Metro area air quality · 2025

Kansas City, MO-KS

Median AQI 51 (Moderate). 49.3% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

51
Median AQI
49.3%
Good-air days
3
Unhealthy days
11%
Cleaner than US metros

Kansas City, MO-KS posted a 2025 median AQI of 51 (Moderate) with 49.3% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Kansas City, MO-KS CBSA recorded a median AQI of 51 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 49.3% rated Good and 3 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 Kansas City, MO-KS CBSA's 49.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 11% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Boise City, ID (49.9% Good, median AQI 51) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Kansas City, MO-KS.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Kansas City, MO-KS's Good-day share moved +15.6 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -3).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 51

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

The verdict

Kansas City, MO-KS lands in the lower Good-day tercile (49.3% 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 51 and 49.3% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

51
median AQI · Moderate
49.3%
days rated Good
11%
cleaner than US metros
293
worst single reading

3 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Kansas City, MO-KS metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 126 to 293 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +167 points.
  • Kansas City, MO-KS metro's Good-day share rose from 42.4% to 50.4% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +8.0 percentage points.
  • Kansas City, MO-KS metro's Unhealthy-category days rose from 0 to 2 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2 days.

Compared against 356 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

Kansas City, MO-KS lands in the lower Good-day tercile (49.3% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 49.3% 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 51 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 180 Good (49%), 175 Moderate (48%), and 7 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (2%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 74; the highest single-day reading hit 293 (Very Unhealthy).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +15.6 points and median AQI moved -3 (improving). The annual record contains 3 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Boise City, ID (49.9% good, AQI 51); Hot Springs, AR (49.2% good, AQI 51); Laredo, TX (49.9% good, AQI 51).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

51

Moderate

Good Days

49.3%

180 of 365 days

Max AQI

293

Very Unhealthy

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 74

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

180

49%

Moderate

175

48%

USG

7

2%

Unhealthy

2

1%

Very Unhealthy

1

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Kansas City, MO-KS metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 49.3% good air days. There were 3 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality reached unhealthy levels on 3 days in 2025 (2 Unhealthy, 1 Very Unhealthy). Sensitive groups, including people with asthma, COPD, cardiovascular conditions, children, and adults over 65, should review the daily breakdown and follow local advisories.

Sensitive group advisory

People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, pregnant women, and adults 65+ should follow EPA AQI alerts daily and limit outdoor exertion when AQI exceeds 100. Real-time conditions: airnow.gov.

How does the Kansas City, MO-KS metro compare?

How Kansas City, MO-KS compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Kansas City, MO-KS 49.3%
Boise City, ID 49.9%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Kansas City, MO-KS 51
Boise City, ID 51
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical
Kansas City, MO-KS 3
Boise City, ID 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (50.4%, 180 of 357 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 126 235 1 54
2021 113 239 0 55
2022 132 226 0 54
2023 124 212 4 55
2024 151 205 0 53
2025 180 175 2 51

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Kansas City, MO-KS (51).

Boise City, ID

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Hot Springs, AR

Median AQI 51 · 49.2% Good-day share

51

Laredo, TX

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Modesto, CA

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Tulsa, OK

Median AQI 51 · 49.6% Good-day share

51

Waco, TX

Median AQI 51 · 46.6% Good-day share

51

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Kansas City, MO-KS's 3 (independent of median AQI).

Albuquerque, NM

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 61

61

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 54

54

Fresno, CA

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 61

61

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Rochester, MN

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 39

39

St. Cloud, MN

3 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 37

37

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Kansas City, MO-KS have? ▼
In 2025, the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area recorded 3 unhealthy air days (2 Unhealthy, 1 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 293.
What is the air quality in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area? ▼
The Kansas City, MO-KS metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 51, rated "Moderate." 49.3% of monitored days (180 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Kansas City, MO-KS getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Kansas City, MO-KS metro is improving across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2025 at 50.4% (180 of 357 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 32.1% (113 of 352 days).
What does AQI 51 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 51 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
How does Kansas City, MO-KS compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Kansas City, MO-KS metro has 49.3% good air days. Similar metros: Boise City, ID (49.9% good), Hot Springs, AR (49.2% good), Laredo, TX (49.9% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Kansas City, MO-KS? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area is 74, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 293 (Very Unhealthy).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Kansas City, MO-KS, 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, Kansas City, MO-KS · 2020–2025