Metro area air quality · 2025
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Median AQI 63 (Moderate). 10.1% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 63
- Median AQI
- 10.1%
- Good-air days
- 11
- Unhealthy days
- 0%
- Cleaner than US metros
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX posted a 2025 median AQI of 63 (Moderate) with 10.1% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX CBSA recorded a median AQI of 63 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 10.1% rated Good and 11 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 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX CBSA's 10.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 0% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- El Centro, CA (27.7% Good, median AQI 64) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX's Good-day share moved -17.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +6).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 63
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (10.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs moderate, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 63 and 10.1% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 63
- median AQI · Moderate
- 10.1%
- days rated Good
- 0%
- cleaner than US metros
- 179
- worst single reading
11 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.
Annual release change
What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 16 to 11 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5 days.
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro's Good-day share fell from 13.5% to 11.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2.3 percentage points.
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 201 to 179 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -22 points.
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (10.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 10.1% 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 63 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Very Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 37 Good (10%), 282 Moderate (77%), and 35 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (10%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 112; the highest single-day reading hit 179 (Unhealthy).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -17.2 points and median AQI moved +6 (worsening). The annual record contains 11 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include El Centro, CA (27.7% good, AQI 64); Visalia-Porterville, CA (24.1% good, AQI 64); Albuquerque, NM (24.9% good, AQI 61).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
63
Moderate
Good Days
10.1%
37 of 365 days
Max AQI
179
Unhealthy
Health Grade
Very Poor
90th pct: 112
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
37
10%
Moderate
282
77%
USG
35
10%
Unhealthy
11
3%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro area's air quality is rated Very Poor based on 10.1% good air days. There were 11 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
While median air quality is acceptable, peak events reached unhealthy levels on 11 days in 2025. Sensitive groups should be aware of episodic risk and monitor AirNow.gov during high-pollution periods.
How does the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro compare?
How Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (28.4%, 98 of 345 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 98 | 244 | 3 | 57 | 190 |
| 2021 | 60 | 275 | 9 | 59 | 179 |
| 2022 | 50 | 276 | 6 | 61 | 179 |
| 2023 | 36 | 272 | 11 | 65 | 205 |
| 2024 | 43 | 260 | 16 | 63 | 201 |
| 2025 | 37 | 282 | 11 | 63 | 179 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (63).
El Centro, CA
Median AQI 64 · 27.7% Good-day share
Visalia-Porterville, CA
Median AQI 64 · 24.1% Good-day share
Albuquerque, NM
Median AQI 61 · 24.9% Good-day share
Fresno, CA
Median AQI 61 · 28.8% Good-day share
Las Cruces, NM
Median AQI 61 · 27.4% Good-day share
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Median AQI 61 · 31.0% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX's 11 (independent of median AQI).
Duluth, MN-WI
12 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 42
Fairbanks, AK
10 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 44
Bemidji, MN
9 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 36
Deming, NM
9 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 17
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
13 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 78
Wenatchee, WA
9 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 35
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does AQI 63 mean for health? ▼
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Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX, 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, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX · 2020–2025