Greenville, North Carolina Air Quality

Greenville air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now

Greenville, NC · Air quality right now

The air quality index in Greenville, NC is 37 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.

Is it safe to be outside in Greenville today?

AQI 37 Yes — air quality is Good

Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: PM2.5Observed 11:00 AM EDT

Pollutants right now

ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.

How to read Greenville’s air quality

Guides: The AQI Scale, Explained · Air Quality Alerts, Decoded · How to Read a Wildfire Smoke Map · Why Wildfire Smoke Travels 1,000 Miles.

Air quality over time in Greenville

Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2025, Greenville’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 36) and its most polluted was 2023 (median AQI 42); the typical (median) day has held roughly steady since 2020.

Greenville’s county air-quality record by year — the median and days in each AQI category, from the EPA’s Annual AQI by County summaries.
YearMedian AQIUnhealthy+Main pollutantUSGModerateGood
2020360PM2.5048313
2021390PM2.5072288
2022370PM2.5060305
2023420PM2.52107256
2024370PM2.5050302
2025370PM2.5044321

“USG” is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (AQI 101–150); “Unhealthy+” combines the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous days. In 2024 the EPA tightened the annual fine-particle (PM2.5) standard to 9 µg/m³ from the previous 12 µg/m³, so counties near the old limit read worse against the new one. Source: EPA AQS annual summaries, 20202025.

Frequently asked

What was the worst year for air quality in Greenville?
In the EPA's 2020–2025 county records, 2023 had the most days above AQI 100: 2 days (2 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 0 Unhealthy or worse). It also had the highest median AQI, 42.
How many unhealthy air days does Greenville have?
Across 2020–2025, under 1% of the days reported for Greenville's county had an AQI above 100 (2 of 2168), fewer than one a year on average. 2025 had 0 days.
What's the main air pollutant in Greenville?
PM2.5: it drove Greenville's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2025 records.