Metro area air quality · 2025

Fort Smith, AR-OK

Median AQI 42 (Good). 71.9% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

42
Median AQI
71.9%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
48%
Cleaner than US metros

Fort Smith, AR-OK posted a 2025 median AQI of 42 (Good) with 71.9% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Fort Smith, AR-OK CBSA recorded a median AQI of 42 across 359 monitored days in 2025, with 71.9% 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 Smith, AR-OK CBSA's 71.9% Good-day share places it cleaner than 48% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% Good, median AQI 42) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Fort Smith, AR-OK.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Fort Smith, AR-OK's Good-day share moved -11.9 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +5).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 42

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 359 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Fort Smith, AR-OK's peak reading 138 is in the upper max-AQI tercile among CBSA metros here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 42 and 71.9% of 359 monitored days in the Good band.

42
median AQI · Good
71.9%
days rated Good
48%
cleaner than US metros
138
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
  • Fort Smith, AR-OK metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 97 to 138 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +41 points.
  • Fort Smith, AR-OK metro's Good-day share rose from 68.9% to 72.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3.4 percentage points.

Compared against 366 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

Fort Smith, AR-OK's peak reading 138 is in the upper max-AQI tercile among CBSA metros here. Signature read: peak AQI 138 (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 42 over 359 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 258 Good (72%), 99 Moderate (28%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 57; the highest single-day reading hit 138 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -11.9 points and median AQI moved +5 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% good, AQI 42); Amarillo, TX (78.4% good, AQI 42); Carson City, NV (86.2% good, AQI 42).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

42

Good

Good Days

71.9%

258 of 359 days

Max AQI

138

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 57

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 359 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

258

72%

Moderate

99

28%

USG

2

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 71.9% 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 Smith, AR-OK metro compare?

How Fort Smith, AR-OK compares

Good-day share better than typical
Fort Smith, AR-OK 71.9%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 66.8%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Fort Smith, AR-OK 42
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 42
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Fort Smith, AR-OK 0
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (84.2%, 304 of 361 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 304 57 0 37
2021 250 108 0 41
2022 278 84 0 42
2023 227 138 0 46
2024 252 114 0 44
2025 258 99 0 42

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Fort Smith, AR-OK (42).

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

Median AQI 42 · 66.8% Good-day share

42

Amarillo, TX

Median AQI 42 · 78.4% Good-day share

42

Carson City, NV

Median AQI 42 · 86.2% Good-day share

42

Casper, WY

Median AQI 42 · 86.3% Good-day share

42

Clarksville, TN-KY

Median AQI 42 · 72.0% Good-day share

42

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

Median AQI 42 · 75.5% Good-day share

42

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Fort Smith, AR-OK'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 is the 90th percentile AQI for Fort Smith, AR-OK? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area is 57, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 138 (USG).
How many unhealthy air days does Fort Smith, AR-OK have? ▼
In 2025, the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 138.
What is the air quality in the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area? ▼
The Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 42, rated "Good." 71.9% of monitored days (258 out of 359) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Fort Smith, AR-OK getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Fort Smith, AR-OK 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 84.2% (304 of 361 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 62.2% (227 of 365 days).
What does AQI 42 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 42 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 Smith, AR-OK compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Fort Smith, AR-OK metro has 71.9% good air days. Similar metros: Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% good), Amarillo, TX (78.4% good), Carson City, NV (86.2% good).

Data Sources

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