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.

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

Baton Rouge, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (35.6% 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 54 and 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.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 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.

Compared against 354 monitored days in 2024 and 362 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

Baton Rouge, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (35.6% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 35.6% 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 54 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 130 Good (36%), 232 Moderate (64%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 70; the highest single-day reading hit 122 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -13.0 points and median AQI moved +3 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear 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).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

54

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

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

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

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
2020 176 184 0 51
2021 139 221 1 53
2022 130 224 1 53
2023 99 242 1 56
2024 138 214 2 53
2025 130 232 0 54

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

54

Columbus, OH

Median AQI 54 · 39.7% Good-day share

54

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Median AQI 54 · 36.2% Good-day share

54

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

Median AQI 54 · 37.5% Good-day share

54

Tucson, AZ

Median AQI 54 · 33.7% Good-day share

54

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Median AQI 53 · 41.1% Good-day share

53

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

27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Frequently Asked Questions

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.
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.
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.
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).
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).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Baton Rouge, LA, 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, Baton Rouge, LA · 2020–2025