SmogRank / World / North America / United States / Washington

Most polluted cities in Washington, United States

48 measured cities, this year; 29 above the WHO annual guideline. Worst: Wenatchee at 10.4 µg/m³, #902 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.

Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5; tap a dot to open the city.
← Moses Lake 5% 5%0
Every measured city in Washington, 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. 1Moses Lake 5%
  2. 2Wenatchee 5%
  3. 3Airway Heights 5%
  4. 4Ephrata 5%
  5. 5Quincy 4%
  6. 6Mead 4%
  7. 7Spokane 4%
  8. 8Spokane Valley 3%
  9. 9Liberty Lakelast full day 3 Oct 3%
  10. 10Walla Walla 3%
  11. 11Columbia Citylow-cost sensors 2%
  12. 12Yakima 2%
  13. 13Ellensburg 2%
  14. 14Sunnyside 2%
  15. 15Toppenish 2%
  16. 16Pullman 2%
  17. 17Union Hill-Novelty Hilllow-cost sensors 2%
  18. 18Vancouver 1%
  19. 19Grandview 1%
  20. 20Prosserlast full day 3 Oct 1%
  21. 21Kirklandlow-cost sensors 1%
  22. 22Parkland 1%
  23. 23North Bend 1%
  24. 24Tri-Cities 1%
  25. 25Bothelllow-cost sensors 1%
  26. 26Kent 1%
  27. 27Tacoma 1%
  28. 28Bellevue 1%
  29. 29Ridgefield 1%
  30. 30Auburn 1%
  31. 31Renton 0%
  32. 32Chehalis 0%
  33. 33White Center 0%
  34. 34Seattle 0%
  35. 35Bellingham 0%
  36. 35Port Angeles 0%
  37. 37Picnic Point-North Lynnwood 0%
  38. 38Shoreline 0%
  39. 39Bremerton 0%
  40. 39Lynden 0%
  41. 41Lacey 0%
  42. 42Burien 0%
  43. 43Longview 0%
  44. 44Sheltonlast full day 3 Oct 0%
  45. 45Port Townsend 0%
  46. 46Aberdeen 0%
  47. 47Mount Vernon 0%
  48. 48Anacortes 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

Estimated: cities without a monitor

Washington 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
Everett≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Federal Way≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Kennewick≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Pasco≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Marysville≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Lakewood≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Olympia≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Richland≈ 4 µg/m³Good
South Hill≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Sammamish≈ 8 µg/m³Good
City of Sammamish≈ 8 µg/m³Good
Edmonds≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Puyallup≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Lynnwood≈ 7 µg/m³Good
West Lake Sammamish≈ 8 µg/m³Good
University Place≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Des Moines≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Lake Stevens≈ 5 µg/m³Good
East Hill-Meridian≈ 8 µg/m³Good
SeaTac≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Spanaway≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Maple Valley≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Mercer Island≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Bainbridge Island≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Graham≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Cottage Lake≈ 8 µg/m³Good
Kenmore≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Camas≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Mukilteo≈ 6 µg/m³Good
West Lake Stevens≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Mountlake Terrace≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Silver Firs≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Eastmont≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Mill Creek≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Tukwila≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Bonney Lake≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Salmon Creek≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Orchards≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Hazel Dell≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Battle Ground≈ 4 µg/m³Good

Bad-air episodes in Washington

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 Washington, United States, PM2.5, this year to 6 Oct 2026, 22:00 UTC, smogrank.com/us/region/washington?w=year.

Download top 10 (PNG)

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.