Metro area air quality · 2025
Reading, PA
Median AQI 43 (Good). 68.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 43
- Median AQI
- 68.2%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 41%
- Cleaner than US metros
Reading, PA posted a 2025 median AQI of 43 (Good) with 68.2% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Reading, PA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 43 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 68.2% 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 Reading, PA CBSA's 68.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 41% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Ashtabula, OH (81.2% Good, median AQI 43) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Reading, PA.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Reading, PA's Good-day share moved +5.9 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -1).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 43
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Reading, PA's Good-day share (68.2%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, more polluted than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 43 and 68.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 43
- median AQI · Good
- 68.2%
- days rated Good
- 41%
- cleaner than US metros
- 122
- 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
- Reading, PA metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 105 to 122 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +17 points.
Reading, PA's Good-day share (68.2%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 68.2% 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 43 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Moderate). The monitored-day split lands at 249 Good (68%), 113 Moderate (31%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 65; the highest single-day reading hit 122 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +5.9 points and median AQI moved -1 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Ashtabula, OH (81.2% good, AQI 43); Bloomington, IN (67.7% good, AQI 43); Champaign-Urbana, IL (65.8% good, AQI 43).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
43
Good
Good Days
68.2%
249 of 365 days
Max AQI
122
USG
Health Grade
Moderate
90th pct: 65
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
249
68%
Moderate
113
31%
USG
3
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Reading, PA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 68.2% 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 Reading, PA metro compare?
How Reading, PA compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is improving in the Reading, PA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (69.8%, 254 of 364 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 227 | 134 | 0 | 44 | 102 |
| 2021 | 198 | 162 | 0 | 48 | 133 |
| 2022 | 240 | 123 | 0 | 44 | 101 |
| 2023 | 205 | 147 | 3 | 48 | 287 |
| 2024 | 254 | 110 | 0 | 43 | 105 |
| 2025 | 249 | 113 | 0 | 43 | 122 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Reading, PA (43).
Ashtabula, OH
Median AQI 43 · 81.2% Good-day share
Bloomington, IN
Median AQI 43 · 67.7% Good-day share
Champaign-Urbana, IL
Median AQI 43 · 65.8% Good-day share
Cleveland, MS
Median AQI 43 · 71.9% Good-day share
Columbus, IN
Median AQI 43 · 72.6% Good-day share
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Median AQI 43 · 71.5% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Reading, 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
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Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Reading, 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, Reading, PA · 2020–2025