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
Athens-Clarke County, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (57.8% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 46 and 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.
Athens-Clarke County, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (57.8% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 57.8% Good-day share (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 46 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 211 Good (58%), 154 Moderate (42%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 63; the highest single-day reading hit 89 (Moderate).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -10.2 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear 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
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Athens-Clarke County, GA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Athens-Clarke County, GA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 46 mean for health? ▼
How does Athens-Clarke County, GA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Athens-Clarke County, GA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Athens-Clarke County, GA, 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, Athens-Clarke County, GA · 2020–2025