SmogRank / World / North America / United States / Minnesota

Most polluted cities in Minnesota, United States

16 measured cities, last 30 days; 0 above the WHO 24-hour guideline. Worst: Minneapolis at 5.1 µg/m³, #2,195 in the world.

Ranked by unhealthy days: the share of each city's measured days with a daily mean over 35.4 µg/m³ (US AQI 101+), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse on the US EPA's scale. Ties go to the higher average.

North Dakota: 1 measured cityMinnesota: 16 measured citiesMichigan: 22 measured citiesSouth Dakota: 7 measured citiesNebraska: 6 measured citiesIowa: 9 measured citiesWisconsin: 9 measured cities#16 Cloquet: 3.5 µg/m³#15 Duluth: 3.7 µg/m³#14 Detroit Lakes: 3.8 µg/m³#13 Virginia: 3.9 µg/m³#12 Marshall: 4.0 µg/m³#9 Brainerd: 4.2 µg/m³#10 Saint Cloud: 4.2 µg/m³#11 Shakopee: 4.2 µg/m³#8 Apple Valley: 4.4 µg/m³#6 Burnsville: 4.5 µg/m³#7 Saint Michael: 4.5 µg/m³#3 Blaine: 4.7 µg/m³#4 Mankato: 4.7 µg/m³#5 Saint Paul: 4.7 µg/m³#1 Minneapolis: 5.1 µg/m³#2 Rochester: 5.1 µg/m³
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5; tap a dot to open the city.
← Minneapolis 0% 0.75%0
Every measured city in Minnesota, United States, one column each, ranked by unhealthy days: height is the share of its measured days that were unhealthy, colour its average. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.
  1. 1Minneapolis 0%
  2. 1Rochester 0%
  3. 3Blaine 0%
  4. 3Mankato 0%
  5. 3Saint Paul 0%
  6. 6Burnsville 0%
  7. 6Saint Michael 0%
  8. 8Apple Valley 0%
  9. 9Brainerd 0%
  10. 9Saint Cloud 0%
  11. 9Shakopee 0%
  12. 12Marshall 0%
  13. 13Virginia 0%
  14. 14Detroit Lakes 0%
  15. 15Duluth 0%
  16. 16Cloquet 0%
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

Estimated: cities without a monitor

Minnesota cities we can't measure, with model estimates for the last 7 days. Listed by population, not ranked: estimates aren't precise enough to rank. Model estimates from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), adjusted to measured cities nearby where there are any. Adjusted, a single day lands within ×1.5 of what a monitor would read about two times in three; unadjusted, it can be off by half or double. Treat them as a guide, not a measurement.

City7-day estimateBand
Bloomington≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Brooklyn Park≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Plymouth≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Maple Grove≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Woodbury≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Eagan≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Eden Prairie≈ 5 µg/m³Good
West Coon Rapids≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Coon Rapids≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Lakeville≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Minnetonka≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Edina≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Minnetonka Mills≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Saint Louis Park≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Moorhead≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Richfield≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Cottage Grove≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Roseville≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Inver Grove Heights≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Andover≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Brooklyn Center≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Savage≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Longfellow Community≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Oakdale≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Fridley≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Winona≈ 3 µg/m³Good
Shoreview≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Ramsey≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Owatonna≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Chanhassen≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Prior Lake≈ 5 µg/m³Good
White Bear Lake≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Chaska≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Austin≈ 3 µg/m³Good
Elk River≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Champlin≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Faribault≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Rosemount≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Crystal≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Farmington≈ 6 µg/m³Good

Bad-air episodes in Minnesota

Times when many cities around here had PM2.5 at twice their usual or more on the same days.

Use this board

SmogRank, most polluted cities in Minnesota, United States, PM2.5, last 30 days to 6 Oct 2026, 22:00 UTC, smogrank.com/us/region/minnesota?w=30d.

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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.

Updated 2026-10-06 22:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.