EnviroNearby

Ponce, Puerto Rico air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Ponce, Puerto Rico, 1982–2025.

91%
Good days in 2025
3
Median daily AQI, 2025
0
Days above 100 in 2025
257
Days with an AQI in 2025 (of 365)

In 2025, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Ponce, Puerto Rico on 257 days. 235 of those days (91%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 3. That median is lower than the typical monitored county in Puerto Rico (median 9 across 5 counties), and lower than the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was carbon monoxide (CO) on 140 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 81% in 1982–1985 versus 87% in 2023–2025.

EPA did not report an AQI for every day of 2025 here (257 of 365 days). Figures describe monitored days only; seasonal monitoring (for example, ozone measured only in warmer months) can make a county look cleaner or dirtier than a full-year record would.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009…) are shown in the table but left out of comparisons and trend statements.

How the days broke down each year

Each bar is one year. The colored segments show the share of monitored days that fell in each AQI category.

Share of monitored days in each AQI category, by year0%25%50%75%100%1982: Good 206 of 295 days1982: Moderate 89 of 295 days19821983: Good 271 of 332 days1983: Moderate 61 of 332 days1984: Good 28 of 34 days1984: Moderate 6 of 34 days1985: Good 119 of 131 days1985: Moderate 12 of 131 days1988: Good 14 of 15 days1988: Moderate 1 of 15 days1989: Good 43 of 54 days1989: Moderate 11 of 54 days19891990: Good 28 of 39 days1990: Moderate 11 of 39 days1991: Good 47 of 51 days1991: Moderate 4 of 51 days1992: Good 56 of 61 days1992: Moderate 5 of 61 days1993: Good 56 of 61 days1993: Moderate 5 of 61 days1994: Good 58 of 61 days1994: Moderate 3 of 61 days19941995: Good 54 of 56 days1995: Moderate 2 of 56 days1996: Good 50 of 52 days1996: Moderate 2 of 52 days1997: Good 47 of 52 days1997: Moderate 5 of 52 days1998: Good 41 of 44 days1998: Moderate 3 of 44 days1999: Good 69 of 104 days1999: Moderate 35 of 104 days19992000: Good 89 of 114 days2000: Moderate 24 of 114 days2000: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 114 days2001: Good 83 of 120 days2001: Moderate 37 of 120 days2002: Good 85 of 115 days2002: Moderate 30 of 115 days2003: Good 80 of 111 days2003: Moderate 31 of 111 days2004: Good 86 of 112 days2004: Moderate 26 of 112 days20042005: Good 71 of 106 days2005: Moderate 35 of 106 days2006: Good 87 of 120 days2006: Moderate 33 of 120 days2007: Good 90 of 110 days2007: Moderate 20 of 110 days2008: Good 89 of 96 days2008: Moderate 7 of 96 days2009: Good 91 of 107 days2009: Moderate 16 of 107 days20092010: Good 107 of 122 days2010: Moderate 15 of 122 days2011: Good 160 of 175 days2011: Moderate 15 of 175 days2012: Good 324 of 357 days2012: Moderate 33 of 357 days2013: Good 335 of 363 days2013: Moderate 28 of 363 days2014: Good 314 of 350 days2014: Moderate 36 of 350 days20142015: Good 328 of 365 days2015: Moderate 37 of 365 days2016: Good 331 of 364 days2016: Moderate 33 of 364 days2017: Good 194 of 249 days2017: Moderate 54 of 249 days2017: Very Unhealthy 1 of 249 days2018: Good 146 of 357 days2018: Moderate 206 of 357 days2018: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 5 of 357 days2019: Good 204 of 351 days2019: Moderate 141 of 351 days2019: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 6 of 351 days20192020: Good 319 of 360 days2020: Moderate 41 of 360 days2021: Good 176 of 217 days2021: Moderate 37 of 217 days2021: Unhealthy 1 of 217 days2021: Very Unhealthy 2 of 217 days2021: Hazardous 1 of 217 days2022: Good 264 of 295 days2022: Moderate 31 of 295 days2023: Good 258 of 340 days2023: Moderate 82 of 340 days2024: Good 317 of 336 days2024: Moderate 19 of 336 days20242025: Good 235 of 257 days2025: Moderate 22 of 257 days2025
  • Good
  • Moderate
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
  • Unhealthy
  • Very Unhealthy
  • Hazardous

Typical and high-end AQI over time

The median is the middle day of the year. The 90th percentile is the level that only the highest 10% of days exceeded.

