Metro area air quality · 2025

Baton Rouge, LA

Median AQI 54 (Moderate). 35.6% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 4, 2026

54
Median AQI: 35.6%
Good-air days: 0
Unhealthy days: 5%
Cleaner than US metros

Baton Rouge, LA posted a 2025 median AQI of 54 (Moderate) with 35.6% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Baton Rouge, LA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 54 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 35.6% 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 Baton Rouge, LA CBSA's 35.6% Good-day share places it cleaner than 5% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer: Cleveland-Elyria, OH (42.5% Good, median AQI 54) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Baton Rouge, LA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Baton Rouge, LA's Good-day share moved -13.0 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +3).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 54

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

The verdict

The Baton Rouge, LA metro runs moderate on the EPA scale, among the more polluted US metros, a median AQI of 54 with 35.6% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

54
median AQI · Moderate: 35.6%
days rated Good: 5%
cleaner than US metros: 122
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Baton Rouge, LA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 159 to 122 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -37 points.
Baton Rouge, LA metro's Good-day share fell from 39.0% to 35.9% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.1 percentage points.
Baton Rouge, LA metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 2 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2 days.

Insights: Baton Rouge, LA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 54 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 130 Good days (36%), 232 Moderate (64%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 70 while the highest single-day reading hit 122 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 10.7 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 -13.0 points and the median AQI moved +3 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Cleveland-Elyria, OH (42.5% good, AQI 54); Columbus, OH (39.7% good, AQI 54); Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (36.2% good, AQI 54).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Moderate

Good Days

35.6%

130 of 365 days

Max AQI

122

USG

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 70

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

130

36%

Moderate

232

64%

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Baton Rouge, LA metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 35.6% 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 Baton Rouge, LA metro compare?

How Baton Rouge, LA compares

Compare against

Good-day share worse than typical

Baton Rouge, LA 35.6%

Cleveland-Elyria, OH 42.5%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI worse than typical

Baton Rouge, LA 54

Cleveland-Elyria, OH 54

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr better than typical

Baton Rouge, LA 0

Cleveland-Elyria, OH 0

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Baton Rouge, LA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (48.9%, 176 of 360 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Unhealthy	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	176	184	0	51	136
2021	139	221	1	53	159
2022	130	224	1	53	156
2023	99	242	1	56	154
2024	138	214	2	53	159
2025	130	232	0	54	122

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Baton Rouge, LA (54).

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

Median AQI 54 · 42.5% Good-day share

Columbus, OH

Median AQI 54 · 39.7% Good-day share

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Median AQI 54 · 36.2% Good-day share

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

Median AQI 54 · 37.5% Good-day share

Tucson, AZ

Median AQI 54 · 33.7% Good-day share

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Median AQI 53 · 41.1% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Baton Rouge, LA'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 Baton Rouge, LA metro area? ▼

The Baton Rouge, LA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 54, rated "Moderate." 35.6% of monitored days (130 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.

How many unhealthy air days does Baton Rouge, LA have? ▼

In 2025, the Baton Rouge, LA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 122.

Is air quality in Baton Rouge, LA getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Baton Rouge, LA metro is worsening across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 48.9% (176 of 360 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 28.9% (99 of 342 days).

What does AQI 54 mean for health? ▼

An AQI of 54 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 Baton Rouge, LA? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Baton Rouge, LA metro area is 70, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 122 (USG).

How does Baton Rouge, LA compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Baton Rouge, LA metro has 35.6% good air days. Similar metros: Cleveland-Elyria, OH (42.5% good), Columbus, OH (39.7% good), Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (36.2% 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.

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 Accessed 2026-07-06

Send the source-year summary or download its ready-to-use data card.

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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.