Metro area air quality · 2025
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
Median AQI 48 (Good). 55.6% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 48
- Median AQI
- 55.6%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 18%
- Cleaner than US metros
Memphis, TN-MS-AR posted a 2025 median AQI of 48 (Good) with 55.6% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Memphis, TN-MS-AR CBSA recorded a median AQI of 48 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 55.6% 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR CBSA's 55.6% Good-day share places it cleaner than 18% 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR's Good-day share moved +18.1 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -5).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 48
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Memphis, TN-MS-AR lands in the lower Good-day tercile (55.6% 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 55.6% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 48
- median AQI · Good
- 55.6%
- days rated Good
- 18%
- cleaner than US metros
- 147
- 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
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro's Good-day share rose from 33.0% to 56.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +23.7 percentage points.
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 3 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3 days.
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro's median AQI fell from 56 to 48 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -8 points.
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 159 to 147 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -12 points.
Memphis, TN-MS-AR lands in the lower Good-day tercile (55.6% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 55.6% 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 203 Good (56%), 155 Moderate (42%), and 7 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (2%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 71; the highest single-day reading hit 147 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +18.1 points and median AQI moved -5 (improving). 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).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
48
Good
Good Days
55.6%
203 of 365 days
Max AQI
147
USG
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 71
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
203
56%
Moderate
155
42%
USG
7
2%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 55.6% 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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro compare?
How Memphis, TN-MS-AR compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (56.7%, 203 of 358 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 140 | 222 | 1 | 53 | 153 |
| 2021 | 179 | 179 | 0 | 51 | 150 |
| 2022 | 164 | 188 | 3 | 52 | 159 |
| 2023 | 104 | 246 | 0 | 55 | 140 |
| 2024 | 118 | 237 | 3 | 56 | 159 |
| 2025 | 203 | 155 | 0 | 48 | 147 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Memphis, TN-MS-AR (48).
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Median AQI 48 · 58.1% Good-day share
Boulder, CO
Median AQI 48 · 58.4% Good-day share
Columbus, GA-AL
Median AQI 48 · 53.4% Good-day share
Durango, CO
Median AQI 48 · 60.8% Good-day share
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
Median AQI 48 · 55.3% Good-day share
Knoxville, TN
Median AQI 48 · 56.4% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Memphis, TN-MS-AR'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 Memphis, TN-MS-AR have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Memphis, TN-MS-AR getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 48 mean for health? ▼
How does Memphis, TN-MS-AR compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Memphis, TN-MS-AR? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Memphis, TN-MS-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, Memphis, TN-MS-AR · 2020–2025