Prince George's, Maryland 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, Prince George's, Maryland's most recent EPA year (2023) posted a median AQI of 44 (Good) against a 5-year median of 42 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 Prince George's, Maryland
AirHistory is built on 10 years of EPA Air Quality System records, so it shows you what air quality in Prince George's, Maryland 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, Prince George's, Maryland posted a median AQI of 44 (Good), with 253 "Good" days and 11 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.
Prince George's, Maryland Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | B74/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 42 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 44 (Good) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Ground-Level Ozone |
| 10-Year Trend | Improving (-1.42 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 24 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #585 of 1,020 (57th most polluted percentile) |
| Maryland Rank | #9 of 16 |
What Does the B Grade Mean?
Prince George's, Maryland 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 42. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.
Prince George's, Maryland's 5-year median AQI of 42 is right around the national average of 41 across the 1,020 monitored U.S. cities tracked here. Within Maryland, Prince George's, Maryland's air quality is roughly typical for the state, where the average city posts a 5-year median AQI of 41.
For context within Maryland: Howard, Maryland currently holds the state's cleanest grade (B, AQI 37), while Baltimore, Maryland sits at the bottom (C, AQI 45).
What's in Prince George's, Maryland's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Prince George's, Maryland 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)
| Pollutant | Days as Dominant | Share of Year |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-Level Ozone | 226 | 62% |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 138 | 38% |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | 1 | 0% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Prince George's, Maryland has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 1.4 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, Prince George's, Maryland posted a median AQI of 52. By 2023 that figure was 44 — a drop of 8 AQI points cleaner across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Prince George's, Maryland
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 52 | 160 | 4 | PM2.5 |
| 2015 | 55 | 128 | 7 | PM2.5 |
| 2016 | 48 | 199 | 9 | PM2.5 |
| 2017 | 45 | 240 | 6 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 42 | 248 | 8 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 45 | 234 | 6 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 39 | 314 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 41 | 287 | 5 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 39 | 313 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 44 | 253 | 11 | Ozone |
Health Context for Prince George's, Maryland
Across the past five years, this area has logged just 24 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 5 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.
More about Prince George's, Maryland
Prince George's, Maryland has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 42. 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.
For readers turning this answer into action: cross-reference against the underlying the EPA Air Quality System (AQS) record before acting on time-sensitive decisions. The site renders the data as it was published; subsequent revisions can shift the picture, and the live federal data is always the authoritative current reference.
Source: EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data, 2026.