What Is the Air Quality in Berkeley, West Virginia?
Berkeley, West Virginia has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 40. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been improving over the past decade.
Berkeley, West Virginia Air Quality Snapshot
| Air Quality Grade | B69/100 |
| 5-Year Median AQI | 40 (Good) |
| Most Recent Median AQI (2023) | 44 (Good) |
| Dominant Pollutant | Ground-Level Ozone |
| 10-Year Trend | Improving (-0.47 AQI/yr) |
| Unhealthy Days (last 5 yr) | 7 |
| National Rank (cleanest = #1) | #481 of 1,020 (47th cleanest percentile) |
| West Virginia Rank | #12 of 14 |
What Does the B Grade Mean?
Berkeley, West Virginia 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 40. Sensitive groups will see occasional caution days, but the typical resident will not need to change behavior based on air quality.
Berkeley, West Virginia's 5-year median AQI of 40 is right around the national average of 41 across the 1,020 monitored U.S. cities tracked here. Within West Virginia, Berkeley, West Virginia runs more polluted than the state average of 37 — local sources or geography are concentrating pollution above the state's typical reading.
For context within West Virginia: Marion, West Virginia currently holds the state's cleanest grade (B, AQI 38), while Kanawha, West Virginia sits at the bottom (C, AQI 42).
What's in Berkeley, West Virginia's Air?
The dominant pollutant in Berkeley, West Virginia 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 | 209 | 75% |
| Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) | 68 | 25% |
Is the Air Getting Better or Worse?
Air quality in Berkeley, West Virginia has been improving over the past decade, with median AQI dropping by roughly 0.5 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, Berkeley, West Virginia posted a median AQI of 44. By 2023 that figure was 44 — a flat reading of 0 AQI points across 10 years of EPA records.
Year-by-Year AQI in Berkeley, West Virginia
| Year | Median AQI | Good Days | Unhealthy Days | Dominant Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 44 | 178 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2015 | 47 | 162 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2016 | 42 | 186 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2017 | 40 | 226 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 39 | 229 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 40 | 233 | 2 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 38 | 244 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 40 | 214 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 38 | 230 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2023 | 44 | 206 | 5 | Ozone |
Health Context for Berkeley, West Virginia
Across the past five years, this area has logged just 7 days where AQI rose into the "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" range or worse — about 1 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.
Berkeley, West Virginia has an Air Quality Grade of B (good) with a 5-year median AQI of 40. The dominant pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, and air quality has been improving over the past decade.
The data source behind this answer is the EPA Air Quality System (AQS). Every figure on the page traces back to that source; the methodology page describes the inputs and the refresh cadence in full detail.
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.