Bakersfield Best & Worst AQI Days: Air Quality Guide
The worst air quality day on record for Bakersfield (Bakersfield, CA area) was October 30, 2019, when the daily AQI reached 553 (Hazardous), set by coarse dust (PM10). Across 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025, 10 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; 6 of the 10 were driven by coarse dust (PM10) and 4 by fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and 4 of them fell in 2020. The cleanest day was March 14, 2023 at AQI 27 (Good); the 10 best days span 3 different years.
Reduce Indoor Ozone in Bakersfield
Today's main pollutant in Bakersfield is ground-level ozone (AQI 74). Important: standard HEPA filters do NOT remove ozone — only a purifier with a substantial activated-carbon bed adsorbs it. The biggest wins are cutting indoor sources (gas appliances, certain "ionizer" purifiers) and ventilating when outdoor ozone is low (early morning). A high-carbon unit helps with the gases and VOCs that linger indoors.
Recommended: Levoit Core 300 — True HEPA + activated carbon · CADR ~141 CFM · rooms up to 219 sq ft
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When were Bakersfield's worst and best air quality days?
Worst: October 30, 2019, AQI 553 (Hazardous, PM10). Best: March 14, 2023, AQI 27 (Good). Based on 2,557 EPA-monitored days in the Bakersfield, CA area, 2019–2025.
- ✓10 of the 10 worst days were Unhealthy (AQI 151+) or worse; the 10th-worst was AQI 200 (Unhealthy).
- ✓Coarse dust (PM10) drove 6 of the 10 worst days.
- ✓2020 accounts for 4 of the 10 worst days.
Frequently asked questions
What was the worst air quality day in Bakersfield?▾
October 30, 2019: the Bakersfield, CA area's daily AQI hit 553 (Hazardous), driven by coarse dust (PM10). That is the highest of 2,557 monitored days in 2019–2025.
What was the best air quality day in Bakersfield?▾
March 14, 2023, with a daily AQI of 27 (Good). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area, so even the cleanest day reflects the area's worst monitor.
What was Bakersfield's worst air quality day in 2025?▾
November 13, 2025, AQI 200 (Unhealthy), set by coarse dust (PM10).
Which pollutant causes Bakersfield's worst air days?▾
Coarse dust (PM10) set the AQI on 6 of the 10 worst days; fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on 4. The tables above list the defining pollutant for every day.
Bakersfield's 10 worst air quality days, 2019–2025
Highest daily AQI recorded for the Bakersfield, CA area (EPA AQS). The daily AQI is the highest reading from any monitor in the area that day.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2019 page) | 553 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 2 | (2021 page) | 314 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 3 | (2022 page) | 289 | Very Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 4 | (2020 page) | 267 | Very Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 5 | (2021 page) | 253 | Very Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 6 | (2019 page) | 240 | Very Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
| 7 | (2020 page) | 235 | Very Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 8 | (2020 page) | 219 | Very Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 9 | (2020 page) | 212 | Very Unhealthy | PM2.5 — fine particulate matter (PM2.5), in wildfire smoke season |
| 10 | (2025 page) | 200 | Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
Worst day of each year in Bakersfield
The single highest-AQI day in each year on record. Click a year for its full month-by-month statistics.
| Year | Worst day | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 553 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) | |
| 2020 | 267 | Very Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) | |
| 2021 | 314 | Hazardous | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) | |
| 2022 | 289 | Very Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) | |
| 2023 | 174 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone, in peak ozone season | |
| 2024 | 177 | Unhealthy | O3 — ground-level ozone | |
| 2025 | 200 | Unhealthy | PM10 — coarse dust (PM10) |
Bakersfield's 10 best air quality days, 2019–2025
Lowest daily AQI recorded for the Bakersfield, CA area. Ties are listed most recent first.
| # | Date | AQI | Category | Defining pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | (2023 page) | 27 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 2 | (2023 page) | 30 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 3 | (2022 page) | 31 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 4 | (2024 page) | 32 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 5 | (2023 page) | 32 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 6 | (2023 page) | 32 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 7 | (2024 page) | 33 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 8 | (2024 page) | 33 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 9 | (2023 page) | 33 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
| 10 | (2023 page) | 33 | Good | O3 — ground-level ozone |
Right now in Bakersfield
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Bakersfield's AQI at 74 (O3). The days above are historical records, not today's reading.
View current Bakersfield air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Bakersfield, CA), 2019–2025. Daily AQI per CBSA is the highest AQI reported by any monitor in the area that day; the defining parameter is the pollutant that set it. Month and season statistics pool every such day in the period across all years listed. Retrieved 2026-09-09.