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

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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
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

2024 → 2025
  • 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.

Compared against 362 monitored days in 2024 and 365 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

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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%), 197 Moderate (54%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 66; the highest single-day reading hit 97 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -10.3 points and median AQI moved +4 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear 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).

Health effects of air pollution →

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

Poor

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

Good-day share worse than typical
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 46.0%
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 46.0%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 52
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 52
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 0
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC 0
Typical US metro 1

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
2020 205 159 0 48
2021 178 184 0 51
2022 170 192 0 52
2023 145 212 0 53
2024 152 209 1 53
2025 168 197 0 52

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

52

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

Median AQI 52 · 41.4% Good-day share

52

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

Median AQI 52 · 43.0% Good-day share

52

El Dorado, AR

Median AQI 52 · 41.8% Good-day share

52

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

Median AQI 52 · 41.9% Good-day share

52

Greeley, CO

Median AQI 52 · 44.7% Good-day share

52

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

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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC have? ▼
In 2025, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 97.
What is the air quality in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area? ▼
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 52, rated "Moderate." 46.0% of monitored days (168 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 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 56.3% (205 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 40.6% (145 of 357 days).
What does AQI 52 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 52 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
How does Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro has 46.0% good air days. Similar metros: Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (46.0% good), Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX (41.4% good), Birmingham-Hoover, AL (43.0% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area is 66, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 97 (Moderate).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · 2020–2025