Metro area air quality · 2025

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

Median AQI 59 (Moderate). 28.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

59
Median AQI
28.2%
Good-air days
5
Unhealthy days
2%
Cleaner than US metros

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX posted a 2025 median AQI of 59 (Moderate) with 28.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX CBSA recorded a median AQI of 59 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 28.2% rated Good and 5 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 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX CBSA's 28.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 2% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (28.8% Good, median AQI 58) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX's Good-day share moved -7.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +5).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 59

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (28.2% 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 59 and 28.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

59
median AQI · Moderate
28.2%
days rated Good
2%
cleaner than US metros
304
worst single reading

5 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 203 to 304 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +101 points.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 9 to 4 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5 days.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro's Good-day share rose from 26.8% to 31.8% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.0 percentage points.

Compared against 321 monitored days in 2024 and 324 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

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (28.2% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 28.2% 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 59 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 103 Good (28%), 217 Moderate (59%), and 40 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (11%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 108; the highest single-day reading hit 304 (Hazardous).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -7.3 points and median AQI moved +5 (worsening). The annual record contains 5 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (28.8% good, AQI 58); Albuquerque, NM (24.9% good, AQI 61); Brownsville-Harlingen, TX (29.9% good, AQI 57).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

59

Moderate

Good Days

28.2%

103 of 365 days

Max AQI

304

Hazardous

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 108

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

103

28%

Moderate

217

59%

USG

40

11%

Unhealthy

4

1%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

1

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 28.2% good air days. There were 5 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality posed significant health risk in 2025. Sensitive groups, including people with asthma, COPD, cardiovascular conditions, children, pregnant women, and adults over 65, should monitor AirNow.gov alerts and limit outdoor activity on Unhealthy (AQI 151+) and Very Unhealthy (201+) days. Peak readings reached AQI 304, well into the Hazardous range.

Sensitive group advisory

People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, pregnant women, and adults 65+ should follow EPA AQI alerts daily and limit outdoor exertion when AQI exceeds 100. Real-time conditions: airnow.gov.

How does the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro compare?

How Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 28.2%
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 28.8%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 59
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 58
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 5
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (39.1%, 135 of 345 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 135 207 3 54
2021 128 206 3 54
2022 99 214 3 58
2023 75 237 9 60
2024 86 226 9 59
2025 103 217 4 59

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (59).

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

Median AQI 58 · 28.8% Good-day share

58

Albuquerque, NM

Median AQI 61 · 24.9% Good-day share

61

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

Median AQI 57 · 29.9% Good-day share

57

Fresno, CA

Median AQI 61 · 28.8% Good-day share

61

Hanford-Corcoran, CA

Median AQI 57 · 34.5% Good-day share

57

Las Cruces, NM

Median AQI 61 · 27.4% Good-day share

61

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX's 5 (independent of median AQI).

Eau Claire, WI

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

38

Hobbs, NM

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 44

44

Mankato-North Mankato, MN

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 42

42

Minot, ND

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 36

36

Tucson, AZ

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 54

54

Appleton, WI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

38

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX have? ▼
In 2025, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area recorded 5 unhealthy air days (4 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 1 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 304.
What is the air quality in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area? ▼
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 59, rated "Moderate." 28.2% of monitored days (103 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 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 39.1% (135 of 345 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 23.4% (75 of 321 days).
What does AQI 59 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 59 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
How does Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro has 28.2% good air days. Similar metros: Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (28.8% good), Albuquerque, NM (24.9% good), Brownsville-Harlingen, TX (29.9% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area is 108, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 304 (Hazardous).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, 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, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · 2020–2025