Air Quality score
Health-oriented air-quality conditions with context from WHO, EEA, and EPA benchmarks.
Air Quality in San Francisco78/100
Air Quality
Air Quality in San Francisco
San Francisco has a healthy baseline air profile, with episodic wildfire-smoke events as the main exposure pressure in recent years. Air Quality in San Francisco scores 78/100, placing it in the solid group of the indexed set.
- Last updated
- 2026-05-05
- Data year
- 2025
- Module score
- 78/100
Clean-air score
78/100
Strong baseline with episodic smoke pressure.
Primary pollutant watch
PM2.5 (smoke)
Wildfire smoke is the main PM2.5 driver in recent years.
Monitoring confidence
High
EPA standards and reporting support trend visibility.
San Francisco air quality data table
This HTML table mirrors the visible score cards so important comparison data is never trapped in a browser-only chart.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Clean-air score | 78/100 | Wildfire-smoke events drive most exposure spikes. |
| Primary pollutant watch | PM2.5 (smoke) | Indoor-air strategies matter on smoke days. |
| Monitoring confidence | High | Health-based benchmarks anchor the score. |
Air Quality city comparison
A crawlable comparison across every indexed city makes it easy to scan how this module changes between metros.
| City | Score | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco (this page) | 78/100 | San Francisco has a healthy baseline air profile, with episodic wildfire-smoke events as the main exposure pressure in recent years. |
| Copenhagen | 88/100 | Copenhagen performs well on clean-air context, helped by compact mobility, regional monitoring, and strong European air-quality governance. |
| Zurich | 88/100 | Zurich performs strongly on clean air, supported by compact transit-led mobility and rigorous European monitoring. |
| Auckland | 86/100 | Auckland has strong baseline air quality, supported by coastal context and comparatively low pollutant exposure. |
| Amsterdam | 85/100 | Amsterdam performs well on clean air, supported by compact mobility patterns and European monitoring depth. |
| Vienna | 84/100 | Vienna's clean-air profile is strong, supported by compact transit-led mobility and continuous European monitoring. |
| Sydney | 82/100 | Sydney has strong baseline air quality with episodic wildfire-smoke and bushfire events as the main exposure pressure. |
| Singapore | 80/100 | Singapore performs well on clean air with periodic regional haze events as the main exposure pressure. |
| Berlin | 80/100 | Berlin's air-quality profile benefits from strong European monitoring and ongoing transit and street redesign. |
| Toronto | 80/100 | Toronto has solid baseline air quality with episodic wildfire-smoke events as the main exposure spike. |
| Tokyo | 78/100 | Tokyo's air profile benefits from strong governance but still requires attention to fine particles, ozone, and heat-related exposure. |
| Barcelona | 78/100 | Barcelona's clean-air profile is improving with mobility reform, while traffic-related and regional pollutants remain health-relevant. |
| Cape Town | 78/100 | Cape Town has solid baseline air quality, with episodic regional and biomass-burning events as the main exposure spikes. |
| Paris | 76/100 | Paris benefits from European monitoring and mobility reform, while PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone remain key health signals. |
| London | 75/100 | London's clean-air policy has improved exposure trends, with PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide remaining the key health signals. |
| New York | 72/100 | New York has extensive monitoring and policy capacity, but particulate and ozone exposure remain important health signals. |
| Seoul | 70/100 | Seoul's air-quality profile is improving with policy attention, while particulate exposure from regional and seasonal sources remains a key health signal. |
| Hong Kong | 70/100 | Hong Kong's air-quality profile is improving with policy attention, while particulate and ozone exposure remain key health signals. |
| Dubai | 65/100 | Dubai's air-quality profile is shaped by desert-dust events and traffic-related pollutants, with monitoring and indoor-air strategies as key practical inputs. |
| São Paulo | 65/100 | São Paulo's air-quality profile is shaped by traffic-related pollutants and seasonal regional sources, with active monitoring and policy attention. |
| Nairobi | 64/100 | Nairobi's air-quality profile is shaped by traffic-related pollutants and dust, with monitoring depth and policy attention rising. |
| Bangkok | 60/100 | Bangkok's air-quality profile is shaped by seasonal particulate exposure and traffic-related pollutants, with policy attention rising. |
| Mexico City | 58/100 | Mexico City's air-quality profile is shaped by particulate, ozone, and altitude factors, with long-running policy attention and steady improvement. |
Interpretation
Air-quality scoring weighs baseline pollutant exposure with episodic wildfire-smoke pressure. San Francisco's baseline is strong; smoke events drive most spikes. Across the indexed cities the air quality average is 76/100, so San Francisco is close to the median for this dimension. Data year 2025; last updated 2026-05-05. Drawn from 2 institutional references.
Read this module with the main open the san francisco city profile and the read the scoring methodology page so single-topic pages do not hide tradeoffs across dimensions.
This page uses a typed sample dataset shaped to demonstrate the indexable content structure. Values are directional and not official measurements.
Sources
2 institutional references inform this view, listed below with reliability notes. Mock values are typed and ready to be replaced by API-backed city datasets without changing route structure.
- World Health Organization: WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines
Used to normalize air-quality indicators toward health-protective benchmarks.
- US Environmental Protection Agency: National Ambient Air Quality Standards
Used where United States city comparisons need air-quality benchmark context.
Continue exploring
These links connect module pages back to city, ranking, and sibling topic paths with crawlable href values.
San Francisco city profile
Return to the complete San Francisco profile with all module scores and source context.
Cost of Living in San Francisco
Affordability, essential costs, and day-to-day financial pressure for residents.
Energy in San Francisco
Clean-energy readiness, grid resilience, and solar or efficiency opportunity signals.
Safety in San Francisco
Personal safety, institutional trust, and resilience signals informed by international safety and crime data.
Internet Speed in San Francisco
Broadband and mobile connectivity quality, latency, and digital-readiness signals for residents and remote workers.
Climate Risk in San Francisco
Climate exposure, hazard frequency, and adaptation context for floods, heat, storms, and wildfires.
Overall Intelligence
A balanced ranking of cities across affordability, air quality, clean-energy readiness, and resilience.
Quality of Life
Cities that combine strong services, mobility, safety, clean air, and resilience into a healthy day-to-day profile.