Metro area air quality · 2025
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Median AQI 46 (Good). 57.8% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 46
- Median AQI
- 57.8%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 22%
- Cleaner than US metros
Athens-Clarke County, GA posted a 2025 median AQI of 46 (Good) with 57.8% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Athens-Clarke County, GA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 46 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 57.8% 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA CBSA's 57.8% Good-day share places it cleaner than 22% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Albany, GA (57.3% Good, median AQI 46) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Athens-Clarke County, GA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Athens-Clarke County, GA's Good-day share moved -10.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 46
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
The Athens-Clarke County, GA metro runs good on the EPA scale, among the more polluted US metros, a median AQI of 46 with 57.8% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 46
- median AQI · Good
- 57.8%
- days rated Good
- 22%
- cleaner than US metros
- 89
- 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
- Athens-Clarke County, GA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 126 to 89 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -37 points.
- Athens-Clarke County, GA metro's Good-day share fell from 61.3% to 57.8% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.5 percentage points.
Insights: Athens-Clarke County, GA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 46 over 365 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Moderate metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 211 Good days (58%), 154 Moderate (42%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 63 while the highest single-day reading hit 89 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 17.3 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 -10.2 points and the median AQI moved +2 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Albany, GA (57.3% good, AQI 46); Brookings, SD (58.6% good, AQI 46); Chico, CA (65.2% good, AQI 46).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
46
Good
Good Days
57.8%
211 of 365 days
Max AQI
89
Moderate
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 63
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
211
58%
Moderate
154
42%
USG
0
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 57.8% 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro compare?
How Athens-Clarke County, GA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (68.0%, 249 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 249 | 117 | 0 | 44 | 99 |
| 2021 | 195 | 169 | 0 | 49 | 107 |
| 2022 | 201 | 161 | 0 | 47 | 88 |
| 2023 | 173 | 189 | 0 | 52 | 147 |
| 2024 | 222 | 140 | 0 | 46 | 126 |
| 2025 | 211 | 154 | 0 | 46 | 89 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Athens-Clarke County, GA (46).
Albany, GA
Median AQI 46 · 57.3% Good-day share
Brookings, SD
Median AQI 46 · 58.6% Good-day share
Chico, CA
Median AQI 46 · 65.2% Good-day share
Colorado Springs, CO
Median AQI 46 · 68.2% Good-day share
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Median AQI 46 · 56.7% Good-day share
Eugene, OR
Median AQI 46 · 56.4% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Athens-Clarke County, GA's 0 (independent of median AQI).
Aberdeen, SD
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Aberdeen, WA
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22
Adrian, MI
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Akron, OH
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45
Albany, OR
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
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 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Athens-Clarke County, GA have? ▼
Is air quality in Athens-Clarke County, GA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 46 mean for health? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Athens-Clarke County, GA? ▼
How does Athens-Clarke County, GA compare to other metro areas? ▼
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.