Metro area air quality · 2025

Ponca City, OK

Median AQI 38 (Good). 68.4% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

38
Median AQI
68.4%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
41%
Cleaner than US metros

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 269 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Ponca City, OK metro runs good on the EPA scale, more polluted than the median US metro, a median AQI of 38 with 68.4% of 269 monitored days in the Good band.

38
median AQI · Good
68.4%
days rated Good
41%
cleaner than US metros
141
worst single reading

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

Insights: Ponca City, OK metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 38 over 269 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Moderate metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 184 Good days (68%), 83 Moderate (31%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 58 while the highest single-day reading hit 141 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 20.5 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, good days shifted by +13 and the median AQI moved -13 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as improving. The metro avoided any Unhealthy-tier days entirely, an outcome that typically reflects favorable wind patterns, lower industrial density, or effective regional emission controls. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Appleton, WI (78.5% good, AQI 38); Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (79.6% good, AQI 38); Barnstable Town, MA (92.5% good, AQI 38).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

38

Good

Good Days

68.4%

184 of 269 days

Max AQI

141

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 58

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 269 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

184

68%

Moderate

83

31%

USG

2

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Ponca City, OK metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 68.4% 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 Ponca City, OK metro compare?

How Ponca City, OK compares

Good-day share worse than US avg
Ponca City, OK 68.4%
Appleton, WI 78.5%
US average 71.3%
Median AQI better than US avg
Ponca City, OK 38
Appleton, WI 38
US average 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than US avg
Ponca City, OK 0
Appleton, WI 1
US average 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Ponca City, OK metro. Best year: 2022 (225 good days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 171 193 0 51
2021 167 178 1 52
2022 225 136 0 43
2023 172 162 0 49
2024 223 128 1 42
2025 184 83 0 38

Metros with Similar Air Quality

Metro areas across the US with a similar median AQI to Ponca City, OK.

Appleton, WI

AQI 38 · 78.5% good

38

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

AQI 38 · 79.6% good

38

Barnstable Town, MA

AQI 38 · 92.5% good

38

Bay City, MI

AQI 38 · 71.8% good

38

Cadillac, MI

AQI 38 · 89.5% good

38

Claremont-Lebanon, NH-VT

AQI 38 · 81.3% good

38

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 Ponca City, OK metro area? ▼
The Ponca City, OK metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 38, rated "Good." 68.4% of monitored days (184 out of 269) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Ponca City, OK have? ▼
In 2025, the Ponca City, OK metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 141.
Is air quality in Ponca City, OK getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Ponca City, OK metro is improving based on 5-year trends (2020-2025). Best year: 2022 with 225 good days. Worst year: 2021 with 167 good days.
What does AQI 38 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 38 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 Ponca City, OK? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Ponca City, OK metro area is 58, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 141 (USG).
How does Ponca City, OK compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Ponca City, OK metro has 68.4% good air days. Similar metros: Appleton, WI (78.5% good), Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (79.6% good), Barnstable Town, MA (92.5% 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

Every figure on PlainAir 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.