Aurora, Colorado Air Quality
Aurora air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Aurora, CO · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Aurora, CO is 50 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.
Is it safe to be outside in Aurora today?
AQI 50 Yes — air quality is Good
Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 9:00 AM MDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.58.5 µg/m³Main pollutantfine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM108.8 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone49 µg/m³smog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂15 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.
How to read Aurora’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 Aurora
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Aurora’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 46) and its most polluted was 2024 (median AQI 49); the typical (median) day has trended more polluted since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 46 | 2 | Ozone | 9 | 112 | 243 |
| 2021 | 46 | 3 | Ozone | 34 | 108 | 220 |
| 2022 | 46 | 0 | Ozone | 12 | 116 | 237 |
| 2023 | 47 | 0 | Ozone | 8 | 118 | 239 |
| 2024 | 49 | 2 | Ozone | 15 | 153 | 196 |
| 2025 | 48 | 0 | Ozone | 2 | 151 | 212 |
“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 Aurora?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2021 had the most days above AQI 100: 37 days (34 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 3 Unhealthy or worse). The highest median AQI came in 2024 (49; 2021's was 46).
- How many unhealthy air days does Aurora have?
- Across 2020–2025, 4% of the days reported for Aurora's county had an AQI above 100 (87 of 2192), about 15 days a year. 2025 had 2 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in Aurora?
- Ozone: it drove Aurora's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2025 records.