Metro area air quality · 2025

Altoona, PA

Median AQI 40 (Good). 76.9% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

40
Median AQI
76.9%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
60%
Cleaner than US metros

Altoona, PA posted a 2025 median AQI of 40 (Good) with 76.9% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Altoona, PA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 40 across 363 monitored days in 2025, with 76.9% rated Good and 0 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual metro comparison, not a live advisory.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US metros
The Altoona, PA CBSA's 76.9% Good-day share places it cleaner than 60% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Beaver Dam, WI (72.3% Good, median AQI 40) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Altoona, PA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Altoona, PA's Good-day share moved +4.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -3).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 40

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 363 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Altoona, PA metro runs good on the EPA scale, cleaner than the median US metro, a median AQI of 40 with 76.9% of 363 monitored days in the Good band.

40
median AQI · Good
76.9%
days rated Good
60%
cleaner than US metros
115
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Altoona, PA metro's Good-day share fell from 80.9% to 77.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.8 percentage points.
  • Altoona, PA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 100 to 115 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +15 points.
  • Altoona, PA metro's median AQI rose from 37 to 40 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3 points.

Compared against 366 monitored days in 2024 and 362 in 2025. These are arithmetic differences between two stored EPA annual summaries, not a cause claim or a live advisory.

National release changes Two-year CSV

Insights: Altoona, PA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 40 over 363 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Good metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 279 Good days (77%), 83 Moderate (23%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 60 while the highest single-day reading hit 115 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 23.1 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, the share of monitored days rated Good shifted by +4.3 points and the median AQI moved -3 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as improving. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Beaver Dam, WI (72.3% good, AQI 40); Bismarck, ND (76.7% good, AQI 40); Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL (76.4% good, AQI 40).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

40

Good

Good Days

76.9%

279 of 363 days

Max AQI

115

USG

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 60

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 363 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

279

77%

Moderate

83

23%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Altoona, PA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 76.9% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.

Air quality is generally acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.

How does the Altoona, PA metro compare?

How Altoona, PA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Altoona, PA 76.9%
Beaver Dam, WI 72.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Altoona, PA 40
Beaver Dam, WI 40
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Altoona, PA 0
Beaver Dam, WI 1
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Altoona, PA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (80.9%, 296 of 366 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 262 98 0 43
2021 206 128 0 45
2022 234 129 0 44
2023 229 123 4 43
2024 296 70 0 37
2025 279 83 0 40

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Altoona, PA (40).

Beaver Dam, WI

Median AQI 40 · 72.3% Good-day share

40

Bismarck, ND

Median AQI 40 · 76.7% Good-day share

40

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

Median AQI 40 · 76.4% Good-day share

40

College Station-Bryan, TX

Median AQI 40 · 68.5% Good-day share

40

Fallon, NV

Median AQI 40 · 85.2% Good-day share

40

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

Median AQI 40 · 83.3% Good-day share

40

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Altoona, PA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

More Air Quality Data

Explore EPA air quality rankings and guides across U.S. metros and counties.

Cleanest Metro Areas

U.S. metros ranked by their share of Good air-quality days.

Worst Air Quality

Counties and metros with the most unhealthy air days.

All Metro Areas

Annual AQI by CBSA for every monitored U.S. metro area.

Best and Worst City Air

What drives urban air quality and how metro areas compare.

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Altoona, PA metro area? ▼
The Altoona, PA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 40, rated "Good." 76.9% of monitored days (279 out of 363) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Altoona, PA have? ▼
In 2025, the Altoona, PA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 115.
Is air quality in Altoona, PA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Altoona, PA metro is improving across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 80.9% (296 of 366 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 61.7% (206 of 334 days).
What does AQI 40 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 40 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Altoona, PA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Altoona, PA metro area is 60, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 115 (USG).
How does Altoona, PA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Altoona, PA metro has 76.9% good air days. Similar metros: Beaver Dam, WI (72.3% good), Bismarck, ND (76.7% good), Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL (76.4% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset, 2020–2025. See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary files (metro-level) · 2020–2025

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Every figure on PlainAirData is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.