Metro area air quality · 2025

Asheville, NC

Median AQI 45 (Good). 69.9% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

45
Median AQI
69.9%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
45%
Cleaner than US metros

Asheville, NC posted a 2025 median AQI of 45 (Good) with 69.9% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Asheville, NC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 45 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 69.9% 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 Asheville, NC CBSA's 69.9% Good-day share places it cleaner than 45% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Akron, OH (61.6% Good, median AQI 45) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Asheville, NC.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Asheville, NC's Good-day share moved -14.5 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 45

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

The verdict

Asheville, NC's median AQI 45 is in the upper (dirtier) CBSA tercile on this site. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 45 and 69.9% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

45
median AQI · Good
69.9%
days rated Good
45%
cleaner than US metros
97
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
  • Asheville, NC metro's Good-day share rose from 60.0% to 69.9% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +9.9 percentage points.
  • Asheville, NC metro's median AQI fell from 48 to 45 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3 points.

Compared against 365 monitored days in 2024 and 365 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

Asheville, NC's median AQI 45 is in the upper (dirtier) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 45 (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 45 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 255 Good (70%), 110 Moderate (30%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 59; the highest single-day reading hit 97 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -14.5 points and median AQI moved +4 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Akron, OH (61.6% good, AQI 45); Ardmore, OK (67.9% good, AQI 45); Cheyenne, WY (75.1% good, AQI 45).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

45

Good

Good Days

69.9%

255 of 365 days

Max AQI

97

Moderate

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 59

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

255

70%

Moderate

110

30%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Asheville, NC metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 69.9% 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 Asheville, NC metro compare?

How Asheville, NC compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Asheville, NC 69.9%
Akron, OH 61.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Asheville, NC 45
Akron, OH 45
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Asheville, NC 0
Akron, OH 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Asheville, NC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (84.3%, 307 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 307 57 0 41
2021 260 105 0 44
2022 267 97 0 44
2023 228 132 0 46
2024 219 146 0 48
2025 255 110 0 45

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Asheville, NC (45).

Akron, OH

Median AQI 45 · 61.6% Good-day share

45

Ardmore, OK

Median AQI 45 · 67.9% Good-day share

45

Cheyenne, WY

Median AQI 45 · 75.1% Good-day share

45

Clinton, IA

Median AQI 45 · 59.5% Good-day share

45

Fort Dodge, IA

Median AQI 45 · 59.2% Good-day share

45

Gadsden, AL

Median AQI 45 · 61.4% Good-day share

45

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Asheville, NC'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

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AQI 45 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 45 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 Asheville, NC have? ▼
In 2025, the Asheville, NC metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 97.
What is the air quality in the Asheville, NC metro area? ▼
The Asheville, NC metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 45, rated "Good." 69.9% of monitored days (255 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Asheville, NC getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Asheville, NC metro is worsening across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 84.3% (307 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 60.0% (219 of 365 days).
How does Asheville, NC compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Asheville, NC metro has 69.9% good air days. Similar metros: Akron, OH (61.6% good), Ardmore, OK (67.9% good), Cheyenne, WY (75.1% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Asheville, NC? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Asheville, NC metro area is 59, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 97 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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