Metro area air quality · 2025
Gainesville, GA
Median AQI 46 (Good). 57.7% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 46
- Median AQI
- 57.7%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 22%
- Cleaner than US metros
Gainesville, GA posted a 2025 median AQI of 46 (Good) with 57.7% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Gainesville, GA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 46 across 364 monitored days in 2025, with 57.7% 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 Gainesville, GA CBSA's 57.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 22% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Albany, GA (57.3% Good, median AQI 46) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Gainesville, GA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Gainesville, GA's Good-day share moved -3.7 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 46
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 364 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Gainesville, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (57.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 46 and 57.7% of 364 monitored days in the Good band.
- 46
- median AQI · Good
- 57.7%
- days rated Good
- 22%
- cleaner than US metros
- 82
- 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
- Gainesville, GA metro's Good-day share rose from 48.1% to 57.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +9.6 percentage points.
- Gainesville, GA metro's median AQI fell from 52 to 46 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -6 points.
- Gainesville, GA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 100 to 82 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -18 points.
Gainesville, GA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (57.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 57.7% Good-day share (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 46 over 364 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 210 Good (58%), 154 Moderate (42%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 62; the highest single-day reading hit 82 (Moderate).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -3.7 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Albany, GA (57.3% good, AQI 46); Athens-Clarke County, GA (57.8% good, AQI 46); Brookings, SD (58.6% good, AQI 46).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
46
Good
Good Days
57.7%
210 of 364 days
Max AQI
82
Moderate
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 62
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 364 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
210
58%
Moderate
154
42%
USG
0
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Gainesville, GA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 57.7% 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 Gainesville, GA metro compare?
How Gainesville, GA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Gainesville, GA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (61.4%, 221 of 360 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 221 | 139 | 0 | 44 | 99 |
| 2021 | 209 | 156 | 0 | 46 | 83 |
| 2022 | 217 | 147 | 0 | 46 | 79 |
| 2023 | 166 | 194 | 0 | 52 | 137 |
| 2024 | 176 | 190 | 0 | 52 | 100 |
| 2025 | 210 | 154 | 0 | 46 | 82 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Gainesville, GA (46).
Albany, GA
Median AQI 46 · 57.3% Good-day share
Athens-Clarke County, GA
Median AQI 46 · 57.8% Good-day share
Brookings, SD
Median AQI 46 · 58.6% Good-day share
Chico, CA
Median AQI 46 · 65.2% Good-day share
Colorado Springs, CO
Median AQI 46 · 68.2% Good-day share
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Median AQI 46 · 56.7% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Gainesville, GA'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
Adrian, MI
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Akron, OH
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45
Albany, OR
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Gainesville, GA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Gainesville, GA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Gainesville, GA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 46 mean for health? ▼
How does Gainesville, GA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Gainesville, GA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Gainesville, GA, 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, Gainesville, GA · 2020–2025