Des Moines, Iowa Air Quality
Des Moines air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Des Moines, IA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Des Moines, IA is 22 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.
Is it safe to be outside in Des Moines today?
AQI 22 Yes — air quality is Good
Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: OzoneObserved 9:00 AM CDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.55.0 µg/m³fine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM105.0 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone38 µg/m³Main pollutantsmog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂8.0 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.
How to read Des Moines’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 Des Moines
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Des Moines’s cleanest year was 2022 (median AQI 41) and its most polluted was 2023 (median AQI 52); the typical (median) day has trended more polluted since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 42 | 2 | PM2.5 | 0 | 103 | 261 |
| 2021 | 45 | 0 | PM2.5 | 1 | 137 | 227 |
| 2022 | 41 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 92 | 273 |
| 2023 | 52 | 3 | PM2.5 | 12 | 182 | 168 |
| 2024 | 45 | 0 | PM2.5 | 0 | 119 | 247 |
| 2025 | 44 | 0 | PM2.5 | 2 | 139 | 224 |
“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 Des Moines?
- In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2023 had the most days above AQI 100: 15 days (12 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 3 Unhealthy or worse). It also had the highest median AQI, 52.
- How many unhealthy air days does Des Moines have?
- Across 2020–2025, under 1% of the days reported for Des Moines's county had an AQI above 100 (20 of 2192), about 3 days a year. 2025 had 2 days.
- What's the main air pollutant in Des Moines?
- PM2.5: it drove Des Moines's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2025 records.