Metro area air quality · 2025
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC posted a 2025 median AQI of 52 (Moderate) with 46.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC CBSA's 46.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 10% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (46.0% Good, median AQI 52) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC's Good-day share moved -10.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 52
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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
- 97
- 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
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 156 to 97 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -59 points.
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro's Good-day share rose from 42.0% to 46.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +4.0 percentage points.
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 1 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.
Insights: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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%), 197 Moderate (54%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 66 while the highest single-day reading hit 97 (Moderate). 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 -10.3 points and the median AQI moved +4 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (46.0% good, AQI 52); Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (41.4% good, AQI 52); Birmingham-Hoover, AL (43.0% good, AQI 52).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
52
Moderate
Good Days
46.0%
168 of 365 days
Max AQI
97
Moderate
Health Grade
Poor
90th pct: 66
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
168
46%
Moderate
197
54%
USG
0
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro compare?
How Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (56.3%, 205 of 364 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 205 | 159 | 0 | 48 | 112 |
| 2021 | 178 | 184 | 0 | 51 | 128 |
| 2022 | 170 | 192 | 0 | 52 | 126 |
| 2023 | 145 | 212 | 0 | 53 | 150 |
| 2024 | 152 | 209 | 1 | 53 | 156 |
| 2025 | 168 | 197 | 0 | 52 | 97 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC (52).
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Median AQI 52 · 46.0% Good-day share
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
Median AQI 52 · 41.4% Good-day share
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
Median AQI 52 · 43.0% 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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
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Cleanest Metro Areas
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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
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Air Quality Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the air quality in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC have? ▼
Is air quality in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 52 mean for health? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC? ▼
How does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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.