Insights: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 51 over 305 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Moderate band and a Poor metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 143 Good days (47%), 162 Moderate (53%), 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 14.1 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, good days shifted by -62 and the median AQI moved +3 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro avoided any Unhealthy-tier days entirely, an outcome that typically reflects favorable wind patterns, lower industrial density, or effective regional emission controls. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC (47.6% good, AQI 51); Canton-Massillon, OH (49.5% good, AQI 51); Carlsbad-Artesia, NM (46.9% good, AQI 51).