Metro area air quality · 2025
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Median AQI 44 (Good). 61.4% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 44
- Median AQI
- 61.4%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 27%
- Cleaner than US metros
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA posted a 2025 median AQI of 44 (Good) with 61.4% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 44 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 61.4% 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA CBSA's 61.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 27% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Bartlesville, OK (68.0% Good, median AQI 44) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA's Good-day share moved -9.6 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 44
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (61.4% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 44 and 61.4% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 44
- median AQI · Good
- 61.4%
- days rated Good
- 27%
- cleaner than US metros
- 136
- 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
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro's Good-day share fell from 67.5% to 61.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5.8 percentage points.
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 93 to 136 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +43 points.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (61.4% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 61.4% 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 44 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 224 Good (61%), 139 Moderate (38%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 64; the highest single-day reading hit 136 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -9.6 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Bartlesville, OK (68.0% good, AQI 44); Berlin, NH-VT (81.5% good, AQI 44); Bloomington, IL (66.0% good, AQI 44).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
44
Good
Good Days
61.4%
224 of 365 days
Max AQI
136
USG
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 64
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
224
61%
Moderate
139
38%
USG
2
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 61.4% 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro compare?
How Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (74.8%, 273 of 365 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 261 | 103 | 2 | 42 | 199 |
| 2021 | 227 | 137 | 0 | 45 | 110 |
| 2022 | 273 | 92 | 0 | 41 | 89 |
| 2023 | 168 | 182 | 3 | 52 | 166 |
| 2024 | 247 | 119 | 0 | 45 | 93 |
| 2025 | 224 | 139 | 0 | 44 | 136 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (44).
Bartlesville, OK
Median AQI 44 · 68.0% Good-day share
Berlin, NH-VT
Median AQI 44 · 81.5% Good-day share
Bloomington, IL
Median AQI 44 · 66.0% Good-day share
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Median AQI 44 · 71.0% Good-day share
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Median AQI 44 · 64.7% Good-day share
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY
Median AQI 44 · 63.8% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA'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
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 44 mean for health? ▼
How does Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, 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, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · 2020–2025