Metro area air quality · 2025

Fargo, ND-MN

Median AQI 37 (Good). 76.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

37
Median AQI
76.2%
Good-air days
7
Unhealthy days
59%
Cleaner than US metros

Fargo, ND-MN posted a 2025 median AQI of 37 (Good) with 76.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Fargo, ND-MN CBSA recorded a median AQI of 37 across 361 monitored days in 2025, with 76.2% rated Good and 7 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 Fargo, ND-MN CBSA's 76.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 59% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Alexandria, LA (73.7% Good, median AQI 37) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Fargo, ND-MN.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Fargo, ND-MN's Good-day share moved -6.4 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 37

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 361 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Fargo, ND-MN's median AQI 37 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 37 and 76.2% of 361 monitored days in the Good band.

37
median AQI · Good
76.2%
days rated Good
59%
cleaner than US metros
192
worst single reading

7 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Fargo, ND-MN metro's Unhealthy-category days rose from 1 to 7 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +6 days.
  • Fargo, ND-MN metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 158 to 192 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +34 points.
  • Fargo, ND-MN metro's Good-day share fell from 78.9% to 77.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.9 percentage points.

Compared against 365 monitored days in 2024 and 357 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

Fargo, ND-MN's median AQI 37 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 37 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 37 over 361 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 275 Good (76%), 75 Moderate (21%), and 4 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 71; the highest single-day reading hit 192 (Unhealthy).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -6.4 points and median AQI moved +0 (worsening). The annual record contains 7 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Alexandria, LA (73.7% good, AQI 37); Athens, TN (78.2% good, AQI 37); Bennington, VT (83.6% good, AQI 37).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

37

Good

Good Days

76.2%

275 of 361 days

Max AQI

192

Unhealthy

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 71

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 361 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

275

76%

Moderate

75

21%

USG

4

1%

Unhealthy

7

2%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Fargo, ND-MN metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 76.2% good air days. There were 7 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality is acceptable most days, but 4 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and peak AQI reached 192. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.

How does the Fargo, ND-MN metro compare?

How Fargo, ND-MN compares

Good-day share better than typical
Fargo, ND-MN 76.2%
Alexandria, LA 73.7%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Fargo, ND-MN 37
Alexandria, LA 37
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical
Fargo, ND-MN 7
Alexandria, LA 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Fargo, ND-MN metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (83.5%, 303 of 363 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 303 60 0 37
2021 227 119 8 42
2022 285 79 0 40
2023 180 166 2 50
2024 288 76 1 38
2025 275 75 7 37

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Fargo, ND-MN (37).

Alexandria, LA

Median AQI 37 · 73.7% Good-day share

37

Athens, TN

Median AQI 37 · 78.2% Good-day share

37

Bennington, VT

Median AQI 37 · 83.6% Good-day share

37

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

Median AQI 37 · 94.4% Good-day share

37

Cadillac, MI

Median AQI 37 · 86.0% Good-day share

37

Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA

Median AQI 37 · 91.5% Good-day share

37

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Fargo, ND-MN's 7 (independent of median AQI).

Green Bay, WI

7 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

38

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

7 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 67

67

Appleton, WI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

38

Brainerd, MN

8 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 39

39

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 56

56

Marquette, MI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 19

19

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AQI 37 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 37 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 Fargo, ND-MN have? ▼
In 2025, the Fargo, ND-MN metro area recorded 7 unhealthy air days (7 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 192.
What is the air quality in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area? ▼
The Fargo, ND-MN metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 37, rated "Good." 76.2% of monitored days (275 out of 361) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Fargo, ND-MN getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Fargo, ND-MN 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 83.5% (303 of 363 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 51.7% (180 of 348 days).
How does Fargo, ND-MN compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Fargo, ND-MN metro has 76.2% good air days. Similar metros: Alexandria, LA (73.7% good), Athens, TN (78.2% good), Bennington, VT (83.6% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Fargo, ND-MN? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Fargo, ND-MN metro area is 71, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 192 (Unhealthy).

Data Sources

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