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
The Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro runs moderate on the EPA scale, among the more polluted US metros, a median AQI of 52 with 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.
Insights: Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 52 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 168 Good days (46%), 195 Moderate (53%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 70 while the highest single-day reading hit 130 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 13.8 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 +0.8 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 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. Best year: 2022 (181 good 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
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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro area? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC have? ▼
Is air quality in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 52 mean for health? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC? ▼
How does Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 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.