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Cleanest Air Cities in California

Lowest pollution levels for healthy outdoor living.

Best Climate Cleanest Air Sunniest Most Urban All Rankings →
All United States  ·  California

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Clean Air · 65% Sunshine · 20% Low Rain · 15%

Top 12 Cleanest Air Cities in California

Ranked by composite score across 3 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 89.4
Sonoma, CA
10,726 residents
Clean Air 19
Sunshine 326 days
Low Rain 28
#2
Score 82
San Mateo, CA
103,555 residents
Clean Air 27
Sunshine 330 days
Low Rain 32
#3
Score 74.8
San Francisco, CA
836,321 residents
Clean Air 33
Sunshine 322 days
Low Rain 30
#4
Score 72.5
Marin City, CA
3,597 residents
Clean Air 28
Sunshine 305 days
Low Rain 44
#5
Score 71
Monterey, CA
29,772 residents
Clean Air 39
Sunshine 323 days
Low Rain 20
#6
Score 70.1
Indio, CA
90,669 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 346 days
Low Rain 10
#7
Score 69.7
Victorville, CA
135,983 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 349 days
Low Rain 16
#8
Score 68.9
Lancaster, CA
170,013 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 344 days
Low Rain 14
#9
Score 68.8
Palmdale, CA
165,487 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 346 days
Low Rain 17
#10
Score 67.6
Santa Cruz, CA
60,953 residents
Clean Air 39
Sunshine 317 days
Low Rain 31
#11
Score 67.5
Niland, CA
1,388 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 330 days
Low Rain 2
#12
Score 67.5
Calipatria, CA
6,549 residents
Clean Air 48
Sunshine 330 days
Low Rain 2

Full Ranking, California

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Sonoma CA 89.4
2 San Mateo CA 82
3 San Francisco CA 74.8
4 Marin City CA 72.5
5 Monterey CA 71
6 Indio CA 70.1
7 Victorville CA 69.7
8 Lancaster CA 68.9
9 Palmdale CA 68.8
10 Santa Cruz CA 67.6
11 Niland CA 67.5
12 Calipatria CA 67.5
13 Westmorland CA 67.5
14 Brawley CA 67.5
15 Calexico CA 67.5
16 Heber CA 67.5
17 Holtville CA 67.5
18 El Centro CA 67.5
19 Desert Edge CA 67.4
20 Garnet CA 67.4
21 La Quinta CA 67.4
22 Desert Palms CA 67.4
23 Cathedral City CA 67.4
24 Indian Wells CA 67.4
25 Coachella CA 67.4
26 Thousand Palms CA 67.4
27 Rancho Mirage CA 67.4
28 Palm Desert CA 67.4
29 Bermuda Dunes CA 67.4
30 Sky Valley CA 67.4
31 Thermal CA 67.4
32 Vista Santa Rosa CA 67.4
33 Oasis CA 67.4
34 Mecca CA 67.4
35 Mesa Verde CA 67.3
36 Blythe CA 67.3
37 Searles Valley CA 67.3
38 Fort Irwin CA 67.3
39 Twentynine Palms CA 67.3
40 Salton City CA 67.2
41 China Lake Acres CA 67.2
42 Needles CA 67.2
43 Joshua Tree CA 67.2
44 Big River CA 67.1
45 North Shore CA 67.1
46 Ridgecrest CA 67.1
47 Bakersfield CA 67.1
48 Bishop CA 67.1
49 Big Pine CA 67.1
50 West Bishop CA 67.1

Sonoma, CA tops the list with a composite score of 89.4 out of 100, followed by San Mateo and San Francisco. CA dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for cleanest air.

Rankings combine 3 independent metrics: Clean Air, Sunshine, Low Rain. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to cleanest air, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Climate Cities
Warm temperatures, plenty of sunshine and clean air.
Sunniest Cities
Most days of sunshine per year, with warm and dry climate.
Most Urban Cities
Densely populated city centers with the largest urban footprints.