Metro area air quality · 2025

Anchorage, AK

Median AQI 27 (Good). 77.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

27
Median AQI
77.5%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
62%
Cleaner than US metros

Anchorage, AK posted a 2025 median AQI of 27 (Good) with 77.5% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Anchorage, AK CBSA recorded a median AQI of 27 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 77.5% 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 Anchorage, AK CBSA's 77.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 62% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Aberdeen, SD (83.6% Good, median AQI 27) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Anchorage, AK.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Anchorage, AK's Good-day share moved +1.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 27

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Anchorage, AK's median AQI 27 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 27 and 77.5% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

27
median AQI · Good
77.5%
days rated Good
62%
cleaner than US metros
141
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
  • Anchorage, AK metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 95 to 141 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +46 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

Anchorage, AK's median AQI 27 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 27 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 27 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 283 Good (78%), 79 Moderate (22%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 61; the highest single-day reading hit 141 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +1.2 points and median AQI moved -2 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Aberdeen, SD (83.6% good, AQI 27); Albany, OR (80.0% good, AQI 27); La Grande, OR (84.4% good, AQI 27).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

27

Good

Good Days

77.5%

283 of 365 days

Max AQI

141

USG

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 61

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

283

78%

Moderate

79

22%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Anchorage, AK metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 77.5% 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 Anchorage, AK metro compare?

How Anchorage, AK compares

Good-day share better than typical
Anchorage, AK 77.5%
Aberdeen, SD 83.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Anchorage, AK 27
Aberdeen, SD 27
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Anchorage, AK 0
Aberdeen, SD 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Anchorage, AK metro. Highest Good-day share: 2023 (81.3%, 296 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 281 84 0 29
2021 270 91 1 31
2022 286 78 0 27
2023 296 68 0 25
2024 284 82 0 26
2025 283 79 0 27

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Anchorage, AK (27).

Aberdeen, SD

Median AQI 27 · 83.6% Good-day share

27

Albany, OR

Median AQI 27 · 80.0% Good-day share

27

La Grande, OR

Median AQI 27 · 84.4% Good-day share

27

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

Median AQI 27 · 93.5% Good-day share

27

Sheridan, WY

Median AQI 27 · 89.1% Good-day share

27

Utica-Rome, NY

Median AQI 27 · 84.4% Good-day share

27

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

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

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-Schenectady-Troy, NY

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Alexandria, LA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 37

37

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AQI 27 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 27 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
How many unhealthy air days does Anchorage, AK have? ▼
In 2025, the Anchorage, AK metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 141.
What is the air quality in the Anchorage, AK metro area? ▼
The Anchorage, AK metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 27, rated "Good." 77.5% of monitored days (283 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Anchorage, AK getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Anchorage, AK metro is stable across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 81.3% (296 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 74.6% (270 of 362 days).
How does Anchorage, AK compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Anchorage, AK metro has 77.5% good air days. Similar metros: Aberdeen, SD (83.6% good), Albany, OR (80.0% good), La Grande, OR (84.4% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Anchorage, AK? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Anchorage, AK metro area is 61, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 141 (USG).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Anchorage, AK, 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, Anchorage, AK · 2020–2025