Metro area air quality · 2025

Lafayette, LA

Median AQI 46 (Good). 64.1% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

46
Median AQI
64.1%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
32%
Cleaner than US metros

Lafayette, LA posted a 2025 median AQI of 46 (Good) with 64.1% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Lafayette, LA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 46 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 64.1% 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 Lafayette, LA CBSA's 64.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 32% 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 Lafayette, LA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Lafayette, LA's Good-day share moved +8.1 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 46

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

The verdict

Lafayette, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (64.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 46 and 64.1% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

46
median AQI · Good
64.1%
days rated Good
32%
cleaner than US metros
79
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
  • Lafayette, LA metro's Good-day share rose from 49.3% to 64.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +14.8 percentage points.
  • Lafayette, LA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 108 to 79 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -29 points.
  • Lafayette, LA metro's median AQI fell from 51 to 46 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5 points.

Compared against 363 monitored days in 2024 and 365 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

Lafayette, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (64.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 64.1% 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 46 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 234 Good (64%), 131 Moderate (36%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 60; the highest single-day reading hit 79 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +8.1 points and median AQI moved +0 (improving). 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).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

46

Good

Good Days

64.1%

234 of 365 days

Max AQI

79

Moderate

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 60

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

234

64%

Moderate

131

36%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Lafayette, LA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 64.1% 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 Lafayette, LA metro compare?

How Lafayette, LA compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Lafayette, LA 64.1%
Albany, GA 57.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Lafayette, LA 46
Albany, GA 46
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Lafayette, LA 0
Albany, GA 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Lafayette, LA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2021 (65.5%, 239 of 365 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 204 160 0 46
2021 239 126 0 43
2022 207 156 0 47
2023 207 157 0 47
2024 179 184 0 51
2025 234 131 0 46

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Lafayette, LA (46).

Albany, GA

Median AQI 46 · 57.3% Good-day share

46

Athens-Clarke County, GA

Median AQI 46 · 57.8% Good-day share

46

Brookings, SD

Median AQI 46 · 58.6% Good-day share

46

Chico, CA

Median AQI 46 · 65.2% Good-day share

46

Colorado Springs, CO

Median AQI 46 · 68.2% Good-day share

46

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

Median AQI 46 · 56.7% Good-day share

46

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Lafayette, LA'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, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Lafayette, LA have? ▼
In 2025, the Lafayette, LA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 79.
What is the air quality in the Lafayette, LA metro area? ▼
The Lafayette, LA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 46, rated "Good." 64.1% of monitored days (234 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Lafayette, LA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Lafayette, LA 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: 2021 at 65.5% (239 of 365 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 49.3% (179 of 363 days).
What does AQI 46 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 46 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 Lafayette, LA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Lafayette, LA metro has 64.1% good air days. Similar metros: Albany, GA (57.3% good), Athens-Clarke County, GA (57.8% good), Brookings, SD (58.6% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Lafayette, LA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Lafayette, LA metro area is 60, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 79 (Moderate).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Lafayette, LA, 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, Lafayette, LA · 2020–2025