EnviroNearby

Roanoke City, Virginia air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Roanoke City, Virginia, 1985–2013.

56%
Good days in 2012
47
Median daily AQI, 2012
0
Days above 100 in 2012
366
Days with an AQI in 2012 (of 366)

In 2012, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Roanoke City, Virginia on 366 days. 204 of those days (56%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 47. That median is higher than the typical monitored county in Virginia (median 43 across 29 counties), and higher than the typical monitored U.S. county (44). The main pollutant was fine particles (PM2.5) on 365 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days fell: an average of 96% in 1993–1995 versus 49% in 2010–2012.

The most recent year with data for this county is 2013; EPA's files for 2014–2025 contain no row for it, which usually means its monitors stopped reporting.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 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.

Share of monitored days in each AQI category, by year0%25%50%75%100%1985: Good 17 of 24 days1985: Moderate 7 of 24 days19851986: Good 1 of 3 days1986: Moderate 2 of 3 days1987: Good 41 of 46 days1987: Moderate 5 of 46 days1988: Good 47 of 56 days1988: Moderate 9 of 56 days1989: Good 47 of 55 days1989: Moderate 8 of 55 days1990: Good 47 of 61 days1990: Moderate 14 of 61 days19901991: Good 54 of 60 days1991: Moderate 6 of 60 days1992: Good 57 of 61 days1992: Moderate 4 of 61 days1993: Good 350 of 362 days1993: Moderate 12 of 362 days1994: Good 347 of 365 days1994: Moderate 18 of 365 days1995: Good 339 of 355 days1995: Moderate 16 of 355 days19951996: Good 344 of 356 days1996: Moderate 12 of 356 days1997: Good 355 of 365 days1997: Moderate 10 of 365 days1998: Good 360 of 365 days1998: Moderate 5 of 365 days1999: Good 299 of 365 days1999: Moderate 66 of 365 days2000: Good 268 of 366 days2000: Moderate 95 of 366 days2000: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 366 days20002001: Good 278 of 363 days2001: Moderate 83 of 363 days2001: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 2 of 363 days2002: Good 266 of 365 days2002: Moderate 97 of 365 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 365 days2002: Unhealthy 1 of 365 days2003: Good 148 of 235 days2003: Moderate 86 of 235 days2003: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 235 days2004: Good 216 of 306 days2004: Moderate 89 of 306 days2004: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 306 days2005: Good 259 of 351 days2005: Moderate 90 of 351 days2005: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 2 of 351 days20052006: Good 268 of 360 days2006: Moderate 91 of 360 days2006: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 360 days2007: Good 133 of 365 days2007: Moderate 230 of 365 days2007: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 2 of 365 days2008: Good 151 of 366 days2008: Moderate 214 of 366 days2008: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 366 days2009: Good 198 of 365 days2009: Moderate 167 of 365 days2010: Good 173 of 365 days2010: Moderate 192 of 365 days20102011: Good 162 of 365 days2011: Moderate 203 of 365 days2012: Good 204 of 366 days2012: Moderate 162 of 366 days2013: Good 69 of 98 days2013: Moderate 29 of 98 days2013
  • 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 and 90th-percentile daily AQI, by year0501001985: 90th percentile AQI 551986: 90th percentile AQI 551987: 90th percentile AQI 531988: 90th percentile AQI 521989: 90th percentile AQI 531990: 90th percentile AQI 541991: 90th percentile AQI 521992: 90th percentile AQI 481993: 90th percentile AQI 381994: 90th percentile AQI 411995: 90th percentile AQI 391996: 90th percentile AQI 351997: 90th percentile AQI 361998: 90th percentile AQI 341999: 90th percentile AQI 622000: 90th percentile AQI 662001: 90th percentile AQI 662002: 90th percentile AQI 682003: 90th percentile AQI 702004: 90th percentile AQI 682005: 90th percentile AQI 672006: 90th percentile AQI 662007: 90th percentile AQI 802008: 90th percentile AQI 712009: 90th percentile AQI 632010: 90th percentile AQI 642011: 90th percentile AQI 662012: 90th percentile AQI 612013: 90th percentile AQI 601985: Median AQI 441986: Median AQI 521987: Median AQI 311988: Median AQI 301989: Median AQI 341990: Median AQI 361991: Median AQI 311992: Median AQI 321993: Median AQI 151994: Median AQI 171995: Median AQI 141996: Median AQI 141997: Median AQI 151998: Median AQI 141999: Median AQI 152000: Median AQI 152001: Median AQI 172002: Median AQI 142003: Median AQI 232004: Median AQI 102005: Median AQI 102006: Median AQI 102007: Median AQI 572008: Median AQI 542009: Median AQI 462010: Median AQI 522011: Median AQI 522012: Median AQI 472013: Median AQI 321985199019952000200520102013
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2012

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.

PollutantDays as main pollutantShare of monitored days
Fine particles (PM2.5)365100%
Carbon monoxide (CO)1<1%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
20139869290000326081PM2.5
20123662041620000476174PM2.5
20113651622030000526682PM2.5
20103651731920000526495PM2.5
20093651981670000466380PM2.5
200836615121410005471141PM2.5
200736513323020005780125PM2.5
20063602689110001066103CO
20053512599020001067110CO
20043062168910001068111CO
20032351488610002370117CO
20023652669711001468159CO
20013632788320001766135CO
20003662689530001566111CO
1999365299660000156296CO
199836536050000143461CO
1997365355100000153680CO
1996356344120000143578CO
1995355339160000143972CO
1994365347180000174173CO
1993362350120000153865CO
1992615740000324863PM10
1991605460000315261PM10
19906147140000365462PM10
1989554780000345360PM10
1988564790000305268PM10
1987464150000315379PM10
19863120000525555PM10
1985241770000445568PM10

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 2012

All monitored counties in Virginia

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 1985–2013 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem