Metro area air quality · 2025

Columbia, MO

Median AQI 37 (Good). 93.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

37
Median AQI
93.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
91%
Cleaner than US metros

Columbia, MO posted a 2025 median AQI of 37 (Good) with 93.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Columbia, MO CBSA recorded a median AQI of 37 across 248 monitored days in 2025, with 93.2% 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 Columbia, MO CBSA's 93.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 91% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Alexandria, LA (73.7% Good, median AQI 37) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Columbia, MO.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Columbia, MO's Good-day share moved -3.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 37

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 248 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Columbia, MO metro runs good on the EPA scale, among the cleanest 10% of US metros, a median AQI of 37 with 93.2% of 248 monitored days in the Good band.

37
median AQI · Good
93.2%
days rated Good
91%
cleaner than US metros
87
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
  • Columbia, MO metro's Good-day share fell from 94.2% to 93.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.1 percentage points.
  • Columbia, MO metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 77 to 87 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +10 points.

Compared against 259 monitored days in 2024 and 248 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: Columbia, MO metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 37 over 248 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Excellent metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 231 Good days (93%), 17 Moderate (7%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 49 while the highest single-day reading hit 87 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 27.9 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 -3.2 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 Alexandria, LA (73.7% good, AQI 37); Athens, TN (78.2% good, AQI 37); Bennington, VT (83.6% good, AQI 37).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

37

Good

Good Days

93.2%

231 of 248 days

Max AQI

87

Moderate

Health Grade

Excellent

90th pct: 49

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 248 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

231

93%

Moderate

17

7%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Excellent

The Columbia, MO metro area's air quality is rated Excellent based on 93.2% 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 Columbia, MO metro compare?

How Columbia, MO compares

Good-day share better than typical
Columbia, MO 93.2%
Alexandria, LA 73.7%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Columbia, MO 37
Alexandria, LA 37
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Columbia, MO 0
Alexandria, LA 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Columbia, MO metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (96.3%, 235 of 244 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 235 9 0 33
2021 233 12 0 37
2022 235 10 0 38
2023 195 44 0 42
2024 244 15 0 39
2025 231 17 0 37

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Columbia, MO (37).

Alexandria, LA

Median AQI 37 · 73.7% Good-day share

37

Athens, TN

Median AQI 37 · 78.2% Good-day share

37

Bennington, VT

Median AQI 37 · 83.6% Good-day share

37

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

Median AQI 37 · 94.4% Good-day share

37

Cadillac, MI

Median AQI 37 · 86.0% Good-day share

37

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

Median AQI 37 · 91.5% Good-day share

37

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Columbia, MO'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 Columbia, MO metro area? ▼
The Columbia, MO metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 37, rated "Good." 93.2% of monitored days (231 out of 248) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Columbia, MO have? ▼
In 2025, the Columbia, MO metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 87.
Is air quality in Columbia, MO getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Columbia, MO 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 96.3% (235 of 244 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 81.6% (195 of 239 days).
What does AQI 37 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 37 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 Columbia, MO? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Columbia, MO metro area is 49, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 87 (Moderate).
How does Columbia, MO compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Columbia, MO metro has 93.2% good air days. Similar metros: Alexandria, LA (73.7% good), Athens, TN (78.2% good), Bennington, VT (83.6% 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.