Metro area air quality · 2025

Erie, PA

Median AQI 34 (Good). 76.7% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

34
Median AQI
76.7%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
60%
Cleaner than US metros

Erie, PA posted a 2025 median AQI of 34 (Good) with 76.7% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Erie, PA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 34 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 76.7% 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 Erie, PA CBSA's 76.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 60% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Arkadelphia, AR (96.7% Good, median AQI 34) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Erie, PA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Erie, PA's Good-day share moved -5.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 34

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

The verdict

Erie, PA's median AQI 34 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 34 and 76.7% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

34
median AQI · Good
76.7%
days rated Good
60%
cleaner than US metros
149
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

2024 → 2025
  • Erie, PA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 93 to 149 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +56 points.
  • Erie, PA metro's Good-day share fell from 80.6% to 76.9% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.7 percentage points.
  • Erie, PA metro's median AQI fell from 38 to 34 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -4 points.

Compared against 366 monitored days in 2024 and 364 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

Erie, PA's median AQI 34 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 34 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 34 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 280 Good (77%), 84 Moderate (23%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 59; the highest single-day reading hit 149 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -5.2 points and median AQI moved -2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Arkadelphia, AR (96.7% good, AQI 34); Augusta-Waterville, ME (85.2% good, AQI 34); Beatrice, NE (75.8% good, AQI 34).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

34

Good

Good Days

76.7%

280 of 365 days

Max AQI

149

USG

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 59

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

280

77%

Moderate

84

23%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Erie, PA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 76.7% 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 Erie, PA metro compare?

How Erie, PA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Erie, PA 76.7%
Arkadelphia, AR 96.7%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Erie, PA 34
Arkadelphia, AR 34
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Erie, PA 0
Arkadelphia, AR 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Erie, PA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (82.1%, 298 of 363 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 298 65 0 36
2021 255 74 0 38
2022 286 79 0 38
2023 240 116 3 42
2024 295 71 0 38
2025 280 84 0 34

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Erie, PA (34).

Arkadelphia, AR

Median AQI 34 · 96.7% Good-day share

34

Augusta-Waterville, ME

Median AQI 34 · 85.2% Good-day share

34

Beatrice, NE

Median AQI 34 · 75.8% Good-day share

34

Dyersburg, TN

Median AQI 34 · 76.9% Good-day share

34

Grand Island, NE

Median AQI 34 · 82.5% Good-day share

34

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

Median AQI 34 · 95.5% Good-day share

34

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

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

What does AQI 34 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 34 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 many unhealthy air days does Erie, PA have? ▼
In 2025, the Erie, PA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 149.
What is the air quality in the Erie, PA metro area? ▼
The Erie, PA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 34, rated "Good." 76.7% of monitored days (280 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Erie, PA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Erie, PA 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 82.1% (298 of 363 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 66.9% (240 of 359 days).
How does Erie, PA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Erie, PA metro has 76.7% good air days. Similar metros: Arkadelphia, AR (96.7% good), Augusta-Waterville, ME (85.2% good), Beatrice, NE (75.8% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Erie, PA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Erie, PA metro area is 59, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 149 (USG).

Data Sources

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