Metro area air quality · 2025

Salisbury, MD-DE

Median AQI 39 (Good). 82.2% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

39
Median AQI
82.2%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
72%
Cleaner than US metros

Salisbury, MD-DE posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) with 82.2% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Salisbury, MD-DE CBSA recorded a median AQI of 39 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 82.2% 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 Salisbury, MD-DE CBSA's 82.2% Good-day share places it cleaner than 72% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Bay City, MI (70.4% Good, median AQI 39) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Salisbury, MD-DE.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Salisbury, MD-DE's Good-day share moved +4.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -3).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 39

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

The verdict

Salisbury, MD-DE sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.2% of 365 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 39 and 82.2% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

39
median AQI · Good
82.2%
days rated Good
72%
cleaner than US metros
105
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
  • Salisbury, MD-DE metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 90 to 105 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +15 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

Salisbury, MD-DE sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (82.2% of 365 monitored days). Signature read: 82.2% 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 39 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 300 Good (82%), 64 Moderate (18%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 57; the highest single-day reading hit 105 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +4.3 points and median AQI moved -3 (improving). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Bay City, MI (70.4% good, AQI 39); Brainerd, MN (74.3% good, AQI 39); Cambridge, MD (86.0% good, AQI 39).

Best and worst city air quality →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

39

Good

Good Days

82.2%

300 of 365 days

Max AQI

105

USG

Health Grade

Good

90th pct: 57

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

300

82%

Moderate

64

18%

USG

1

0%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Good

The Salisbury, MD-DE metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 82.2% 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 Salisbury, MD-DE metro compare?

How Salisbury, MD-DE compares

Good-day share better than typical
Salisbury, MD-DE 82.2%
Bay City, MI 70.4%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI better than typical
Salisbury, MD-DE 39
Bay City, MI 39
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Salisbury, MD-DE 0
Bay City, MI 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in the Salisbury, MD-DE metro. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (82.4%, 300 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 286 80 0 42
2021 277 88 0 40
2022 274 91 0 43
2023 215 144 2 47
2024 298 67 0 40
2025 300 64 0 39

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Salisbury, MD-DE (39).

Bay City, MI

Median AQI 39 · 70.4% Good-day share

39

Brainerd, MN

Median AQI 39 · 74.3% Good-day share

39

Cambridge, MD

Median AQI 39 · 86.0% Good-day share

39

Charleston, WV

Median AQI 39 · 77.0% Good-day share

39

Dalton, GA

Median AQI 39 · 90.3% Good-day share

39

Harrisonburg, VA

Median AQI 39 · 80.0% Good-day share

39

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Salisbury, MD-DE'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 Salisbury, MD-DE have? ▼
In 2025, the Salisbury, MD-DE metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 105.
What is the air quality in the Salisbury, MD-DE metro area? ▼
The Salisbury, MD-DE metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 39, rated "Good." 82.2% of monitored days (300 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Salisbury, MD-DE getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Salisbury, MD-DE metro is improving 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 82.4% (300 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2023 at 59.6% (215 of 361 days).
What does AQI 39 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 39 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 Salisbury, MD-DE compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Salisbury, MD-DE metro has 82.2% good air days. Similar metros: Bay City, MI (70.4% good), Brainerd, MN (74.3% good), Cambridge, MD (86.0% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Salisbury, MD-DE? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Salisbury, MD-DE metro area is 57, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 105 (USG).

Data Sources

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