SmogRank / World / United States / California / March 2026

Most polluted cities in California, United States, March 2026

124 cities in California, United States ranked by their average PM2.5 over the 31 days. Worst: South Lake Tahoe at 32.5 µg/m³, #214 of 2,947 cities in the world. Cleanest: Sunnyvale at 3.3. A city needs measurements on 70% of the days to be ranked.

About 0 people in these 19 cities breathed unhealthy air on an average day of March 2026.

Ranked by people: each city's population times its share of unhealthy days, those with a daily mean over 35.4 µg/m³ (US AQI 101+). That is how many people living there breathed unhealthy air on an average day. Only cities measured at 2 or more places at least 3 km apart are ranked: one monitor shouldn't speak for a whole city. Population is the city itself, not its wider metro area.

← Bakersfield 0 0.750
Every city in California, United States ranked for March 2026 with monitors in two or more places, one column each, ranked by people breathing unhealthy air: height is people on an average day, colour its average. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.
  1. 1Bakersfield
    0
  2. 2Inglewoodlow-cost sensors
    0
  3. 3Los Angeles
    0
  4. 4Carsonlow-cost sensors
    0
  5. 4Compton
    0
  6. 4Santa Monicalow-cost sensors
    0
  7. 7Torrancelow-cost sensors
    0
  8. 8Fresno
    0
  9. 9Agouralow-cost sensors
    0
  10. 10Merced
    0
  11. 11San Jose
    0
  12. 12Goletalow-cost sensors
    0
  13. 13La Crescenta-Montroselow-cost sensors
    0
  14. 14Banning
    0
  15. 15Seasidelow-cost sensors
    0
  16. 16Windsorlow-cost sensors
    0
  17. 17Fremontlow-cost sensors
    0
  18. 18Palo Altolow-cost sensors
    0
  19. 18Sunnyvalelow-cost sensors
    0

Low-cost sensors: consumer units, counted only in cities with no government-grade monitor; they read close to reference monitors on the whole, but 15 to 25% high in humid air. How we use them.

Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

All cities in the world, March 2026 · All cities in United States, March 2026 · California now

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SmogRank, most polluted cities in California, United States, PM2.5, March 2026, smogrank.com/us/region/california/history/2026-03 (accessed 6 Oct 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms. Raw monitor readings in bulk are published by OpenAQ, under each provider's licence.