity.
How to read El Paso’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 El Paso
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, El Paso’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 59) and its most polluted was 2025 (median AQI 70); the typical (median) day has trended more polluted since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 59 | 2 | PM2.5 | 17 | 252 | 95 |
| 2021 | 59 | 0 | PM2.5 | 19 | 255 | 91 |
| 2022 | 59 | 1 | PM2.5 | 19 | 273 | 72 |
| 2023 | 64 | 1 | PM2.5 | 18 | 277 | 69 |
| 2024 | 67 | 12 | Ozone | 51 | 222 | 81 |
| 2025 | 70 | 30 | PM10 | 33 | 236 | 66 |
“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 El Paso?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2025 had the most days above AQI 100: 63 days (33 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 30 Unhealthy or worse). It also had the highest median AQI, 70.
- How many unhealthy air days does El Paso have?
- Across 2020–2025, 9% of the days reported for El Paso's county had an AQI above 100 (203 of 2192), about 34 days a year. 2025 had 63 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in El Paso?
- PM2.5 drove El Paso's county AQI on the most days in 4 of 6 years (2020–2025); Ozone in 2024; PM10 in 2025.