Metro area air quality · 2025

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

Median AQI 41 (Good). 69.9% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

41
Median AQI
69.9%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
45%
Cleaner than US metros

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA posted a 2025 median AQI of 41 (Good) with 69.9% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 41 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 69.9% 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA CBSA's 69.9% Good-day share places it cleaner than 45% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Adrian, MI (69.3% Good, median AQI 41) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA's Good-day share moved +1.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +0).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 41

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

The verdict

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro runs good on the EPA scale, more polluted than the median US metro, a median AQI of 41 with 69.9% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

41
median AQI · Good
69.9%
days rated Good
45%
cleaner than US metros
119
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

2024 → 2025
  • Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro's Good-day share fell from 77.8% to 70.2% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -7.5 percentage points.
  • Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro's median AQI rose from 38 to 41 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3 points.

Compared against 360 monitored days in 2024 and 363 in 2025. These are arithmetic differences between two stored EPA annual summaries, not a cause claim or a live advisory.

National release changes Two-year CSV

Insights: Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 41 over 365 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Moderate metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 255 Good days (70%), 108 Moderate (30%), and 2 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 63 while the highest single-day reading hit 119 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 21.0 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 +1.2 points and the median AQI moved +0 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as stable. The metro recorded no Unhealthy-tier days in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Adrian, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41); Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (67.7% good, AQI 41); Ann Arbor, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

41

Good

Good Days

69.9%

255 of 365 days

Max AQI

119

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 63

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

255

70%

Moderate

108

30%

USG

2

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 69.9% 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro compare?

How Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA compares

Good-day share worse than US avg
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 69.9%
Adrian, MI 69.3%
US average 70.6%
Median AQI about average
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 41
Adrian, MI 41
US average 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than US avg
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 0
Adrian, MI 0
US average 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro. Best year: 2024 (280 good days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 243 109 0 41
2021 254 110 1 42
2022 225 133 4 41
2023 219 140 2 43
2024 280 80 0 38
2025 255 108 0 41

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (41).

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

More Air Quality Data

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

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area?
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 41, rated "Good." 69.9% of monitored days (255 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA have?
In 2025, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 119.
Is air quality in Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA getting better or worse?
Air quality in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro is stable based on 5-year trends (2020-2025). Best year: 2024 with 280 good days. Worst year: 2023 with 219 good days.
What does AQI 41 mean for health?
An AQI of 41 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 Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA?
The 90th percentile AQI for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area is 63, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 119 (USG).
How does Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA compare to other metro areas?
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro has 69.9% good air days. Similar metros: Adrian, MI (69.3% good), Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (67.7% good), Ann Arbor, MI (69.3% 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.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by CBSA summary files (metro-level) · 2020–2025

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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.