Metro area air quality · 2025
Syracuse, NY
Median AQI 36 (Good). 83.6% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 36
- Median AQI
- 83.6%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 75%
- Cleaner than US metros
Syracuse, NY posted a 2025 median AQI of 36 (Good) with 83.6% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Syracuse, NY CBSA recorded a median AQI of 36 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 83.6% 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 Syracuse, NY CBSA's 83.6% Good-day share places it cleaner than 75% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (82.2% Good, median AQI 36) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Syracuse, NY.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Syracuse, NY's Good-day share moved +2.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI -2).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 36
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Syracuse, NY sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (83.6% of 365 monitored days). On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than most US metros, with a median AQI of 36 and 83.6% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 36
- median AQI · Good
- 83.6%
- days rated Good
- 75%
- cleaner than US metros
- 125
- 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
- Syracuse, NY metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 84 to 125 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +41 points.
- Syracuse, NY metro's Good-day share fell from 86.9% to 84.5% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2.4 percentage points.
Syracuse, NY sits in the upper Good-day tercile among EPA CBSA metros on this site (83.6% of 365 monitored days). Signature read: 83.6% 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 36 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 305 Good (84%), 56 Moderate (15%), and 4 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 57; the highest single-day reading hit 125 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted +2.2 points and median AQI moved -2 (stable). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ (82.2% good, AQI 36); Barnstable Town, MA (93.7% good, AQI 36); Bemidji, MN (79.1% good, AQI 36).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
36
Good
Good Days
83.6%
305 of 365 days
Max AQI
125
USG
Health Grade
Good
90th pct: 57
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
305
84%
Moderate
56
15%
USG
4
1%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Syracuse, NY metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 83.6% 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 Syracuse, NY metro compare?
How Syracuse, NY compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in the Syracuse, NY metro. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (86.9%, 318 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 301 | 65 | 0 | 38 | 74 |
| 2021 | 277 | 87 | 0 | 41 | 113 |
| 2022 | 316 | 49 | 0 | 38 | 69 |
| 2023 | 276 | 80 | 3 | 40 | 258 |
| 2024 | 318 | 48 | 0 | 36 | 84 |
| 2025 | 305 | 56 | 0 | 36 | 125 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Syracuse, NY (36).
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
Median AQI 36 · 82.2% Good-day share
Barnstable Town, MA
Median AQI 36 · 93.7% Good-day share
Bemidji, MN
Median AQI 36 · 79.1% Good-day share
Claremont-Lebanon, NH-VT
Median AQI 36 · 83.6% Good-day share
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL
Median AQI 36 · 93.9% Good-day share
East Stroudsburg, PA
Median AQI 36 · 88.3% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Syracuse, NY'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
How many unhealthy air days does Syracuse, NY have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Syracuse, NY metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Syracuse, NY getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 36 mean for health? ▼
How does Syracuse, NY compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Syracuse, NY? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Syracuse, NY, 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, Syracuse, NY · 2020–2025