Metro area air quality · 2025
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Median AQI 52 (Moderate). 46.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 52
- Median AQI
- 46.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 10%
- Cleaner than US metros
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC posted a 2025 median AQI of 52 (Moderate) with 46.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 52 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 46.0% 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC CBSA's 46.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 10% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (41.4% Good, median AQI 52) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC's Good-day share moved +0.8 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 52
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC lands in the lower Good-day tercile (46.0% 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 52 and 46.0% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 52
- median AQI · Moderate
- 46.0%
- days rated Good
- 10%
- cleaner than US metros
- 130
- 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
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro's Good-day share rose from 43.7% to 46.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.6 percentage points.
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 105 to 130 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +25 points.
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC lands in the lower Good-day tercile (46.0% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 46.0% 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 52 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 168 Good (46%), 195 Moderate (53%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 70; the highest single-day reading hit 130 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +0.8 points and median AQI moved +0 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (41.4% good, AQI 52); Birmingham-Hoover, AL (43.0% good, AQI 52); Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (46.0% good, AQI 52).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
52
Moderate
Good Days
46.0%
168 of 365 days
Max AQI
130
USG
Health Grade
Poor
90th pct: 70
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
168
46%
Moderate
195
53%
USG
2
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 46.0% 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro compare?
How Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (49.6%, 181 of 365 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 166 | 199 | 0 | 52 | 115 |
| 2021 | 158 | 200 | 0 | 52 | 145 |
| 2022 | 181 | 184 | 0 | 51 | 99 |
| 2023 | 160 | 205 | 0 | 52 | 96 |
| 2024 | 159 | 205 | 0 | 52 | 105 |
| 2025 | 168 | 195 | 0 | 52 | 130 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (52).
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Median AQI 52 · 41.4% Good-day share
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
Median AQI 52 · 43.0% Good-day share
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Median AQI 52 · 46.0% Good-day share
El Dorado, AR
Median AQI 52 · 41.8% Good-day share
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
Median AQI 52 · 41.9% Good-day share
Greeley, CO
Median AQI 52 · 44.7% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC'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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 52 mean for health? ▼
How does Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, 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, Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC · 2020–2025