Metro area air quality · 2025

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

Median AQI 47 (Good). 55.1% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 23, 2026

47
Median AQI: 55.1%
Good-air days: 6
Unhealthy days: 17%
Cleaner than US metros

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI posted a 2025 median AQI of 47 (Good) with 55.1% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI CBSA recorded a median AQI of 47 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 55.1% rated Good and 6 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI CBSA's 55.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 17% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer: Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% Good, median AQI 47) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI's Good-day share moved +4.7 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -3).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 47

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

The verdict

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI lands in the lower Good-day tercile (55.1% 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 47 and 55.1% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

47
median AQI · Good: 55.1%
days rated Good: 17%
cleaner than US metros: 178
worst single reading

6 days reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro's Unhealthy-category days rose from 2 to 6 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +4 days.
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro's Good-day share fell from 57.5% to 55.8% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.6 percentage points.
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 166 to 178 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +12 points.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI lands in the lower Good-day tercile (55.1% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 55.1% 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 47 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 201 Good (55%), 153 Moderate (42%), and 5 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 75; the highest single-day reading hit 178 (Unhealthy).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +4.7 points and median AQI moved -3 (improving). The annual record contains 6 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% good, AQI 47); Columbia, SC (58.1% good, AQI 47); Corsicana, TX (59.2% good, AQI 47).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Good

Good Days

55.1%

201 of 365 days

Max AQI

178

Unhealthy

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 75

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

201

55%

Moderate

153

42%

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 55.1% good air days. There were 6 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality is acceptable most days, but 5 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and peak AQI reached 178. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.

How does the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro compare?

How Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI compares

Compare against

Good-day share worse than typical

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 55.1%

Charleston-North Charleston, SC 60.3%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI worse than typical

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 47

Charleston-North Charleston, SC 47

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 6

Charleston-North Charleston, SC 0

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (57.5%, 208 of 362 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Unhealthy	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	186	177	1	50	163
2021	171	186	3	51	193
2022	206	159	0	48	96
2023	134	201	6	55	190
2024	208	152	2	47	166
2025	201	153	6	47	178

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (47).

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

Median AQI 47 · 60.3% Good-day share

Columbia, SC

Median AQI 47 · 58.1% Good-day share

Corsicana, TX

Median AQI 47 · 59.2% Good-day share

Dayton, OH

Median AQI 47 · 57.0% Good-day share

Evansville, IN-KY

Median AQI 47 · 57.5% Good-day share

Farmington, NM

Median AQI 47 · 68.0% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI's 6 (independent of median AQI).

Appleton, WI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 56

Marquette, MI

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 19

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

6 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 47

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 59

Eau Claire, WI

5 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 38

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI have? ▼

In 2025, the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area recorded 6 unhealthy air days (6 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 178.

What is the air quality in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area? ▼

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 47, rated "Good." 55.1% of monitored days (201 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.

Is air quality in Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro is improving across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 57.5% (208 of 362 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 39.3% (134 of 341 days).

What does AQI 47 mean for health? ▼

An AQI of 47 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro has 55.1% good air days. Similar metros: Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% good), Columbia, SC (58.1% good), Corsicana, TX (59.2% good).

What is the 90th percentile AQI for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area is 75, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 178 (Unhealthy).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, 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, Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI · 2020–2025 Accessed 2026-07-06