Metro area air quality · 2025

Gadsden, AL

Median AQI 45 (Good). 61.4% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

45
Median AQI
61.4%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
28%
Cleaner than US metros

Gadsden, AL posted a 2025 median AQI of 45 (Good) with 61.4% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Gadsden, AL CBSA recorded a median AQI of 45 across 363 monitored days in 2025, with 61.4% 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 Gadsden, AL CBSA's 61.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 28% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Akron, OH (61.6% Good, median AQI 45) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Gadsden, AL.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Gadsden, AL's Good-day share moved -25.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +9).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 45

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 363 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Gadsden, AL metro runs good on the EPA scale, more polluted than the median US metro, a median AQI of 45 with 61.4% of 363 monitored days in the Good band.

45
median AQI · Good
61.4%
days rated Good
28%
cleaner than US metros
87
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
  • Gadsden, AL metro's Good-day share rose from 58.6% to 61.4% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.9 percentage points.

Compared against 362 monitored days in 2024 and 363 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

Insights: Gadsden, AL metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 45 over 363 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Moderate metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 223 Good days (61%), 140 Moderate (39%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 60 while the highest single-day reading hit 87 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 18.4 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, the share of monitored days rated Good shifted by -25.2 points (measured against 276 monitored days in 2020 and 363 in 2025, so raw day counts are not comparable) and the median AQI moved +9 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Akron, OH (61.6% good, AQI 45); Ardmore, OK (67.9% good, AQI 45); Asheville, NC (69.9% good, AQI 45).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

45

Good

Good Days

61.4%

223 of 363 days

Max AQI

87

Moderate

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 60

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 363 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

223

61%

Moderate

140

39%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Gadsden, AL metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 61.4% 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 Gadsden, AL metro compare?

How Gadsden, AL compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Gadsden, AL 61.4%
Akron, OH 61.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Gadsden, AL 45
Akron, OH 45
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Gadsden, AL 0
Akron, OH 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Gadsden, AL metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (86.6%, 239 of 276 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 239 37 0 36
2021 235 51 0 38
2022 224 135 0 46
2023 182 183 0 51
2024 212 150 0 47
2025 223 140 0 45

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Gadsden, AL (45).

Akron, OH

Median AQI 45 · 61.6% Good-day share

45

Ardmore, OK

Median AQI 45 · 67.9% Good-day share

45

Asheville, NC

Median AQI 45 · 69.9% Good-day share

45

Cheyenne, WY

Median AQI 45 · 75.1% Good-day share

45

Clinton, IA

Median AQI 45 · 59.5% Good-day share

45

Fort Dodge, IA

Median AQI 45 · 59.2% Good-day share

45

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

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

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

More Air Quality Data

Explore EPA air quality rankings and guides across U.S. metros and counties.

Cleanest Metro Areas

U.S. metros ranked by their share of Good air-quality days.

Worst Air Quality

Counties and metros with the most unhealthy air days.

All Metro Areas

Annual AQI by CBSA for every monitored U.S. metro area.

Best and Worst City Air

What drives urban air quality and how metro areas compare.

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Gadsden, AL metro area? ▼
The Gadsden, AL metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 45, rated "Good." 61.4% of monitored days (223 out of 363) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Gadsden, AL have? ▼
In 2025, the Gadsden, AL metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 87.
Is air quality in Gadsden, AL getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Gadsden, 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 86.6% (239 of 276 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 49.9% (182 of 365 days).
What does AQI 45 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 45 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Gadsden, AL? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Gadsden, AL metro area is 60, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 87 (Moderate).
How does Gadsden, AL compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Gadsden, AL metro has 61.4% good air days. Similar metros: Akron, OH (61.6% good), Ardmore, OK (67.9% good), Asheville, NC (69.9% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset, 2020–2025. 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 files (metro-level) · 2020–2025

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Every figure on PlainAirData is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.