Metro area air quality · 2025
Payson, AZ
Median AQI 47 (Good). 62.7% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 47
- Median AQI
- 62.7%
- Good-air days
- 1
- Unhealthy days
- 30%
- Cleaner than US metros
Payson, AZ posted a 2025 median AQI of 47 (Good) with 62.7% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Payson, AZ CBSA recorded a median AQI of 47 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 62.7% rated Good and 1 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 Payson, AZ CBSA's 62.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 30% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% Good, median AQI 47) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Payson, AZ.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Payson, AZ's Good-day share moved -6.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +3).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 47
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Payson, AZ lands in the lower Good-day tercile (62.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 47 and 62.7% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 47
- median AQI · Good
- 62.7%
- days rated Good
- 30%
- cleaner than US metros
- 196
- worst single reading
1 day reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.
Annual release change
What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release
- Payson, AZ metro's Good-day share rose from 56.9% to 65.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +8.3 percentage points.
- Payson, AZ metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 159 to 196 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +37 points.
- Payson, AZ metro's median AQI fell from 50 to 47 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3 points.
- Payson, AZ metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 2 to 1 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.
Payson, AZ lands in the lower Good-day tercile (62.7% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 62.7% 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 47 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 229 Good (63%), 121 Moderate (33%), and 14 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (4%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 87; the highest single-day reading hit 196 (Unhealthy).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -6.3 points and median AQI moved +3 (worsening). The annual record contains 1 day at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Charleston-North Charleston, SC (60.3% good, AQI 47); Columbia, SC (58.1% good, AQI 47); Corsicana, TX (59.2% good, AQI 47).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
47
Good
Good Days
62.7%
229 of 365 days
Max AQI
196
Unhealthy
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 87
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
229
63%
Moderate
121
33%
USG
14
4%
Unhealthy
1
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Payson, AZ metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 62.7% good air days. There were 1 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality is acceptable most days, but 14 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" and peak AQI reached 196. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
How does the Payson, AZ metro compare?
How Payson, AZ compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Payson, AZ metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (71.5%, 256 of 358 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 256 | 99 | 3 | 44 | 174 |
| 2021 | 239 | 116 | 2 | 46 | 180 |
| 2022 | 245 | 102 | 2 | 45 | 177 |
| 2023 | 232 | 121 | 1 | 46 | 154 |
| 2024 | 193 | 144 | 2 | 50 | 159 |
| 2025 | 229 | 121 | 1 | 47 | 196 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Payson, AZ (47).
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Median AQI 47 · 60.3% Good-day share
Columbia, SC
Median AQI 47 · 58.1% Good-day share
Corsicana, TX
Median AQI 47 · 59.2% Good-day share
Dayton, OH
Median AQI 47 · 57.0% Good-day share
Evansville, IN-KY
Median AQI 47 · 57.5% Good-day share
Farmington, NM
Median AQI 47 · 68.0% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Payson, AZ's 1 (independent of median AQI).
Ann Arbor, MI
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41
Bangor, ME
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 33
Baraboo, WI
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 35
Bartlesville, OK
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 44
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 52
Beaver Dam, WI
1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 40
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Payson, AZ have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Payson, AZ metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Payson, AZ getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 47 mean for health? ▼
How does Payson, AZ compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Payson, AZ? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Payson, AZ, 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, Payson, AZ · 2020–2025