Metro area air quality · 2025

Waco, TX

Median AQI 51 (Moderate). 46.6% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

51
Median AQI
46.6%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
11%
Cleaner than US metros

Waco, TX posted a 2025 median AQI of 51 (Moderate) with 46.6% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, the Waco, TX CBSA recorded a median AQI of 51 across 365 monitored days in 2025, with 46.6% 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 Waco, TX CBSA's 46.6% 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 Waco, TX.
2020–2025 Good-day shift
Waco, TX's Good-day share moved -33.4 points from 2020 to 2025 (median AQI +12).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 51

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

The verdict

Waco, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (46.6% 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 46.6% of 365 monitored days in the Good band.

51
median AQI · Moderate
46.6%
days rated Good
11%
cleaner than US metros
142
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
  • Waco, TX metro's Good-day share rose from 35.0% to 47.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +12.0 percentage points.

Compared against 360 monitored days in 2024 and 362 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

Waco, TX lands in the lower Good-day tercile (46.6% Good), a thinner clean-air share than most CBSA peers here. Signature read: 46.6% 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 170 Good (47%), 192 Moderate (53%), and 3 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 65; the highest single-day reading hit 142 (USG).

Across 2020–2025, Good-day share shifted -33.4 points and median AQI moved +12 (worsening). No Unhealthy-tier days appear in this annual dataset. 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

46.6%

170 of 365 days

Max AQI

142

USG

Health Grade

Poor

90th pct: 65

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

170

47%

Moderate

192

53%

USG

3

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Poor

The Waco, TX metro area's air quality is rated Poor based on 46.6% 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 Waco, TX metro compare?

How Waco, TX compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Waco, TX 46.6%
Boise City, ID 49.9%
Typical US metro 70.6%
Median AQI worse than typical
Waco, TX 51
Boise City, ID 51
Typical US metro 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Waco, TX 0
Boise City, ID 0
Typical US metro 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Waco, TX metro. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (80.3%, 294 of 366 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 294 72 0 39
2021 280 84 0 39
2022 209 155 0 48
2023 169 188 0 52
2024 126 234 0 53
2025 170 192 0 51

Metros with a similar median AQI

CBSA peers nationwide whose annual median AQI sits near Waco, TX (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

Tulsa, OK

Median AQI 51 · 49.6% Good-day share

51

Metros with similar unhealthy-day exposure

A second relationship type: metros whose unhealthy-or-worse day count is closest to Waco, TX'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 Waco, TX have? ▼
In 2025, the Waco, TX metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 142.
What is the air quality in the Waco, TX metro area? ▼
The Waco, TX metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 51, rated "Moderate." 46.6% of monitored days (170 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
Is air quality in Waco, TX getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Waco, TX 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 80.3% (294 of 366 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 35.0% (126 of 360 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 Waco, TX compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Waco, TX metro has 46.6% 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 Waco, TX? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Waco, TX metro area is 65, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 142 (USG).

Data Sources

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