Metro area air quality · 2025

Paducah, KY-IL

Median AQI 42 (Good). 74.3% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

42
Median AQI
74.3%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
54%
Cleaner than US metros

Paducah, KY-IL posted a 2025 median AQI of 42 (Good) with 74.3% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Paducah, KY-IL CBSA recorded a median AQI of 42 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 74.3% 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 Paducah, KY-IL CBSA's 74.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 54% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% Good, median AQI 42) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Paducah, KY-IL.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Paducah, KY-IL's Good-day share moved +8.6 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 42

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

The verdict

Paducah, KY-IL's Good-day share (74.3%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 42 and 74.3% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

42
median AQI · Good
74.3%
days rated Good
54%
cleaner than US metros
97
worst single reading

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

Paducah, KY-IL's Good-day share (74.3%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 74.3% Good-day share (mid tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 42 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 271 Good (74%), 94 Moderate (26%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 58; the highest single-day reading hit 97 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +8.6 points and median AQI moved -2 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% good, AQI 42); Amarillo, TX (78.4% good, AQI 42); Carson City, NV (86.2% good, AQI 42).

Understanding AQI →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

42

Good

Good Days

74.3%

271 of 365 days

Max AQI

97

Moderate

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 58

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

271

74%

Moderate

94

26%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Paducah, KY-IL metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 74.3% 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 Paducah, KY-IL metro compare?

How Paducah, KY-IL compares

Good-day share better than typical
Paducah, KY-IL 74.3%
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 66.8%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Paducah, KY-IL 42
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 42
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Paducah, KY-IL 0
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Paducah, KY-IL metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (74.2%, 271 of 365 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 239 125 0 44
2021 220 142 0 45
2022 213 128 0 46
2023 203 145 0 47
2024 271 94 0 43
2025 271 94 0 42

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Paducah, KY-IL (42).

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

Median AQI 42 · 66.8% Good-day share

42

Amarillo, TX

Median AQI 42 · 78.4% Good-day share

42

Carson City, NV

Median AQI 42 · 86.2% Good-day share

42

Casper, WY

Median AQI 42 · 86.3% Good-day share

42

Clarksville, TN-KY

Median AQI 42 · 72.0% Good-day share

42

Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL

Median AQI 42 · 75.5% Good-day share

42

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

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

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Paducah, KY-IL have? ▼
In 2025, the Paducah, KY-IL metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 97.
What is the air quality in the Paducah, KY-IL metro area? ▼
The Paducah, KY-IL metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 42, rated "Good." 74.3% of monitored days (271 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Paducah, KY-IL getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Paducah, KY-IL 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: 2025 at 74.2% (271 of 365 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 58.3% (203 of 348 days).
What does AQI 42 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 42 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 Paducah, KY-IL compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Paducah, KY-IL metro has 74.3% good air days. Similar metros: Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ (66.8% good), Amarillo, TX (78.4% good), Carson City, NV (86.2% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Paducah, KY-IL? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Paducah, KY-IL metro area is 58, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 97 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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