Metro area air quality · 2025
Pittsburgh, PA
Median AQI 53 (Moderate). 43.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 53
- Median AQI
- 43.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 8%
- Cleaner than US metros
Pittsburgh, PA posted a 2025 median AQI of 53 (Moderate) with 43.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Pittsburgh, PA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 53 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 43.0% 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 Pittsburgh, PA CBSA's 43.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 8% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (41.1% Good, median AQI 53) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Pittsburgh, PA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Pittsburgh, PA's Good-day share moved +11.7 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 53
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Pittsburgh, PA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (43.0% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs moderate, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 53 and 43.0% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 53
- median AQI · Moderate
- 43.0%
- days rated Good
- 8%
- cleaner than US metros
- 131
- 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
- Pittsburgh, PA metro's Good-day share fell from 46.1% to 43.6% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2.5 percentage points.
Pittsburgh, PA lands in the lower Good-day tercile (43.0% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 43.0% 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 53 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 157 Good (43%), 203 Moderate (56%), and 5 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 80; the highest single-day reading hit 131 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +11.7 points and median AQI moved -2 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (41.1% good, AQI 53); Austin-Round Rock, TX (43.6% good, AQI 53); Corpus Christi, TX (40.5% good, AQI 53).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
53
Moderate
Good Days
43.0%
157 of 365 days
Max AQI
131
USG
Health Grade
Poor
90th pct: 80
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
157
43%
Moderate
203
56%
USG
5
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Pittsburgh, PA metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 43.0% 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 Pittsburgh, PA metro compare?
How Pittsburgh, PA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Pittsburgh, PA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (46.1%, 164 of 356 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 113 | 241 | 0 | 55 | 142 |
| 2021 | 102 | 254 | 1 | 58 | 154 |
| 2022 | 101 | 253 | 1 | 58 | 151 |
| 2023 | 98 | 243 | 2 | 58 | 237 |
| 2024 | 164 | 192 | 0 | 53 | 129 |
| 2025 | 157 | 203 | 0 | 53 | 131 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Pittsburgh, PA (53).
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Median AQI 53 · 41.1% Good-day share
Austin-Round Rock, TX
Median AQI 53 · 43.6% Good-day share
Corpus Christi, TX
Median AQI 53 · 40.5% Good-day share
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Median AQI 53 · 42.2% Good-day share
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Median AQI 53 · 41.4% Good-day share
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Median AQI 52 · 46.0% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Pittsburgh, PA'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 Pittsburgh, PA have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Pittsburgh, PA metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Pittsburgh, PA getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 53 mean for health? ▼
How does Pittsburgh, PA compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Pittsburgh, PA? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Pittsburgh, PA, 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, Pittsburgh, PA · 2020–2025