Metro area air quality · 2025

Lake Charles, LA

Median AQI 47 (Good). 62.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

47
Median AQI
62.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
29%
Cleaner than US metros

Lake Charles, LA posted a 2025 median AQI of 47 (Good) with 62.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Lake Charles, LA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 47 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 62.2% 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 Lake Charles, LA CBSA's 62.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 29% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% Good, median AQI 47) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Lake Charles, LA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Lake Charles, LA's Good-day share moved +11.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 47

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

The verdict

Lake Charles, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (62.2% 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 47 and 62.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

47
median AQI · Good
62.2%
days rated Good
29%
cleaner than US metros
108
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
  • Lake Charles, LA metro's Good-day share rose from 53.6% to 62.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +9.1 percentage points.
  • Lake Charles, LA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 147 to 108 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -39 points.

Compared against 362 monitored days in 2024 and 362 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

Lake Charles, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (62.2% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 62.2% 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 47 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 227 Good (62%), 135 Moderate (37%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 61; the highest single-day reading hit 108 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +11.3 points and median AQI moved -2 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% good, AQI 47); Columbia, SC (58.1% good, AQI 47); Corsicana, TX (59.2% good, AQI 47).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

47

Good

Good Days

62.2%

227 of 365 days

Max AQI

108

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 61

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

227

62%

Moderate

135

37%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Lake Charles, LA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 62.2% 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 Lake Charles, LA metro compare?

How Lake Charles, LA compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Lake Charles, LA 62.2%
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 60.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Lake Charles, LA 47
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 47
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Lake Charles, LA 0
Charleston-North Charleston, SC 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Lake Charles, LA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (62.7%, 227 of 362 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 179 169 0 49
2021 171 193 1 51
2022 167 198 0 52
2023 139 221 0 54
2024 194 168 0 49
2025 227 135 0 47

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Lake Charles, LA (47).

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Median AQI 47 · 60.3% Good-day share

47

Columbia, SC

Median AQI 47 · 58.1% Good-day share

47

Corsicana, TX

Median AQI 47 · 59.2% Good-day share

47

Dayton, OH

Median AQI 47 · 57.0% Good-day share

47

Evansville, IN-KY

Median AQI 47 · 57.5% Good-day share

47

Farmington, NM

Median AQI 47 · 68.0% Good-day share

47

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Lake Charles, 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, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Lake Charles, LA have? ▼
In 2025, the Lake Charles, LA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 108.
What is the air quality in the Lake Charles, LA metro area? ▼
The Lake Charles, LA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 47, rated "Good." 62.2% of monitored days (227 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Lake Charles, LA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Lake Charles, 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: 2025 at 62.7% (227 of 362 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 38.6% (139 of 360 days).
What does AQI 47 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 47 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 Lake Charles, LA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Lake Charles, LA metro has 62.2% good air days. Similar metros: Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% good), Columbia, SC (58.1% good), Corsicana, TX (59.2% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Lake Charles, LA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Lake Charles, LA metro area is 61, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 108 (USG).

Data Sources

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