Metro area air quality · 2025

Richmond, VA

Median AQI 43 (Good). 72.9% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

43
Median AQI
72.9%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
51%
Cleaner than US metros

Richmond, VA posted a 2025 median AQI of 43 (Good) with 72.9% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Richmond, VA CBSA recorded a median AQI of 43 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 72.9% 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 Richmond, VA CBSA's 72.9% Good-day share places it cleaner than 51% 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 Richmond, VA.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Richmond, VA's Good-day share moved +0.4 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

Richmond, VA's Good-day share (72.9%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 43 and 72.9% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

43
median AQI · Good
72.9%
days rated Good
51%
cleaner than US metros
101
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
  • Richmond, VA metro's Good-day share rose from 69.3% to 73.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +3.8 percentage points.
  • Richmond, VA metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 112 to 101 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -11 points.

Compared against 365 monitored days in 2024 and 364 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

Richmond, VA's Good-day share (72.9%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 72.9% 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 266 Good (73%), 98 Moderate (27%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 58; the highest single-day reading hit 101 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +0.4 points and median AQI moved -1 (stable). 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).

Understanding AQI →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

43

Good

Good Days

72.9%

266 of 365 days

Max AQI

101

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 58

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

266

73%

Moderate

98

27%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Richmond, VA metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 72.9% 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 Richmond, VA metro compare?

How Richmond, VA compares

Good-day share better than typical
Richmond, VA 72.9%
Ashtabula, OH 81.2%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Richmond, VA 43
Ashtabula, OH 43
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Richmond, VA 0
Ashtabula, OH 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Richmond, VA metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (73.1%, 266 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 266 100 0 44
2021 206 156 0 48
2022 210 154 0 47
2023 204 156 3 48
2024 253 112 0 44
2025 266 98 0 43

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Richmond, VA (43).

Ashtabula, OH

Median AQI 43 · 81.2% Good-day share

43

Bloomington, IN

Median AQI 43 · 67.7% Good-day share

43

Champaign-Urbana, IL

Median AQI 43 · 65.8% Good-day share

43

Cleveland, MS

Median AQI 43 · 71.9% Good-day share

43

Columbus, IN

Median AQI 43 · 72.6% Good-day share

43

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

Median AQI 43 · 71.5% Good-day share

43

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Richmond, VA's 0 (independent of median AQI).

Aberdeen, SD

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Aberdeen, WA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 22

22

Adrian, MI

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Akron, OH

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 45

45

Albany, GA

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 46

46

Albany, OR

0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 27

27

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Richmond, VA have? ▼
In 2025, the Richmond, VA metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 101.
What is the air quality in the Richmond, VA metro area? ▼
The Richmond, VA metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 43, rated "Good." 72.9% of monitored days (266 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Richmond, VA getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Richmond, VA metro is stable across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2025 at 73.1% (266 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 56.2% (204 of 363 days).
What does AQI 43 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 43 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
How does Richmond, VA compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Richmond, VA metro has 72.9% good air days. Similar metros: Ashtabula, OH (81.2% good), Bloomington, IN (67.7% good), Champaign-Urbana, IL (65.8% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Richmond, VA? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Richmond, VA metro area is 58, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 101 (USG).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Richmond, VA, 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, Richmond, VA · 2020–2025