Metro area air quality · 2025
Ellensburg, WA
Median AQI 25 (Good). 80.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 25
- Median AQI
- 80.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 68%
- Cleaner than US metros
Ellensburg, WA posted a 2025 median AQI of 25 (Good) with 80.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Ellensburg, WA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 25 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 80.0% 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 Ellensburg, WA CBSA's 80.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 68% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA (97.5% Good, median AQI 25) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Ellensburg, WA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Ellensburg, WA's Good-day share moved -2.5 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +1).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 25
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Ellensburg, WA's median AQI 25 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 25 and 80.0% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 25
- median AQI · Good
- 80.0%
- days rated Good
- 68%
- cleaner than US metros
- 114
- 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
- Ellensburg, WA metro's Good-day share fell from 87.4% to 80.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -6.8 percentage points.
- Ellensburg, WA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 94 to 114 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +20 points.
Ellensburg, WA's median AQI 25 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 25 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 25 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 292 Good (80%), 70 Moderate (19%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 57; the highest single-day reading hit 114 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -2.5 points and median AQI moved +1 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA (97.5% good, AQI 25); The Dalles, OR (86.3% good, AQI 25); Lubbock, TX (92.9% good, AQI 24).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
25
Good
Good Days
80.0%
292 of 365 days
Max AQI
114
USG
Health Grade
Good
90th pct: 57
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
292
80%
Moderate
70
19%
USG
3
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Ellensburg, WA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 80.0% 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 Ellensburg, WA metro compare?
How Ellensburg, WA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in the Ellensburg, WA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (87.4%, 320 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 297 | 57 | 3 | 24 | 724 |
| 2021 | 303 | 57 | 2 | 28 | 173 |
| 2022 | 259 | 100 | 2 | 28 | 164 |
| 2023 | 287 | 74 | 1 | 29 | 254 |
| 2024 | 320 | 46 | 0 | 23 | 94 |
| 2025 | 292 | 70 | 0 | 25 | 114 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Ellensburg, WA (25).
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA
Median AQI 25 · 97.5% Good-day share
The Dalles, OR
Median AQI 25 · 86.3% Good-day share
Lubbock, TX
Median AQI 24 · 92.9% Good-day share
Pahrump, NV
Median AQI 26 · 92.6% Good-day share
Twin Falls, ID
Median AQI 26 · 92.9% Good-day share
Aberdeen, SD
Median AQI 27 · 83.6% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Ellensburg, WA's 0 (independent of median AQI).
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
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Frequently Asked Questions
What does AQI 25 mean for health? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Ellensburg, WA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Ellensburg, WA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Ellensburg, WA getting better or worse? ▼
How does Ellensburg, WA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Ellensburg, WA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Ellensburg, WA, 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, Ellensburg, WA · 2020–2025