Mitchell, 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, Mitchell, North Carolina's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 33 (Good) against a 5-year median of 30 and an overall Grade of B. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), which tells you which days are most likely to spike.
Check Today's Live AQI in Mitchell, North Carolina
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Mitchell, 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, Mitchell, North Carolina posted a median AQI of 33 (Good), with 281 "Good" days and 1 days that crossed into "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or worse. The dominant pollutant, Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), is the one most likely to push today's number up — Fine particulate matter — particles less than 2.5 micrometers across — comes mostly from combustion: vehicle exhaust, wildfire smoke, residential wood burning, and industrial emissions. Because these particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is the pollutant most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature death.
Mitchell, North Carolina Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | B78/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 30 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 33 (Good) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) |
| 10-Year Trend | Improving (-1.15 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 2 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #132 of 1,020 (13th cleanest percentile) |
| North Carolina Rank | #2 of 37 |
What Does the B Grade Mean?
Mitchell, 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 30. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.
Mitchell, North Carolina's 5-year median AQI of 30 is 11 points below the national average of 41 — meaningfully cleaner than the typical U.S. metro tracked here. Within North Carolina, Mitchell, 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 Mitchell, North Carolina's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Mitchell, North Carolina is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5). Fine particulate matter — particles less than 2.5 micrometers across — comes mostly from combustion: vehicle exhaust, wildfire smoke, residential wood burning, and industrial emissions. Because these particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is the pollutant most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature death.
Days by Dominant Pollutant (2023)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 353 | 100% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Mitchell, North Carolina has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 1.1 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, Mitchell, North Carolina posted a median AQI of 42. By 2023 that figure was 33 — a drop of 9 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Mitchell, North Carolina
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 42 | 79 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2015 | 39 | 88 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2016 | 37 | 172 | 4 | PM2.5 |
| 2017 | 34 | 266 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2018 | 27 | 287 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2019 | 29 | 290 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 26 | 328 | 1 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 31 | 296 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2022 | 31 | 298 | 0 | PM2.5 |
| 2023 | 33 | 281 | 1 | PM2.5 |
Health Context for Mitchell, North Carolina
Across the past five years, this area has logged just 2 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 PM2.5 penetrates deep into the lungs and bloodstream, an N95 or KN95 mask provides meaningful protection on smoky or high-particulate days — surgical masks do not.
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.
More about Mitchell, North Carolina
Mitchell, North Carolina has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 30. The dominant pollutant is Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), 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.