Metro area air quality · 2025

Charlottesville, VA

Median AQI 38 (Good). 81.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

38
Median AQI
81.0%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
69%
Cleaner than US metros

Charlottesville, VA posted a 2025 median AQI of 38 (Good) with 81.0% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Charlottesville, VA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 38 across 363 monitored days in 2025, with 81.0% 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 Charlottesville, VA CBSA's 81.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 69% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Appleton, WI (72.3% Good, median AQI 38) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Charlottesville, VA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Charlottesville, VA's Good-day share moved +1.9 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -3).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 38

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 363 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Charlottesville, VA metro runs good on the EPA scale, cleaner than the median US metro, a median AQI of 38 with 81.0% of 363 monitored days in the Good band.

38
median AQI · Good
81.0%
days rated Good
69%
cleaner than US metros
77
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
  • Charlottesville, VA metro's Good-day share rose from 78.9% to 81.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.1 percentage points.

Compared against 356 monitored days in 2024 and 363 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

Insights: Charlottesville, VA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 38 over 363 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Good metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 294 Good days (81%), 69 Moderate (19%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 56 while the highest single-day reading hit 77 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 24.3 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 +1.9 points and the median AQI moved -3 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as stable. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Appleton, WI (72.3% good, AQI 38); Billings, MT (86.3% good, AQI 38); Burlington-South Burlington, VT (87.7% good, AQI 38).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

38

Good

Good Days

81.0%

294 of 363 days

Max AQI

77

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 56

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 363 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

294

81%

Moderate

69

19%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Charlottesville, VA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 81.0% 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 Charlottesville, VA metro compare?

How Charlottesville, VA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Charlottesville, VA 81.0%
Appleton, WI 72.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Charlottesville, VA 38
Appleton, WI 38
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Charlottesville, VA 0
Appleton, WI 6
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Charlottesville, VA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (81.0%, 294 of 363 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 287 76 0 41
2021 261 99 0 41
2022 249 112 0 44
2023 254 104 3 44
2024 281 75 0 40
2025 294 69 0 38

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Charlottesville, VA (38).

Appleton, WI

Median AQI 38 · 72.3% Good-day share

38

Billings, MT

Median AQI 38 · 86.3% Good-day share

38

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

Median AQI 38 · 87.7% Good-day share

38

Corning, NY

Median AQI 38 · 83.3% Good-day share

38

Dickinson, ND

Median AQI 38 · 82.7% Good-day share

38

Eau Claire, WI

Median AQI 38 · 73.7% Good-day share

38

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Charlottesville, VA'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

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 Charlottesville, VA metro area? ▼
The Charlottesville, VA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 38, rated "Good." 81.0% of monitored days (294 out of 363) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Charlottesville, VA have? ▼
In 2025, the Charlottesville, VA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 77.
Is air quality in Charlottesville, VA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Charlottesville, VA metro is stable across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2025 at 81.0% (294 of 363 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2022 at 69.0% (249 of 361 days).
What does AQI 38 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 38 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Charlottesville, VA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Charlottesville, VA metro area is 56, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 77 (Moderate).
How does Charlottesville, VA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Charlottesville, VA metro has 81.0% good air days. Similar metros: Appleton, WI (72.3% good), Billings, MT (86.3% good), Burlington-South Burlington, VT (87.7% 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

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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.