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
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (41.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs moderate, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 53 and 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
- 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.
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (41.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 41.1% 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 53 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 150 Good (41%), 209 Moderate (57%), and 6 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (2%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 74; the highest single-day reading hit 129 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +0.2 points and median AQI moved +0 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear 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
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
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 | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 151 | 212 | 0 | 53 | 125 |
| 2021 | 138 | 219 | 0 | 54 | 150 |
| 2022 | 127 | 229 | 1 | 54 | 169 |
| 2023 | 97 | 247 | 3 | 57 | 172 |
| 2024 | 110 | 242 | 1 | 56 | 161 |
| 2025 | 150 | 209 | 0 | 53 | 129 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (53).
Austin-Round Rock, TX
Median AQI 53 · 43.6% Good-day share
Corpus Christi, TX
Median AQI 53 · 40.5% Good-day share
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Median AQI 53 · 42.2% Good-day share
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Median AQI 53 · 41.4% Good-day share
Pittsburgh, PA
Median AQI 53 · 43.0% Good-day share
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Median AQI 52 · 46.0% Good-day share
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).
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, GA
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46
Albany, OR
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 53 mean for health? ▼
How does Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA · 2020–2025