Metro area air quality · 2025

Dalton, GA

Median AQI 39 (Good). 90.3% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 23, 2026

39
Median AQI: 90.3%
Good-air days: 0
Unhealthy days: 86%
Cleaner than US metros

Dalton, GA posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) with 90.3% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Dalton, GA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 39 across 257 monitored days in 2025, with 90.3% 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 Dalton, GA CBSA's 90.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 86% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer: Bay City, MI (70.4% Good, median AQI 39) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Dalton, GA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Dalton, GA's Good-day share moved -3.9 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +5).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 39

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 257 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Dalton, GA metro runs good on the EPA scale, cleaner than most US metros, a median AQI of 39 with 90.3% of 257 monitored days in the Good band.

39
median AQI · Good: 90.3%
days rated Good: 86%
cleaner than US metros: 112
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Dalton, GA metro's Good-day share rose from 84.5% to 90.6% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +6.1 percentage points.
Dalton, GA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 77 to 112 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +35 points.

Insights: Dalton, GA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 39 over 257 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Excellent metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 232 Good days (90%), 24 Moderate (9%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 50 while the highest single-day reading hit 112 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 27.1 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 -3.9 points (measured against 272 monitored days in 2020 and 256 in 2025, so raw day counts are not comparable) and the median AQI moved +5 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 Bay City, MI (70.4% good, AQI 39); Brainerd, MN (74.3% good, AQI 39); Cambridge, MD (86.0% good, AQI 39).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Good

Good Days

90.3%

232 of 257 days

Max AQI

112

USG

Health Grade

Excellent

90th pct: 50

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 257 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

232

90%

Moderate

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Excellent

The Dalton, GA metro area's air quality is rated Excellent based on 90.3% 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 Dalton, GA metro compare?

How Dalton, GA compares

Compare against

Good-day share better than typical

Dalton, GA 90.3%

Bay City, MI 70.4%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI better than typical

Dalton, GA 39

Bay City, MI 39

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr better than typical

Dalton, GA 0

Bay City, MI 0

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Dalton, GA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (94.5%, 257 of 272 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	257	15	34	61
2021	240	36	38	87
2022	248	30	38	105
2023	235	42	41	108
2024	234	43	41	77
2025	232	24	39	112

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Dalton, GA (39).

Bay City, MI

Median AQI 39 · 70.4% Good-day share

Brainerd, MN

Median AQI 39 · 74.3% Good-day share

Cambridge, MD

Median AQI 39 · 86.0% Good-day share

Charleston, WV

Median AQI 39 · 77.0% Good-day share

Harrisonburg, VA

Median AQI 39 · 80.0% Good-day share

Indiana, PA

Median AQI 39 · 74.8% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Dalton, GA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 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 Dalton, GA metro area? ▼

The Dalton, GA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 39, rated "Good." 90.3% of monitored days (232 out of 257) had good air quality in 2025.

How many unhealthy air days does Dalton, GA have? ▼

In 2025, the Dalton, GA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 112.

Is air quality in Dalton, GA getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Dalton, GA 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 94.5% (257 of 272 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 84.5% (234 of 277 days).

What does AQI 39 mean for health? ▼

An AQI of 39 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 Dalton, GA? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Dalton, GA metro area is 50, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 112 (USG).

How does Dalton, GA compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Dalton, GA metro has 90.3% good air days. Similar metros: Bay City, MI (70.4% good), Brainerd, MN (74.3% good), Cambridge, MD (86.0% 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 Accessed 2026-07-06

Send the source-year summary or download its ready-to-use data card.

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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.