Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Richmond City, Virginia, 1980–2025.
79%
Good days in 2025
36
Median daily AQI, 2025
0
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 Richmond City, Virginia on 365 days. 288 of those days (79%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 36. That median is about the same as the typical monitored county in Virginia (median 37 across 25 counties), and lower than the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was fine particles (PM2.5) on 282 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 69% in 1980–1982 versus 73% in 2023–2025.
Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (2013) 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)
282
77%
Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)
82
22%
Carbon monoxide (CO)
1
<1%
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
288
77
0
0
0
0
36
54
77
PM2.5
2024
366
290
76
0
0
0
0
36
54
79
PM2.5
2023
365
227
134
1
3
0
0
45
62
158
PM2.5
2022
365
249
116
0
0
0
0
42
56
67
PM2.5
2021
363
238
124
1
0
0
0
41
58
101
PM2.5
2020
364
294
70
0
0
0
0
37
54
80
PM2.5
2019
362
236
126
0
0
0
0
43
58
96
PM2.5
2018
364
249
115
0
0
0
0
42
59
78
PM2.5
2017
365
266
99
0
0
0
0
36
56
85
PM2.5
2016
363
227
136
0
0
0
0
44
60
81
PM2.5
2015
365
172
193
0
0
0
0
51
64
86
PM2.5
2014
365
364
1
0
0
0
0
20
34
51
NO2
2013
92
91
1
0
0
0
0
25
37
55
NO2
2012
366
364
2
0
0
0
0
20
37
84
NO2
2011
365
365
0
0
0
0
0
20
35
48
NO2
2010
365
351
14
0
0
0
0
22
42
81
NO2
2009
365
358
7
0
0
0
0
21
38
96
NO2
2008
366
361
5
0
0
0
0
25
40
67
NO2
2007
359
347
12
0
0
0
0
28
44
61
NO2
2006
365
341
24
0
0
0
0
31
47
63
NO2
2005
365
352
13
0
0
0
0
30
45
71
NO2
2004
366
186
178
2
0
0
0
49
71
108
PM2.5
2003
365
103
255
7
0
0
0
57
79
123
PM2.5
2002
365
93
266
6
0
0
0
57
77
138
PM2.5
2001
365
78
280
7
0
0
0
59
82
139
PM2.5
2000
366
106
255
5
0
0
0
59
83
134
PM2.5
1999
365
132
227
6
0
0
0
56
82
133
PM2.5
1998
365
295
70
0
0
0
0
37
56
85
NO2
1997
365
301
61
3
0
0
0
37
56
107
NO2
1996
366
318
48
0
0
0
0
37
53
98
NO2
1995
365
305
59
1
0
0
0
38
55
107
NO2
1994
365
293
72
0
0
0
0
38
55
80
NO2
1993
365
289
74
2
0
0
0
39
60
103
NO2
1992
366
308
57
1
0
0
0
37
55
101
NO2
1991
365
302
62
1
0
0
0
39
55
101
NO2
1990
365
292
72
1
0
0
0
40
57
102
NO2
1989
365
281
84
0
0
0
0
41
61
94
NO2
1988
366
259
103
4
0
0
0
43
64
109
NO2
1987
365
241
122
2
0
0
0
42
68
115
NO2
1986
365
283
82
0
0
0
0
38
57
79
NO2
1985
365
266
99
0
0
0
0
42
63
95
NO2
1984
366
259
105
2
0
0
0
42
57
114
NO2
1983
365
267
96
2
0
0
0
38
68
110
NO2
1982
365
271
93
1
0
0
0
38
63
104
NO2
1981
363
270
90
3
0
0
0
33
64
108
CO
1980
360
209
145
6
0
0
0
47
73
121
NO2
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 Virginia with a similar median AQI in 2025
