Metro area air quality · 2025

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

Median AQI 43 (Good). 68.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

43
Median AQI
68.5%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
42%
Cleaner than US metros

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN posted a 2025 median AQI of 43 (Good) with 68.5% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN CBSA recorded a median AQI of 43 across 362 monitored days in 2025, with 68.5% 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-West Lafayette, IN CBSA's 68.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 42% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Ashtabula, OH (81.2% Good, median AQI 43) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN's Good-day share moved +19.8 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -8).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 43

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 362 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN's Good-day share (68.5%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 43 and 68.5% of 362 monitored days in the Good band.

43
median AQI · Good
68.5%
days rated Good
42%
cleaner than US metros
105
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-West Lafayette, IN metro's Good-day share rose from 65.8% to 68.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.9 percentage points.
  • Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 90 to 105 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +15 points.

Compared against 366 monitored days in 2024 and 361 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-West Lafayette, IN's Good-day share (68.5%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 68.5% Good-day share (mid tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 43 over 362 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 248 Good (69%), 113 Moderate (31%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 62; the highest single-day reading hit 105 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +19.8 points and median AQI moved -8 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Ashtabula, OH (81.2% good, AQI 43); Bloomington, IN (67.7% good, AQI 43); Champaign-Urbana, IL (65.8% good, AQI 43).

Understanding AQI →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

43

Good

Good Days

68.5%

248 of 362 days

Max AQI

105

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 62

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 362 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

248

69%

Moderate

113

31%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 68.5% 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-West Lafayette, IN metro compare?

How Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 68.5%
Ashtabula, OH 81.2%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 43
Ashtabula, OH 43
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 0
Ashtabula, OH 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (72.9%, 266 of 365 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 179 187 0 51
2021 214 150 0 46
2022 266 99 0 41
2023 236 118 1 45
2024 241 125 0 44
2025 248 113 0 43

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN (43).

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN have?
In 2025, the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 105.
What is the air quality in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area?
The Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 43, rated "Good." 68.5% of monitored days (248 out of 362) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN 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: 2022 at 72.9% (266 of 365 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 48.9% (179 of 366 days).
What does AQI 43 mean for health?
An AQI of 43 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-West Lafayette, IN compare to other metro areas?
The Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro has 68.5% good air days. Similar metros: Ashtabula, OH (81.2% good), Bloomington, IN (67.7% good), Champaign-Urbana, IL (65.8% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN metro area is 62, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 105 (USG).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN, 2025. See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary, Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN · 2020–2025