Metro area air quality · 2025

Wheeling, WV-OH

Median AQI 48 (Good). 52.5% of monitored days rated Good across this metro's EPA monitoring network.

48
Median AQI
52.5%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
15%
Cleaner than US metros

Aggregated from EPA Air Quality System (2025), 181 monitored days. EPA AQS →

The verdict

The Wheeling, WV-OH metro runs good on the EPA scale, among the more polluted US metros, a median AQI of 48 with 52.5% of 181 monitored days in the Good band.

48
median AQI · Good
52.5%
days rated Good
15%
cleaner than US metros
123
worst single reading

No day crossed into the Unhealthy tier across the metro's monitors in 2025.

Insights: Wheeling, WV-OH metro. Aggregated EPA AQS monitors across this Core-Based Statistical Area logged a median Air Quality Index of 48 over 181 measured days in 2025, which corresponds to a Good band and a Moderate metro-wide health grade. The monitored-day split lands at 95 Good days (52%), 85 Moderate (47%), and 1 Unhealthy-for-Sensitive-Groups (1%). The 90th-percentile AQI finished at 69 while the highest single-day reading hit 123 (USG). Metro residents averaged roughly 15.7 clean-air days per 30-day window across the reporting year.

Across the 2020–2025 trend window, good days shifted by -214 and the median AQI moved +12 points, which classifies the multi-year trajectory as worsening. The metro avoided any Unhealthy-tier days entirely, an outcome that typically reflects favorable wind patterns, lower industrial density, or effective regional emission controls. Metros with comparable AQI profiles include Brookings, SD (53.0% good, AQI 48); Charleston-North Charleston, SC (58.2% good, AQI 48); Chattanooga, TN-GA (53.9% good, AQI 48).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

48

Good

Good Days

52.5%

95 of 181 days

Max AQI

123

USG

Health Grade

Moderate

90th pct: 69

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 181 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

95

52%

Moderate

85

47%

USG

1

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

The Wheeling, WV-OH metro area's air quality is rated Moderate based on 52.5% 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 Wheeling, WV-OH metro compare?

How Wheeling, WV-OH compares

Good-day share worse than US avg
Wheeling, WV-OH 52.5%
Brookings, SD 53.0%
US average 71.3%
Median AQI worse than US avg
Wheeling, WV-OH 48
Brookings, SD 48
US average 41
Unhealthy days / yr better than US avg
Wheeling, WV-OH 0
Brookings, SD 1
US average 1

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is worsening in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro. Best year: 2020 (309 good days).

Year Good Moderate Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 309 56 0 36
2021 149 215 0 53
2022 161 204 0 52
2023 154 206 1 52
2024 243 123 0 45
2025 95 85 0 48

Metros with Similar Air Quality

Metro areas across the US with a similar median AQI to Wheeling, WV-OH.

Brookings, SD

AQI 48 · 53.0% good

48

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

AQI 48 · 58.2% good

48

Chattanooga, TN-GA

AQI 48 · 53.9% good

48

Columbia, SC

AQI 48 · 57.3% good

48

Corsicana, TX

AQI 48 · 58.1% good

48

Dayton, OH

AQI 48 · 56.2% good

48

More Air Quality Data

Explore EPA air quality rankings and guides across U.S. metros and counties.

Cleanest Metro Areas

U.S. metros ranked by their share of Good air-quality days.

Worst Air Quality

Counties and metros with the most unhealthy air days.

All Metro Areas

Annual AQI by CBSA for every monitored U.S. metro area.

Best and Worst City Air

What drives urban air quality and how metro areas compare.

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area? ▼
The Wheeling, WV-OH metro area has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 48, rated "Good." 52.5% of monitored days (95 out of 181) had good air quality in 2025.
How many unhealthy air days does Wheeling, WV-OH have? ▼
In 2025, the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 123.
Is air quality in Wheeling, WV-OH getting better or worse? ▼
Air quality in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro is worsening based on 5-year trends (2020-2025). Best year: 2020 with 309 good days. Worst year: 2025 with 95 good days.
What does AQI 48 mean for health? ▼
An AQI of 48 is "Good", air quality is satisfactory and poses little or no health risk. This is the best category on the EPA's AQI scale.
What is the 90th percentile AQI for Wheeling, WV-OH? ▼
The 90th percentile AQI for the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area is 69, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 123 (USG).
How does Wheeling, WV-OH compare to other metro areas? ▼
The Wheeling, WV-OH metro has 52.5% good air days. Similar metros: Brookings, SD (53.0% good), Charleston-North Charleston, SC (58.2% good), Chattanooga, TN-GA (53.9% good).

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by CBSA dataset, 2020–2025. 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 files (metro-level) · 2020–2025

Every figure on PlainAir is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.