Metro area air quality · 2025

Oxford, NC

Median AQI 39 (Good). 93.3% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

Compiled by PlainAirData · August 4, 2026

39
Median AQI: 93.3%
Good-air days: 0
Unhealthy days: 91%
Cleaner than US metros

Oxford, NC posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) with 93.3% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Oxford, NC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 39 across 238 monitored days in 2025, with 93.3% 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 Oxford, NC CBSA's 93.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 91% 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 Oxford, NC.
2020–2025 Good-day shift: Oxford, NC's Good-day share moved -6.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +3).
Median AQI: Median AQI: 39

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 238 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Oxford, NC metro runs good on the EPA scale, among the cleanest 10% of US metros, a median AQI of 39 with 93.3% of 238 monitored days in the Good band.

39
median AQI · Good: 93.3%
days rated Good: 91%
cleaner than US metros: 87
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Oxford, NC metro's Good-day share rose from 84.8% to 93.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +8.5 percentage points.
Oxford, NC metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 101 to 87 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -14 points.
Oxford, NC metro's median AQI fell from 42 to 39 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3 points.

Insights: Oxford, NC metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 39 over 238 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Excellent metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 222 Good days (93%), 16 Moderate (7%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 49 while the highest single-day reading hit 87 (Moderate). Metro residents averaged roughly 28.0 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, the share of monitored days rated Good shifted by -6.3 points and the median AQI moved +3 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. 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).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

Good

Good Days

93.3%

222 of 238 days

Max AQI

Moderate

Health Grade

Excellent

90th pct: 49

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 238 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

222

93%

Moderate

USG

Unhealthy

Very Unhealthy

Hazardous

Health Impact Assessment

Excellent

The Oxford, NC metro area's air quality is rated Excellent based on 93.3% 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 Oxford, NC metro compare?

How Oxford, NC compares

Compare against

Good-day share better than typical

Oxford, NC 93.3%

Bay City, MI 70.4%

Typical US metro 70.6%

Median AQI better than typical

Oxford, NC 39

Bay City, MI 39

Typical US metro 41

Unhealthy days / yr better than typical

Oxford, NC 0

Bay City, MI 0

Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Oxford, NC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (99.6%, 237 of 238 monitored days).

Year	Good	Moderate	Median AQI	Max AQI
2020	237	1	36	51
2021	237	5	38	67
2022	223	20	42	112
2023	202	39	43	105
2024	206	37	42	101
2025	222	16	39	87

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Oxford, NC (39).

Bay City, MI

Median AQI 39 · 70.4% Good-day share

Brainerd, MN

Median AQI 39 · 74.3% Good-day share

Cambridge, MD

Median AQI 39 · 86.0% Good-day share

Charleston, WV

Median AQI 39 · 77.0% Good-day share

Dalton, GA

Median AQI 39 · 90.3% Good-day share

Harrisonburg, VA

Median AQI 39 · 80.0% Good-day share

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Oxford, NC'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

More Air Quality Data

Explore EPA air quality rankings and guides across U.S. metros and counties.

Cleanest Metro Areas

U.S. metros ranked by their share of Good air-quality days.

Worst Air Quality

Counties and metros with the most unhealthy air days.

All Metro Areas

Annual AQI by CBSA for every monitored U.S. metro area.

Best and Worst City Air

What drives urban air quality and how metro areas compare.

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Oxford, NC metro area? ▼

The Oxford, NC metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 39, rated "Good." 93.3% of monitored days (222 out of 238) had good air quality in 2025.

How many unhealthy air days does Oxford, NC have? ▼

In 2025, the Oxford, NC metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 87.

Is air quality in Oxford, NC getting better or worse? ▼

Air quality in the Oxford, 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 99.6% (237 of 238 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 83.8% (202 of 241 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.

What is the 90th percentile AQI for Oxford, NC? ▼

The 90th percentile AQI for the Oxford, NC metro area is 49, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 87 (Moderate).

How does Oxford, NC compare to other metro areas? ▼

The Oxford, NC metro has 93.3% good air days. Similar metros: Bay City, MI (70.4% good), Brainerd, MN (74.3% good), Cambridge, MD (86.0% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset, 2020–2025. 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 files (metro-level) · 2020–2025 Accessed 2026-07-06

Send the source-year summary or download its ready-to-use data card.

X Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email

Every figure on PlainAirData is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.