Metro area air quality · 2025
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Median AQI 42 (Good). 73.4% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 42
- Median AQI
- 73.4%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 52%
- Cleaner than US metros
Lexington-Fayette, KY posted a 2025 median AQI of 42 (Good) with 73.4% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Lexington-Fayette, KY CBSA recorded a median AQI of 42 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 73.4% 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY CBSA's 73.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 52% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% Good, median AQI 42) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Lexington-Fayette, KY.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Lexington-Fayette, KY's Good-day share moved +3.8 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -1).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 42
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Lexington-Fayette, KY's Good-day share (73.4%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 42 and 73.4% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 42
- median AQI · Good
- 73.4%
- days rated Good
- 52%
- cleaner than US metros
- 100
- 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
- Lexington-Fayette, KY metro's Good-day share fell from 76.8% to 73.4% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.3 percentage points.
Lexington-Fayette, KY's Good-day share (73.4%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 73.4% 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 42 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 268 Good (73%), 97 Moderate (27%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 58; the highest single-day reading hit 100 (Moderate).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +3.8 points and median AQI moved -1 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% good, AQI 42); Amarillo, TX (78.4% good, AQI 42); Carson City, NV (86.2% good, AQI 42).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
42
Good
Good Days
73.4%
268 of 365 days
Max AQI
100
Moderate
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 58
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
268
73%
Moderate
97
27%
USG
0
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 73.4% 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 Lexington-Fayette, KY metro compare?
How Lexington-Fayette, KY compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (76.8%, 261 of 340 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 255 | 111 | 0 | 43 | 86 |
| 2021 | 214 | 147 | 0 | 47 | 108 |
| 2022 | 233 | 131 | 0 | 44 | 106 |
| 2023 | 231 | 131 | 1 | 45 | 167 |
| 2024 | 261 | 79 | 0 | 43 | 93 |
| 2025 | 268 | 97 | 0 | 42 | 100 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Lexington-Fayette, KY (42).
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Median AQI 42 · 66.8% Good-day share
Amarillo, TX
Median AQI 42 · 78.4% Good-day share
Carson City, NV
Median AQI 42 · 86.2% Good-day share
Casper, WY
Median AQI 42 · 86.3% Good-day share
Clarksville, TN-KY
Median AQI 42 · 72.0% Good-day share
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
Median AQI 42 · 75.5% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Lexington-Fayette, KY's 0 (independent of median AQI).
Aberdeen, SD
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Aberdeen, WA
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22
Adrian, MI
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Akron, OH
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45
Albany, GA
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46
Albany, OR
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Lexington-Fayette, KY have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Lexington-Fayette, KY getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 42 mean for health? ▼
How does Lexington-Fayette, KY compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Lexington-Fayette, KY? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Lexington-Fayette, KY, 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, Lexington-Fayette, KY · 2020–2025