Metro area air quality · 2025

Rocky Mount, NC

Median AQI 38 (Good). 84.4% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

38
Median AQI
84.4%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
76%
Cleaner than US metros

Rocky Mount, NC posted a 2025 median AQI of 38 (Good) with 84.4% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Rocky Mount, NC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 38 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 84.4% 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 Rocky Mount, NC CBSA's 84.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 76% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Appleton, WI (72.3% Good, median AQI 38) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Rocky Mount, NC.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Rocky Mount, NC's Good-day share moved -1.0 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +3).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 38

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

The verdict

Rocky Mount, NC sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (84.4% of 365 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than most US metros, with a median AQI of 38 and 84.4% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

38
median AQI · Good
84.4%
days rated Good
76%
cleaner than US metros
68
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
  • Rocky Mount, NC metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 80 to 68 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -12 points.

Compared against 354 monitored days in 2024 and 365 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

Rocky Mount, NC sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (84.4% of 365 monitored days). Signature read: 84.4% Good-day share (high tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 38 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 308 Good (84%), 57 Moderate (16%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 53; the highest single-day reading hit 68 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -1.0 points and median AQI moved +3 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Appleton, WI (72.3% good, AQI 38); Billings, MT (86.3% good, AQI 38); Burlington-South Burlington, VT (87.7% good, AQI 38).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

38

Good

Good Days

84.4%

308 of 365 days

Max AQI

68

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 53

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

308

84%

Moderate

57

16%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Rocky Mount, NC metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 84.4% 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 Rocky Mount, NC metro compare?

How Rocky Mount, NC compares

Good-day share better than typical
Rocky Mount, NC 84.4%
Appleton, WI 72.3%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Rocky Mount, NC 38
Appleton, WI 38
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Rocky Mount, NC 0
Appleton, WI 6
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Rocky Mount, NC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2022 (87.6%, 312 of 356 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 287 49 0 35
2021 292 71 0 38
2022 312 44 0 37
2023 266 91 0 41
2024 302 52 0 37
2025 308 57 0 38

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Rocky Mount, NC (38).

Appleton, WI

Median AQI 38 · 72.3% Good-day share

38

Billings, MT

Median AQI 38 · 86.3% Good-day share

38

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

Median AQI 38 · 87.7% Good-day share

38

Charlottesville, VA

Median AQI 38 · 81.0% Good-day share

38

Corning, NY

Median AQI 38 · 83.3% Good-day share

38

Dickinson, ND

Median AQI 38 · 82.7% Good-day share

38

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Rocky Mount, NC'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 Rocky Mount, NC have? ▼
In 2025, the Rocky Mount, NC metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 68.
What is the air quality in the Rocky Mount, NC metro area? ▼
The Rocky Mount, NC metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 38, rated "Good." 84.4% of monitored days (308 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Rocky Mount, NC getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Rocky Mount, NC 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: 2022 at 87.6% (312 of 356 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 74.5% (266 of 357 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.
How does Rocky Mount, NC compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Rocky Mount, NC metro has 84.4% good air days. Similar metros: Appleton, WI (72.3% good), Billings, MT (86.3% good), Burlington-South Burlington, VT (87.7% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Rocky Mount, NC? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Rocky Mount, NC metro area is 53, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 68 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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