This Maine Town Ranked One of the Best for Air Quality in The Country

A few years ago, I took a trip to Los Angeles, California. and ever since then, I haven’t stopped talking about one thing, the air quality.

The smog was extremely thick, the skies were very hazy, and it made me realize just how lucky we are here to have such clean air in Maine.

It’s truly something special.

So, if you are a Mainer you already know that fresh air is one of our best kept secrets.  

But did you know that there is one town in Maine that has officially been ranked one of the cleanest cities in the entire nation when it comes to the quality of our air?

Yes that’s right baby, according to the American Lung Association's 2025 report, Bangor earned very high marks in all three of their categories on pollution!

How was it determined that Bangor, Maine has clean air?  

As per the report, the categories are as follows, ozone (smog), short-term pollution (soot), and year round particle pollution.

In fact, Bangor was one of the two cities in the U.S. to make the cleanest cities for all three of their categories.  

Where does Bangor, Maine rank in the quality of our air? 

Bangor ranked fifth on the top 25 cleanest U.S. cities by year-round particle pollution.  

What makes Bangor’s air quality so pristine? Well, it’s a combo, Bangor has low traffic congestion and we know that pollution often comes from cars.

They have very low industrial pollution, and a whole lot of natural green space! Which results in Penobscot County recording zero unhealthy days for both ozone and short-term particle population over the last three years.  

Read More: Who Dares to Conquer a 90-Degree Pitch on Knife Edge Trail in ME? 

The result? Penobscot County, which includes Bangor, recorded zero unhealthy days for both ozone and short-term particle pollution over the past three years back in 2023, according to Bangor Daily News.