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AirHistory

Alexander, North Carolina Air Quality Today

AirHistory tracks long-run EPA monitoring rather than live readings, so for the live number check AirNow.gov below. As a baseline, Alexander, North Carolina's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 38 (Good) against a 5-year median of 38 and an overall Grade of B. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, which tells you which days are most likely to spike.

Check Today's Live AQI in Alexander, North Carolina

AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Alexander, North Carolina typically looks like — not the live reading for this exact hour. For today's real-time AQI, check AirNow.gov (the EPA's official live index) or the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map during wildfire season.

That said, the history is the best predictor of a normal day. In 2023, Alexander, North Carolina posted a median AQI of 38 (Good), with 275 "Good" days and 1 days that crossed into "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or worse. The dominant pollutant, Ground-Level Ozone, is the one most likely to push today's number up — Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. It is worst on hot, sunny, stagnant summer days. Ozone irritates the lungs, triggers asthma attacks, and reduces lung function — even healthy adults can feel chest tightness and shortness of breath after exercising in elevated ozone.

Alexander, North Carolina Air Quality Snapshot

Air Quality GradeB70/100
5-Year Median AQI38 (Good)
Most Recent Median AQI (2023)38 (Good)
Dominant PollutantGround-Level Ozone
10-Year TrendImproving (-0.40 AQI/yr)
Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr)1
National Rank (cleanest = #1)#350 of 1,020 (34th cleanest percentile)
North Carolina Rank#10 of 37

What Does the B Grade Mean?

Alexander, North Carolina earns a B — air quality is reliably in the safe range for most residents most of the time, with a 5-year median AQI of 38. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.

Alexander, North Carolina's 5-year median AQI of 38 is 3 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within North Carolina, Alexander, North Carolina runs cleaner than the state average of 41 — a positive signal that local conditions (terrain, wind patterns, emission sources) are working in residents' favor.

For context within North Carolina: Jackson, North Carolina currently holds the state's cleanest grade (A, AQI 35), while Durham, North Carolina sits at the bottom (C, AQI 49).

What's in Alexander, North Carolina's Air?

The dominant pollutant in Alexander, North Carolina is Ground-Level Ozone. Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight reacts with vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions. It is worst on hot, sunny, stagnant summer days. Ozone irritates the lungs, triggers asthma attacks, and reduces lung function — even healthy adults can feel chest tightness and shortness of breath after exercising in elevated ozone.

Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)

PollutantDays as DominantShare of Year
Ground-Level Ozone24380%
Coarse Particulate Matter (PM10)5920%

Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?

Air quality in Alexander, North Carolina has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 0.4 points per year. That is consistent with the broader national pattern — most U.S. metros have seen steady reductions in particulate and ozone pollution since the 2010s as cleaner vehicles and power plants come online.

In 2014, Alexander, North Carolina posted a median AQI of 40. By 2023 that figure was 38 — a drop of 2 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.

Year-by-Year AQI in Alexander, North Carolina

YearMedian AQIGood DaysUnhealthy DaysDominant Pollutant
2014401900Ozone
2015431730Ozone
2016392460Ozone
2017382720Ozone
2018401980Ozone
2019392740Ozone
2020332970Ozone
2021412120Ozone
2022372800Ozone
2023382751Ozone

Health Context for Alexander, North Carolina

Across the past five years, this area has logged just 1 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 0 days per year, or roughly one every other month. That is a low count by national standards.

For most healthy adults, current air quality in this area does not require any change in behavior. People with severe asthma, COPD, or recent cardiac events should still keep an eye on daily AQI alerts, especially during wildfire season. Because ozone peaks in the afternoon on hot sunny days, plan outdoor exercise for early morning or after sunset on bad-air days.

How This Grade Is Calculated

The AirHistory Air Quality Grade combines four signals: the 5-year median AQI (40% of the score), the 10-year trend direction (30%), the count of unhealthy days per year (20%), and the dominant pollutant type (10%). All four come directly from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), which aggregates readings from federally certified monitors. Read the full methodology.

View full Alexander, North Carolina profile →All North Carolina cities →Air quality checker →Methodology →

More about Alexander, North Carolina

Alexander, North Carolina has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 38. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been improving over the past decade.

This answer pulls from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), the authoritative federal source for U.S. air quality and pollution monitoring. The headline number above is the direct answer; what follows is the additional context most readers need to use the answer for a real decision rather than just a fact lookup.

A practical caveat: the headline answer above reflects the most recent the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) vintage; underlying data is often revised for months after first publication, and the right reference for any specific decision is whichever vintage is current at the time of the decision. The as-of date is stamped on every page.

Source: EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data, 2026.