Metro area air quality · 2025

Tulsa, OK

Median AQI 51 (Moderate). 49.6% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

51
Median AQI
49.6%
Good-air days
1
Unhealthy days
11%
Cleaner than US metros

Tulsa, OK posted a 2025 median AQI of 51 (Moderate) with 49.6% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Tulsa, OK CBSA recorded a median AQI of 51 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 49.6% rated Good and 1 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 Tulsa, OK CBSA's 49.6% Good-day share places it cleaner than 11% of US metros in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Boise City, ID (49.9% Good, median AQI 51) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Tulsa, OK.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Tulsa, OK's Good-day share moved -3.2 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +2).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 51

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

The verdict

Tulsa, OK lands in the lower Good-day tercile (49.6% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. On the EPA scale the metro runs moderate, among the more polluted US metros, with a median AQI of 51 and 49.6% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

51
median AQI · Moderate
49.6%
days rated Good
11%
cleaner than US metros
508
worst single reading

1 day reached Unhealthy or worse across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Tulsa, OK metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 179 to 508 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +329 points.
  • Tulsa, OK metro's Good-day share rose from 47.7% to 50.1% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +2.4 percentage points.
  • Tulsa, OK metro's Unhealthy-category days fell from 1 to 0 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.

Compared against 354 monitored days in 2024 and 361 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

Tulsa, OK lands in the lower Good-day tercile (49.6% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 49.6% Good-day share (low tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 51 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Moderate / Poor). The monitored-day split lands at 181 Good (50%), 180 Moderate (49%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 74; the highest single-day reading hit 508 (Hazardous).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -3.2 points and median AQI moved +2 (worsening). The annual record contains 1 day at Unhealthy or worse. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Boise City, ID (49.9% good, AQI 51); Hot Springs, AR (49.2% good, AQI 51); Kansas City, MO-KS (49.3% good, AQI 51).

Health effects of air pollution →

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

51

Moderate

Good Days

49.6%

181 of 365 days

Max AQI

508

Hazardous

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 74

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

181

50%

Moderate

180

49%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

1

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Tulsa, OK metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 49.6% good air days. There were 1 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.

Air quality posed significant health risk in 2025. Sensitive groups, including people with asthma, COPD, cardiovascular conditions, children, pregnant women, and adults over 65, should monitor AirNow.gov alerts and limit outdoor activity on Unhealthy (AQI 151+) and Very Unhealthy (201+) days. Peak readings reached AQI 508, beyond EPA's standard 0-500 scale, indicating an extreme event.

Sensitive group advisory

People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, pregnant women, and adults 65+ should follow EPA AQI alerts daily and limit outdoor exertion when AQI exceeds 100. Real-time conditions: airnow.gov.

Note: EPA's standard AQI scale caps at 500. The 508 peak reading represents an extreme event extrapolated beyond the index's design range. See EPA wildfire smoke guidance.

How does the Tulsa, OK metro compare?

How Tulsa, OK compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Tulsa, OK 49.6%
Boise City, ID 49.9%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Tulsa, OK 51
Boise City, ID 51
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr about typical
Tulsa, OK 1
Boise City, ID 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Tulsa, OK metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (53.3%, 194 of 364 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 194 170 0 49
2021 137 218 2 54
2022 161 190 2 52
2023 138 207 2 53
2024 169 184 1 51
2025 181 180 0 51

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Tulsa, OK (51).

Boise City, ID

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Hot Springs, AR

Median AQI 51 · 49.2% Good-day share

51

Kansas City, MO-KS

Median AQI 51 · 49.3% Good-day share

51

Laredo, TX

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Modesto, CA

Median AQI 51 · 49.9% Good-day share

51

Waco, TX

Median AQI 51 · 46.6% Good-day share

51

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Tulsa, OK's 1 (independent of median AQI).

Ann Arbor, MI

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 41

41

Bangor, ME

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 33

33

Baraboo, WI

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 35

35

Bartlesville, OK

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 44

44

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 52

52

Beaver Dam, WI

1 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 40

40

Frequently Asked Questions

How many unhealthy air days does Tulsa, OK have? ▼
In 2025, the Tulsa, OK metro area recorded 1 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 1 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 508.
What is the air quality in the Tulsa, OK metro area? ▼
The Tulsa, OK metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 51, rated "Moderate." 49.6% of monitored days (181 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Tulsa, OK getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Tulsa, OK metro is worsening across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2020 at 53.3% (194 of 364 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 38.4% (137 of 357 days).
What does AQI 51 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 51 is "Moderate", air quality is acceptable, but some pollutants may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of sensitive individuals.
How does Tulsa, OK compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Tulsa, OK metro has 49.6% good air days. Similar metros: Boise City, ID (49.9% good), Hot Springs, AR (49.2% good), Kansas City, MO-KS (49.3% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Tulsa, OK? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Tulsa, OK metro area is 74, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 508 (Hazardous).

Data Sources

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