Metro area air quality · 2025

Fort Payne, AL

Median AQI 41 (Good). 77.3% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 23, 2026

41
Median AQI: 77.3%
Good-air days: 0
Unhealthy days: 61%
Cleaner than US metros

Fort Payne, AL posted a 2025 median AQI of 41 (Good) with 77.3% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Fort Payne, AL CBSA recorded a median AQI of 41 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 77.3% 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 Fort Payne, AL CBSA's 77.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 61% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer: Adrian, MI (69.3% Good, median AQI 41) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Fort Payne, AL.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Fort Payne, AL's Good-day share moved -13.9 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 41

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

The verdict

Fort Payne, AL's peak reading 93 stays in the lower max-AQI tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 41 and 77.3% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

41
median AQI · Good: 77.3%
days rated Good: 61%
cleaner than US metros: 93
worst single reading

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

Fort Payne, AL metro's Good-day share rose from 75.7% to 77.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +1.6 percentage points.

Fort Payne, AL's peak reading 93 stays in the lower max-AQI tercile on this extract. Signature read: peak AQI 93 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 41 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 282 Good (77%), 83 Moderate (23%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 56; the highest single-day reading hit 93 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -13.9 points and median AQI moved +4 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Adrian, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41); Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (67.7% good, AQI 41); Ann Arbor, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41).

Understanding AQI →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Good

Good Days

77.3%

282 of 365 days

Max AQI

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 56

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

282

77%

Moderate

23%

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Fort Payne, AL metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 77.3% 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 Fort Payne, AL metro compare?

How Fort Payne, AL compares

Compare against

Good-day share better than typical

Fort Payne, AL 77.3%

Adrian, MI 69.3%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI about typical

Fort Payne, AL 41

Adrian, MI 41

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr better than typical

Fort Payne, AL 0

Adrian, MI 0

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Fort Payne, AL metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (91.2%, 332 of 364 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	332	32	37	91
2021	315	46	37	84
2022	323	41	38	97
2023	212	151	48	133
2024	277	89	43	87
2025	282	83	41	93

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Fort Payne, AL (41).

Adrian, MI

Median AQI 41 · 69.3% Good-day share

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Median AQI 41 · 67.7% Good-day share

Ann Arbor, MI

Median AQI 41 · 69.3% Good-day share

Bowling Green, KY

Median AQI 41 · 75.6% Good-day share

Brunswick, GA

Median AQI 41 · 74.3% Good-day share

Decatur, AL

Median AQI 41 · 78.4% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Fort Payne, AL'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

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

Alexandria, LA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 37

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 90th percentile AQI for Fort Payne, AL? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Fort Payne, AL metro area is 56, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 93 (Moderate).

How many unhealthy air days does Fort Payne, AL have? ▼

In 2025, the Fort Payne, AL metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 93.

What is the air quality in the Fort Payne, AL metro area? ▼

The Fort Payne, AL metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 41, rated "Good." 77.3% of monitored days (282 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.

Is air quality in Fort Payne, AL getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Fort Payne, AL 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 91.2% (332 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 58.4% (212 of 363 days).

What does AQI 41 mean for health? ▼

An AQI of 41 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 Fort Payne, AL compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Fort Payne, AL metro has 77.3% good air days. Similar metros: Adrian, MI (69.3% good), Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (67.7% good), Ann Arbor, MI (69.3% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Fort Payne, AL, 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, Fort Payne, AL · 2020–2025 Accessed 2026-07-06