Metro area air quality · 2025

Salem, OR

Median AQI 35 (Good). 80.0% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

35
Median AQI
80.0%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
68%
Cleaner than US metros

Salem, OR posted a 2025 median AQI of 35 (Good) with 80.0% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Salem, OR CBSA recorded a median AQI of 35 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 80.0% 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 Salem, OR CBSA's 80.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 68% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Baraboo, WI (75.6% Good, median AQI 35) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Salem, OR.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Salem, OR's Good-day share moved +1.5 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -1).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 35

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

The verdict

Salem, OR's median AQI 35 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 35 and 80.0% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

35
median AQI · Good
80.0%
days rated Good
68%
cleaner than US metros
85
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
  • Salem, OR metro's peak single-day AQI fell from 129 to 85 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -44 points.
  • Salem, OR metro's Good-day share fell from 82.3% to 80.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2.3 percentage points.

Compared against 362 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

Salem, OR's median AQI 35 is in the lower (cleaner) CBSA tercile on this site. Signature read: median AQI 35 (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 35 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 292 Good (80%), 73 Moderate (20%), and 0 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 58; the highest single-day reading hit 85 (Moderate).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +1.5 points and median AQI moved -1 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Baraboo, WI (75.6% good, AQI 35); Effingham, IL (95.5% good, AQI 35); Ithaca, NY (93.2% good, AQI 35).

Understanding AQI →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

35

Good

Good Days

80.0%

292 of 365 days

Max AQI

85

Moderate

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 58

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

292

80%

Moderate

73

20%

USG

0

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Salem, OR metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 80.0% 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 Salem, OR metro compare?

How Salem, OR compares

Good-day share better than typical
Salem, OR 80.0%
Baraboo, WI 75.6%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Salem, OR 35
Baraboo, WI 35
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Salem, OR 0
Baraboo, WI 1
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in the Salem, OR metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (82.3%, 298 of 362 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 278 76 0 36
2021 280 83 0 36
2022 254 104 2 36
2023 268 93 0 38
2024 298 64 0 35
2025 292 73 0 35

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Salem, OR (35).

Baraboo, WI

Median AQI 35 · 75.6% Good-day share

35

Effingham, IL

Median AQI 35 · 95.5% Good-day share

35

Ithaca, NY

Median AQI 35 · 93.2% Good-day share

35

Kinston, NC

Median AQI 35 · 97.5% Good-day share

35

Meridian, MS

Median AQI 35 · 94.6% Good-day share

35

Morehead City, NC

Median AQI 35 · 96.2% Good-day share

35

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Salem, OR'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

What does AQI 35 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 35 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 many unhealthy air days does Salem, OR have? ▼
In 2025, the Salem, OR metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 85.
What is the air quality in the Salem, OR metro area? ▼
The Salem, OR metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 35, rated "Good." 80.0% of monitored days (292 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Salem, OR getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Salem, OR 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: 2024 at 82.3% (298 of 362 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2022 at 70.6% (254 of 360 days).
How does Salem, OR compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Salem, OR metro has 80.0% good air days. Similar metros: Baraboo, WI (75.6% good), Effingham, IL (95.5% good), Ithaca, NY (93.2% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Salem, OR? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Salem, OR metro area is 58, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 85 (Moderate).

Data Sources

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