Metro area air quality · 2025

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Median AQI 53 (Moderate). 41.1% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

53
Median AQI
41.1%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
6%
Cleaner than US metros

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA posted a 2025 median AQI of 53 (Moderate) with 41.1% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 53 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 41.1% 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA CBSA's 41.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 6% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Austin-Round Rock, TX (43.6% Good, median AQI 53) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA's Good-day share moved +0.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 53

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

The verdict

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro runs moderate on the EPA scale, among the more polluted US metros, a median AQI of 53 with 41.1% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

53
median AQI · Moderate
41.1%
days rated Good
6%
cleaner than US metros
129
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
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro's Good-day share rose from 31.2% to 41.8% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +10.6 percentage points.
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 161 to 129 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -32 points.
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro's median AQI fell from 56 to 53 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3 points.
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 1 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.

Compared against 353 monitored days in 2024 and 359 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: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 53 over 365 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Moderate band and a Poor metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 150 Good days (41%), 209 Moderate (57%), and 6 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (2%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 74 while the highest single-day reading hit 129 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 12.3 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 +0.2 points and the median AQI moved +0 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as stable. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Austin-Round Rock, TX (43.6% good, AQI 53); Corpus Christi, TX (40.5% good, AQI 53); New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (42.2% good, AQI 53).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

53

Moderate

Good Days

41.1%

150 of 365 days

Max AQI

129

USG

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 74

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

150

41%

Moderate

209

57%

USG

6

2%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 41.1% 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro compare?

How Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 41.1%
Austin-Round Rock, TX 43.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 53
Austin-Round Rock, TX 53
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 0
Austin-Round Rock, TX 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (41.8%, 150 of 359 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 151 212 0 53
2021 138 219 0 54
2022 127 229 1 54
2023 97 247 3 57
2024 110 242 1 56
2025 150 209 0 53

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (53).

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

More Air Quality Data

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

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area?
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 53, rated "Moderate." 41.1% of monitored days (150 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA have?
In 2025, the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 129.
Is air quality in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 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: 2025 at 41.8% (150 of 359 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 28.0% (97 of 347 days).
What does AQI 53 mean for health?
An AQI of 53 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area is 74, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 129 (USG).
How does Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA compare to other metro areas?
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro has 41.1% good air days. Similar metros: Austin-Round Rock, TX (43.6% good), Corpus Christi, TX (40.5% good), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (42.2% 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.

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.