Metro area air quality · 2025

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

Median AQI 27 (Good). 93.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

27
Median AQI
93.5%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
92%
Cleaner than US metros

Olympia-Tumwater, WA posted a 2025 median AQI of 27 (Good) with 93.5% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Olympia-Tumwater, WA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 27 across 293 monitored days in 2025, with 93.5% 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 Olympia-Tumwater, WA CBSA's 93.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 92% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Aberdeen, SD (83.6% Good, median AQI 27) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Olympia-Tumwater, WA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Olympia-Tumwater, WA's Good-day share moved +6.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -1).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 27

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 293 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

Olympia-Tumwater, WA sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (93.5% of 293 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, among the cleanest 10% of US metros, with a median AQI of 27 and 93.5% of 293 monitored days in the Good band.

27
median AQI · Good
93.5%
days rated Good
92%
cleaner than US metros
65
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
  • Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 85 to 65 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -20 points.

Compared against 362 monitored days in 2024 and 293 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

Olympia-Tumwater, WA sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (93.5% of 293 monitored days). Signature read: 93.5% 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 27 over 293 measured days in 2025 (Good / Excellent). The monitored-day split lands at 274 Good (94%), 19 Moderate (6%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 47; the highest single-day reading hit 65 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +6.2 points and median AQI moved -1 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Aberdeen, SD (83.6% good, AQI 27); Albany, OR (80.0% good, AQI 27); Anchorage, AK (77.5% good, AQI 27).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

27

Good

Good Days

93.5%

274 of 293 days

Max AQI

65

Moderate

Health Grade

Excellent

90th pct: 47

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 293 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

274

94%

Moderate

19

6%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Excellent

The Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro area's air quality is rated Excellent based on 93.5% 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 Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro compare?

How Olympia-Tumwater, WA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 93.5%
Aberdeen, SD 83.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 27
Aberdeen, SD 27
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Olympia-Tumwater, WA 0
Aberdeen, SD 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2021 (93.9%, 309 of 329 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 316 43 3 28
2021 309 20 0 19
2022 309 36 2 28
2023 327 31 0 28
2024 338 24 0 26
2025 274 19 0 27

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Olympia-Tumwater, WA (27).

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Olympia-Tumwater, WA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Olympia-Tumwater, WA have?
In 2025, the Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 65.
What is the air quality in the Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro area?
The Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 27, rated "Good." 93.5% of monitored days (274 out of 293) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Olympia-Tumwater, WA getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Olympia-Tumwater, WA 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: 2021 at 93.9% (309 of 329 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 87.3% (316 of 362 days).
What does AQI 27 mean for health?
An AQI of 27 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 Olympia-Tumwater, WA compare to other metro areas?
The Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro has 93.5% good air days. Similar metros: Aberdeen, SD (83.6% good), Albany, OR (80.0% good), Anchorage, AK (77.5% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Olympia-Tumwater, WA?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Olympia-Tumwater, WA metro area is 47, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 65 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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