Metro area air quality · 2025

McAlester, OK

Median AQI 48 (Good). 56.7% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

48
Median AQI
56.7%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
20%
Cleaner than US metros

McAlester, OK posted a 2025 median AQI of 48 (Good) with 56.7% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the McAlester, OK CBSA recorded a median AQI of 48 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 56.7% 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 McAlester, OK CBSA's 56.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 20% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (58.1% Good, median AQI 48) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to McAlester, OK.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
McAlester, OK's Good-day share moved -5.8 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +4).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 48

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

The verdict

McAlester, OK lands in the lower Good-day tercile (56.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 48 and 56.7% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

48
median AQI · Good
56.7%
days rated Good
20%
cleaner than US metros
140
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
  • McAlester, OK metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 105 to 140 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +35 points.
  • McAlester, OK metro's Good-day share rose from 55.0% to 57.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.2 percentage points.

Compared against 360 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

McAlester, OK lands in the lower Good-day tercile (56.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 56.7% 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 48 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 207 Good (57%), 155 Moderate (42%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 64; the highest single-day reading hit 140 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -5.8 points and median AQI moved +4 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (58.1% good, AQI 48); Boulder, CO (58.4% good, AQI 48); Columbus, GA-AL (53.4% good, AQI 48).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

48

Good

Good Days

56.7%

207 of 365 days

Max AQI

140

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 64

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

207

57%

Moderate

155

42%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The McAlester, OK metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 56.7% 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 McAlester, OK metro compare?

How McAlester, OK compares

Good-day share worse than typical
McAlester, OK 56.7%
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 58.1%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
McAlester, OK 48
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 48
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
McAlester, OK 0
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the McAlester, OK metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (63.0%, 230 of 365 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 230 135 0 44
2021 176 180 0 51
2022 208 136 0 47
2023 196 152 0 49
2024 198 162 0 48
2025 207 155 0 48

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near McAlester, OK (48).

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Median AQI 48 · 58.1% Good-day share

48

Boulder, CO

Median AQI 48 · 58.4% Good-day share

48

Columbus, GA-AL

Median AQI 48 · 53.4% Good-day share

48

Durango, CO

Median AQI 48 · 60.8% Good-day share

48

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

Median AQI 48 · 55.3% Good-day share

48

Knoxville, TN

Median AQI 48 · 56.4% Good-day share

48

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to McAlester, OK'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 McAlester, OK have? ▼
In 2025, the McAlester, OK metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 140.
What is the air quality in the McAlester, OK metro area? ▼
The McAlester, OK metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 48, rated "Good." 56.7% of monitored days (207 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in McAlester, OK getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the McAlester, OK 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 63.0% (230 of 365 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 49.4% (176 of 356 days).
What does AQI 48 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 48 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 McAlester, OK compare to other metro areas? ▼
The McAlester, OK metro has 56.7% good air days. Similar metros: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (58.1% good), Boulder, CO (58.4% good), Columbus, GA-AL (53.4% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for McAlester, OK? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the McAlester, OK metro area is 64, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 140 (USG).

Data Sources

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