Metro area air quality · 2025
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
Median AQI 41 (Good). 78.1% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.
- 41
- Median AQI
- 78.1%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 63%
- Cleaner than US metros
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC posted a 2025 median AQI of 41 (Good) with 78.1% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC CBSA recorded a median AQI of 41 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 78.1% 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 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC CBSA's 78.1% Good-day share places it cleaner than 63% of US metros in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Adrian, MI (69.3% Good, median AQI 41) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC.
- 2020–2025 Good-day shift
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC's Good-day share moved -5.3 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +3).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 41
Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 365 monitored days. EPA AQS →
The verdict
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC's Good-day share (78.1%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. On the EPA scale the metro runs good, cleaner than the median US metro, with a median AQI of 41 and 78.1% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.
- 41
- median AQI · Good
- 78.1%
- days rated Good
- 63%
- 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
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro's Good-day share rose from 73.2% to 78.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.1 percentage points.
- Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro's peak single-day AQI rose from 90 to 105 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +15 points.
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC's Good-day share (78.1%) sits in the middle CBSA tercile on this extract. Signature read: 78.1% Good-day share (mid tercile vs CBSA corpus). Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 41 over 365 measured days in 2025 (Good / Good). The monitored-day split lands at 285 Good (78%), 79 Moderate (22%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (0%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 56; the highest single-day reading hit 105 (USG).
Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -5.3 points and median AQI moved +3 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Adrian, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41); Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY (67.7% good, AQI 41); Ann Arbor, MI (69.3% good, AQI 41).
Air Quality Summary
Median AQI
41
Good
Good Days
78.1%
285 of 365 days
Max AQI
105
USG
Health Grade
Good
90th pct: 56
AQI Day Breakdown (2025)
Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.
Good
285
78%
Moderate
79
22%
USG
1
0%
Unhealthy
0
0%
Very Unhealthy
0
0%
Hazardous
0
0%
Health Impact Assessment
The Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro area's air quality is rated Good based on 78.1% 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 Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro compare?
How Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC compares
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (83.6%, 306 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 306 | 60 | 0 | 38 | 74 |
| 2021 | 254 | 111 | 0 | 43 | 95 |
| 2022 | 277 | 87 | 0 | 42 | 115 |
| 2023 | 229 | 133 | 1 | 44 | 174 |
| 2024 | 268 | 98 | 0 | 41 | 90 |
| 2025 | 285 | 79 | 0 | 41 | 105 |
Metros with a similar median AQI
CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC (41).
Adrian, MI
Median AQI 41 · 69.3% Good-day share
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Median AQI 41 · 67.7% Good-day share
Ann Arbor, MI
Median AQI 41 · 69.3% Good-day share
Bowling Green, KY
Median AQI 41 · 75.6% Good-day share
Brunswick, GA
Median AQI 41 · 74.3% Good-day share
Decatur, AL
Median AQI 41 · 78.4% Good-day share
Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure
A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC'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
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
Alexandria, LA
0 unhealthy-or-worse days · median AQI 37
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unhealthy air days does Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC have? ▼
What is the air quality in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC metro area? ▼
Is air quality in Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC getting better or worse? ▼
What does AQI 41 mean for health? ▼
How does Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC compare to other metro areas? ▼
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset for Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-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, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC · 2020–2025