Metro area air quality · 2025

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

Median AQI 39 (Good). 82.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

39
Median AQI
82.5%
Good-air days
2
Unhealthy days
72%
Cleaner than US metros

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) with 82.5% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 39 across 325 monitored days in 2025, with 82.5% rated Good and 2 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 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC CBSA's 82.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 72% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Bay City, MI (70.4% Good, median AQI 39) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC's Good-day share moved -17.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +7).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 39

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 325 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.5% of 325 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 39 and 82.5% of 325 monitored days in the Good band.

39
median AQI · Good
82.5%
days rated Good
72%
cleaner than US metros
170
worst single reading

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

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 87 to 170 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +83 points.
  • Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro's Good-day share rose from 78.8% to 82.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3.9 percentage points.
  • Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro's Unhealthy-category days rose from 0 to 2 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2 days.

Compared against 364 monitored days in 2024 and 324 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

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.5% of 325 monitored days). Signature read: 82.5% 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 39 over 325 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 268 Good (82%), 54 Moderate (17%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 55; the highest single-day reading hit 170 (Unhealthy).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -17.3 points and median AQI moved +7 (worsening). The annual record contains 2 days at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Bay City, MI (70.4% good, AQI 39); Brainerd, MN (74.3% good, AQI 39); Cambridge, MD (86.0% good, AQI 39).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

39

Good

Good Days

82.5%

268 of 325 days

Max AQI

170

Unhealthy

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 55

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 325 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

268

82%

Moderate

54

17%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

2

1%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 82.5% good air days. There were 2 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality is acceptable most days, but 1 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and peak AQI reached 170. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.

How does the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro compare?

How Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC compares

Good-day share better than typical
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 82.5%
Bay City, MI 70.4%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 39
Bay City, MI 39
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr worse than typical
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 2
Bay City, MI 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (100.0%, 214 of 214 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 214 0 0 32
2021 238 26 0 38
2022 247 16 0 38
2023 238 94 0 43
2024 287 77 0 40
2025 268 54 2 39

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC (39).

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC's 2 (independent of median AQI).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC have?
In 2025, the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro area recorded 2 unhealthy air days (2 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 170.
What is the air quality in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro area?
The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 39, rated "Good." 82.5% of monitored days (268 out of 325) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 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 100.0% (214 of 214 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 71.7% (238 of 332 days).
What does AQI 39 mean for health?
An AQI of 39 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 Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC compare to other metro areas?
The Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro has 82.5% good air days. Similar metros: Bay City, MI (70.4% good), Brainerd, MN (74.3% good), Cambridge, MD (86.0% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC metro area is 55, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 170 (Unhealthy).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC, 2025. See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary, Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC · 2020–2025