Metro area air quality · 2025

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

Median AQI 55 (Moderate). 31.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

55
Median AQI
31.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
4%
Cleaner than US metros

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR posted a 2025 median AQI of 55 (Moderate) with 31.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR CBSA recorded a median AQI of 55 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 31.2% 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR CBSA's 31.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 4% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Bishop, CA (37.3% Good, median AQI 55) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR's Good-day share moved -19.5 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +5).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 55

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

The verdict

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR lands in the lower Good-day tercile (31.2% 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 55 and 31.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

55
median AQI · Moderate
31.2%
days rated Good
4%
cleaner than US metros
138
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
  • Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 205 to 138 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -67 points.
  • Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro's Good-day share fell from 32.8% to 31.6% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.2 percentage points.

Compared against 360 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

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR lands in the lower Good-day tercile (31.2% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 31.2% 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 55 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 114 Good (31%), 247 Moderate (68%), and 4 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 69; the highest single-day reading hit 138 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -19.5 points and median AQI moved +5 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Bishop, CA (37.3% good, AQI 55); Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA (35.3% good, AQI 55); Baton Rouge, LA (35.6% good, AQI 54).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

55

Moderate

Good Days

31.2%

114 of 365 days

Max AQI

138

USG

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 69

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

114

31%

Moderate

247

68%

USG

4

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 31.2% 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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro compare?

How Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 31.2%
Bishop, CA 37.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 55
Bishop, CA 55
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR 0
Bishop, CA 4
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (51.1%, 186 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 186 178 0 50
2021 114 249 0 54
2022 153 211 0 52
2023 122 238 1 55
2024 118 242 0 55
2025 114 247 0 55

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR (55).

Bishop, CA

Median AQI 55 · 37.3% Good-day share

55

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

Median AQI 55 · 35.3% Good-day share

55

Baton Rouge, LA

Median AQI 54 · 35.6% Good-day share

54

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

Median AQI 56 · 29.9% Good-day share

56

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

Median AQI 56 · 26.0% Good-day share

56

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

Median AQI 54 · 42.5% Good-day share

54

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR'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 Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR have? ▼
In 2025, the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 138.
What is the air quality in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area? ▼
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 55, rated "Moderate." 31.2% of monitored days (114 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro is worsening across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 51.1% (186 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 31.4% (114 of 363 days).
What does AQI 55 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 55 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
How does Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro has 31.2% good air days. Similar metros: Bishop, CA (37.3% good), Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA (35.3% good), Baton Rouge, LA (35.6% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro area is 69, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 138 (USG).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 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, Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR · 2020–2025