Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Albany, New York, 1985–2025.
68%
Good days in 2025
39
Median daily AQI, 2025
5
Days above 100 in 2025
365
Days with an AQI in 2025 (of 365)
In 2025, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Albany, New York on 365 days. 250 of those days (68%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 39. That median is higher than the typical monitored county in New York (median 36 across 27 counties), and about the same as the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was fine particles (PM2.5) on 230 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days fell: an average of 87% in 1987–1989 versus 71% in 2023–2025.
Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (1985, 1986) are shown in the table but left out of comparisons and trend statements.
How the days broke down each year
Each bar is one year. The colored segments show the share of monitored days that fell in each AQI category.
Good
Moderate
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Unhealthy
Very Unhealthy
Hazardous
Typical and high-end AQI over time
The median is the middle day of the year. The 90th percentile is the level that only the highest 10% of days exceeded.
Median daily AQI
90th-percentile daily AQI
Main pollutant by day, 2025
On each monitored day, the AQI reflects whichever measured pollutant had the highest index. This counts how many days each pollutant set the AQI. A pollutant that was not measured here cannot appear.
Pollutant
Days as main pollutant
Share of monitored days
Fine particles (PM2.5)
230
63%
Ozone
135
37%
Year-by-year data
Annual AQI summary by year
Year
Days with AQI
Good
Moderate
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
Unhealthy
Very Unhealthy
Hazardous
Median AQI
90th pct.
Max AQI
Main pollutant
2025
365
250
110
5
0
0
0
39
64
136
PM2.5
2024
366
280
85
1
0
0
0
36
61
105
Ozone
2023
365
245
113
4
3
0
0
42
62
186
PM2.5
2022
365
276
89
0
0
0
0
40
57
88
PM2.5
2021
365
254
109
2
0
0
0
39
60
118
PM2.5
2020
365
235
127
3
0
0
0
42
60
143
PM2.5
2019
365
276
89
0
0
0
0
41
58
93
PM2.5
2018
365
250
113
2
0
0
0
42
63
112
PM2.5
2017
365
255
110
0
0
0
0
41
58
84
PM2.5
2016
366
280
84
2
0
0
0
39
61
119
Ozone
2015
365
251
113
1
0
0
0
41
60
107
PM2.5
2014
365
259
106
0
0
0
0
42
59
87
PM2.5
2013
365
260
105
0
0
0
0
42
61
97
Ozone
2012
366
261
98
7
0
0
0
42
64
143
Ozone
2011
365
203
160
2
0
0
0
47
68
140
PM2.5
2010
365
219
140
6
0
0
0
44
69
147
PM2.5
2009
365
219
143
3
0
0
0
46
66
115
PM2.5
2008
366
168
191
6
1
0
0
52
71
156
PM2.5
2007
365
186
163
14
2
0
0
50
81
159
PM2.5
2006
365
304
59
2
0
0
0
33
61
133
Ozone
2005
365
257
95
10
3
0
0
40
74
166
Ozone
2004
363
279
79
4
1
0
0
34
64
154
Ozone
2003
364
285
71
6
2
0
0
36
67
182
Ozone
2002
365
269
74
15
6
1
0
36
84
201
Ozone
2001
365
260
88
11
6
0
0
39
77
179
Ozone
2000
362
275
84
2
1
0
0
35
67
159
Ozone
1999
363
279
65
16
3
0
0
38
74
190
Ozone
1998
365
308
48
9
0
0
0
35
67
150
Ozone
1997
365
333
23
7
2
0
0
35
49
164
Ozone
1996
365
316
36
9
4
0
0
34
61
172
Ozone
1995
362
308
36
16
2
0
0
35
71
166
Ozone
1994
350
296
38
13
2
1
0
32
74
209
Ozone
1993
341
298
34
6
3
0
0
31
54
159
Ozone
1992
347
307
31
5
4
0
0
31
55
174
Ozone
1991
364
307
43
11
3
0
0
37
58
174
Ozone
1990
362
289
60
9
3
1
0
38
64
201
NO2
1989
358
323
27
8
0
0
0
31
50
150
Ozone
1988
353
303
25
11
11
3
0
30
67
210
Ozone
1987
285
238
32
14
1
0
0
33
80
156
Ozone
1986
59
47
12
0
0
0
0
35
56
69
PM10
1985
32
29
3
0
0
0
0
31
50
61
PM10
What this data can and can’t tell you
It is a county-level summary. EPA reports one AQI per day for the county, based on the monitors operating there. Air at a particular street, school or home can differ, especially near roads, industry or wildfire smoke.
It is not a health assessment. The AQI is EPA’s scale for communicating daily air quality. A county’s history can’t tell you what the health risk is for any particular person. For daily conditions and health guidance, see AirNow.
Rules change over time. EPA has revised AQI breakpoints, most recently for fine particles in 2024, so some year-to-year change can reflect the scale rather than the air.
Counties in New York with a similar median AQI in 2025