Median and 90th-percentile daily AQI, by year0501001982: 90th percentile AQI 581983: 90th percentile AQI 541984: 90th percentile AQI 571985: 90th percentile AQI 501988: 90th percentile AQI 401989: 90th percentile AQI 601990: 90th percentile AQI 601991: 90th percentile AQI 441992: 90th percentile AQI 461993: 90th percentile AQI 491994: 90th percentile AQI 361995: 90th percentile AQI 311996: 90th percentile AQI 441997: 90th percentile AQI 491998: 90th percentile AQI 481999: 90th percentile AQI 612000: 90th percentile AQI 562001: 90th percentile AQI 572002: 90th percentile AQI 562003: 90th percentile AQI 562004: 90th percentile AQI 552005: 90th percentile AQI 642006: 90th percentile AQI 602007: 90th percentile AQI 552008: 90th percentile AQI 492009: 90th percentile AQI 532010: 90th percentile AQI 522011: 90th percentile AQI 472012: 90th percentile AQI 502013: 90th percentile AQI 482014: 90th percentile AQI 512015: 90th percentile AQI 512016: 90th percentile AQI 472017: 90th percentile AQI 582018: 90th percentile AQI 742019: 90th percentile AQI 692020: 90th percentile AQI 522021: 90th percentile AQI 612022: 90th percentile AQI 512023: 90th percentile AQI 582024: 90th percentile AQI 382025: 90th percentile AQI 421982: Median AQI 441983: Median AQI 421984: Median AQI 431985: Median AQI 321988: Median AQI 241989: Median AQI 381990: Median AQI 381991: Median AQI 241992: Median AQI 241993: Median AQI 231994: Median AQI 211995: Median AQI 201996: Median AQI 191997: Median AQI 231998: Median AQI 221999: Median AQI 412000: Median AQI 382001: Median AQI 372002: Median AQI 382003: Median AQI 372004: Median AQI 372005: Median AQI 432006: Median AQI 392007: Median AQI 352008: Median AQI 312009: Median AQI 272010: Median AQI 262011: Median AQI 272012: Median AQI 222013: Median AQI 282014: Median AQI 202015: Median AQI 242016: Median AQI 252017: Median AQI 312018: Median AQI 552019: Median AQI 432020: Median AQI 232021: Median AQI 302022: Median AQI 182023: Median AQI 302024: Median AQI 32025: Median AQI 31982198919941999200420092014201920242025
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2025

On each monitored day, the AQI reflects whichever measured pollutant had the highest index. This counts how many days each pollutant set the AQI. A pollutant that was not measured here cannot appear.

PollutantDays as main pollutantShare of monitored days
Carbon monoxide (CO)14054%
Fine particles (PM2.5)11143%
Coarse particles (PM10)62%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
202525723522000034274CO
202433631719000033882CO
2023340258820000305883PM10
2022295264310000185199CO
20212171763701213061380PM10
2020360319410000235281PM10
201935120414160004369136PM2.5
201835714620650005574118PM2.5
20172491945400103158259PM10
2016364331330000254773PM10
2015365328370000245169PM10
2014350314360000205168PM10
2013363335280000284861PM10
2012357324330000225075PM10
2011175160150000274763PM10
2010122107150000265291PM10
200910791160000275368PM2.5
2008968970000314958PM2.5
200711090200000355577PM10
200612087330000396077PM10
200510671350000436477PM2.5
200411286260000375568PM2.5
200311180310000375684PM2.5
200211585300000385669PM2.5
200112083370000375774PM2.5
2000114892410003856105PM2.5
199910469350000416174PM2.5
1998444130000224872PM10
1997524750000234999PM10
1996525020000194491PM10
1995565420000203155PM10
1994615830000213668PM10
1993615650000234962PM10
1992615650000244668PM10
1991514740000244484PM10
19903928110000386071PM10
19895443110000386083PM10
1988151410000244084PM10
1985131119120000325061CO
1984342860000435761CO
1983332271610000425482CO
1982295206890000445884CO

What this data can and can’t tell you

It is a county-level summary. EPA reports one AQI per day for the county, based on the monitors operating there. Air at a particular street, school or home can differ, especially near roads, industry or wildfire smoke.

It is not a health assessment. The AQI is EPA’s scale for communicating daily air quality. A county’s history can’t tell you what the health risk is for any particular person. For daily conditions and health guidance, see AirNow.

Rules change over time. EPA has revised AQI breakpoints, most recently for fine particles in 2024, so some year-to-year change can reflect the scale rather than the air.

Counties in Puerto Rico with a similar median AQI in 2025

All monitored counties in Puerto Rico

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 1982–2025 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem