Metro area air quality · 2025

Lynchburg, VA

Median AQI 30 (Good). 85.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

30
Median AQI
85.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
78%
Cleaner than US metros

Lynchburg, VA posted a 2025 median AQI of 30 (Good) with 85.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Lynchburg, VA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 30 across 108 monitored days in 2025, with 85.2% 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 Lynchburg, VA CBSA's 85.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 78% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Cookeville, TN (90.0% Good, median AQI 30) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Lynchburg, VA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Lynchburg, VA's Good-day share moved -4.8 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 30

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 108 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Lynchburg, VA sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (85.2% of 108 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than most US metros, with a median AQI of 30 and 85.2% of 108 monitored days in the Good band.

30
median AQI · Good
85.2%
days rated Good
78%
cleaner than US metros
69
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
  • Lynchburg, VA metro's Good-day share fell from 86.4% to 85.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.3 percentage points.

Compared against 118 monitored days in 2024 and 108 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

Lynchburg, VA sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (85.2% of 108 monitored days). Signature read: 85.2% Good-day share (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 30 over 108 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 92 Good (85%), 16 Moderate (15%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 53; the highest single-day reading hit 69 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -4.8 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Cookeville, TN (90.0% good, AQI 30); Athens, OH (83.4% good, AQI 31); Bellingham, WA (94.0% good, AQI 31).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

30

Good

Good Days

85.2%

92 of 108 days

Max AQI

69

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 53

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 108 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

92

85%

Moderate

16

15%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Lynchburg, VA metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 85.2% 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 Lynchburg, VA metro compare?

How Lynchburg, VA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Lynchburg, VA 85.2%
Cookeville, TN 90.0%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Lynchburg, VA 30
Cookeville, TN 30
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Lynchburg, VA 0
Cookeville, TN 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Lynchburg, VA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (90.0%, 99 of 110 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 99 11 0 28
2021 98 21 0 32
2022 97 19 0 29
2023 93 24 0 34
2024 102 16 0 28
2025 92 16 0 30

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Lynchburg, VA (30).

Cookeville, TN

Median AQI 30 · 90.0% Good-day share

30

Athens, OH

Median AQI 31 · 83.4% Good-day share

31

Bellingham, WA

Median AQI 31 · 94.0% Good-day share

31

Clearlake, CA

Median AQI 31 · 99.2% Good-day share

31

Coeur d'Alene, ID

Median AQI 31 · 77.8% Good-day share

31

Moscow, ID

Median AQI 31 · 83.4% Good-day share

31

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Lynchburg, VA'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 Lynchburg, VA have? ▼
In 2025, the Lynchburg, VA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 69.
What is the air quality in the Lynchburg, VA metro area? ▼
The Lynchburg, VA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 30, rated "Good." 85.2% of monitored days (92 out of 108) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Lynchburg, VA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Lynchburg, VA 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 90.0% (99 of 110 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 79.5% (93 of 117 days).
What does AQI 30 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 30 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 Lynchburg, VA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Lynchburg, VA metro has 85.2% good air days. Similar metros: Cookeville, TN (90.0% good), Athens, OH (83.4% good), Bellingham, WA (94.0% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Lynchburg, VA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Lynchburg, VA metro area is 53, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 69 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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