Metro area air quality · 2025

Emporia, KS

Median AQI 31 (Good). 82.8% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

31
Median AQI
82.8%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days

Emporia, KS posted a 2025 median AQI of 31 (Good) with 82.8% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Emporia, KS CBSA recorded a median AQI of 31 across 99 monitored days in 2025, with 82.8% rated Good and 0 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual metro comparison, not a live advisory.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Closest median-AQI peer
Athens, OH (83.4% Good, median AQI 31) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Emporia, KS.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Emporia, KS's Good-day share moved -8.1 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +7).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 31
Good days
Good days: 82.8%

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 99 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Emporia, KS sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.8% of 99 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, with a median AQI of 31 and 82.8% of 99 monitored days in the Good band.

31
median AQI · Good
82.8%
days rated Good
95
worst single reading

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

Annual release change

What changed in the 2024 EPA annual release

2023 → 2024
  • Emporia, KS metro's Good-day share rose from 83.8% to 86.9% between the 2023 and 2024 EPA annual releases, a change of +3.1 percentage points.
  • Emporia, KS metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 79 to 94 between the 2023 and 2024 EPA annual releases, a change of +15 points.

Compared against 117 monitored days in 2023 and 122 in 2024. These are arithmetic differences between two stored EPA annual summaries, not a cause claim or a live advisory.

National release changes Two-year CSV

Emporia, KS sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.8% of 99 monitored days). Signature read: 82.8% Good-day share (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 31 over 99 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 82 Good (83%), 17 Moderate (17%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 54; the highest single-day reading hit 95 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -8.1 points and median AQI moved +7 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Athens, OH (83.4% good, AQI 31); Bellingham, WA (94.0% good, AQI 31); Clearlake, CA (99.2% good, AQI 31).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

31

Good

Good Days

82.8%

82 of 99 days

Max AQI

95

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 54

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 99 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

82

83%

Moderate

17

17%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Emporia, KS metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 82.8% 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 Emporia, KS metro compare?

How Emporia, KS compares

Good-day share better than typical
Emporia, KS 82.8%
Athens, OH 83.4%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Emporia, KS 31
Athens, OH 31
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Emporia, KS 0
Athens, OH 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Emporia, KS metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (90.9%, 110 of 121 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 110 11 0 24
2021 102 18 0 27
2022 110 11 0 25
2023 98 19 0 29
2024 106 16 0 29
2025 82 17 0 31

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Emporia, KS (31).

Athens, OH

Median AQI 31 · 83.4% Good-day share

31

Bellingham, WA

Median AQI 31 · 94.0% Good-day share

31

Clearlake, CA

Median AQI 31 · 99.2% Good-day share

31

Coeur d'Alene, ID

Median AQI 31 · 77.8% Good-day share

31

Moscow, ID

Median AQI 31 · 83.4% Good-day share

31

Cookeville, TN

Median AQI 30 · 90.0% Good-day share

30

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Emporia, KS'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

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Emporia, KS have? ▼
In 2025, the Emporia, KS metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 95.
What is the air quality in the Emporia, KS metro area? ▼
The Emporia, KS metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 31, rated "Good." 82.8% of monitored days (82 out of 99) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Emporia, KS getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Emporia, KS metro is worsening across floor-qualifying years (2020-2024); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2022 at 90.9% (110 of 121 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 83.8% (98 of 117 days).
What does AQI 31 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 31 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
How does Emporia, KS compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Emporia, KS metro has 82.8% good air days. Similar metros: Athens, OH (83.4% good), Bellingham, WA (94.0% good), Clearlake, CA (99.2% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Emporia, KS? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Emporia, KS metro area is 54, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 95 (Moderate).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Emporia, KS, 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, Emporia, KS · 2020–2025