Metro area air quality · 2025
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Median AQI 49 (Good). 51.8% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 49
- Median AQI
- 51.8%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 15%
- Cleaner than US metros
New Orleans-Metairie, LA posted a 2025 median AQI of 49 (Good) with 51.8% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the New Orleans-Metairie, LA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 49 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 51.8% 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA CBSA's 51.8% Good-day share places it cleaner than 15% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Canton-Massillon, OH (53.1% Good, median AQI 49) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to New Orleans-Metairie, LA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA's Good-day share moved -2.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +1).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 49
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
New Orleans-Metairie, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (51.8% 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 49 and 51.8% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 49
- median AQI · Good
- 51.8%
- days rated Good
- 15%
- cleaner than US metros
- 105
- 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
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 188 to 105 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -83 points.
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro's Good-day share fell from 55.1% to 52.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.1 percentage points.
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 1 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.
New Orleans-Metairie, LA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (51.8% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 51.8% 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 49 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 189 Good (52%), 174 Moderate (48%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 67; the highest single-day reading hit 105 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -2.3 points and median AQI moved +1 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Canton-Massillon, OH (53.1% good, AQI 49); Carlsbad-Artesia, NM (53.7% good, AQI 49); Chattanooga, TN-GA (51.0% good, AQI 49).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
49
Good
Good Days
51.8%
189 of 365 days
Max AQI
105
USG
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 67
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
189
52%
Moderate
174
48%
USG
2
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 51.8% 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro compare?
How New Orleans-Metairie, LA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (55.1%, 199 of 361 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 199 | 167 | 0 | 48 | 90 |
| 2021 | 190 | 172 | 0 | 49 | 108 |
| 2022 | 158 | 204 | 0 | 52 | 108 |
| 2023 | 139 | 216 | 0 | 53 | 126 |
| 2024 | 199 | 161 | 1 | 48 | 188 |
| 2025 | 189 | 174 | 0 | 49 | 105 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near New Orleans-Metairie, LA (49).
Canton-Massillon, OH
Median AQI 49 · 53.1% Good-day share
Carlsbad-Artesia, NM
Median AQI 49 · 53.7% Good-day share
Chattanooga, TN-GA
Median AQI 49 · 51.0% Good-day share
Kingsville, TX
Median AQI 49 · 51.7% Good-day share
Laramie, WY
Median AQI 49 · 55.6% Good-day share
Miami, OK
Median AQI 49 · 53.7% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to New Orleans-Metairie, LA'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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in New Orleans-Metairie, LA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 49 mean for health? ▼
How does New Orleans-Metairie, LA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for New Orleans-Metairie, LA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for New Orleans-Metairie, LA, 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, New Orleans-Metairie, LA · 2020–2025