Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Air Quality
Wilkes-Barre air quality today — the AQI, the main pollutant, and whether it’s safe to exercise outside right now
Wilkes-Barre, PA · Air quality right now
The air quality index in Wilkes-Barre, PA is 22 (Good) right now — safe for outdoor activity.
Is it safe to be outside in Wilkes-Barre today?
AQI 22 Yes — air quality is Good
Air is clean — great for outdoor activity.Main pollutant: OzoneObserved 11:00 AM EDT
Pollutants right now
- PM2.52.4 µg/m³fine particles — smoke, exhaust, soot
- PM102.6 µg/m³coarse particles — dust, pollen, ash
- Ozone75 µg/m³Main pollutantsmog — builds on hot, sunny days
- NO₂1.1 µg/m³nitrogen dioxide — traffic, combustion
ExerciseOK to run — no air-quality limits on outdoor exercise.
How to read Wilkes-Barre’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 Wilkes-Barre
Across the EPA’s county records from 2020 to 2022, Wilkes-Barre’s cleanest year was 2020 (median AQI 31) and its most polluted was 2022 (median AQI 37); the typical (median) day has trended more polluted since 2020.
| Year | Median AQI | Unhealthy+ | Main pollutant | USG | Moderate | Good |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 31 | 0 | Ozone | 0 | 2 | 354 |
| 2021 | 34 | 0 | Ozone | 0 | 17 | 270 |
| 2022 | 37 | 0 | Ozone | 0 | 11 | 224 |
“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, 2020–2022.
Frequently asked
- What was the worst year for air quality in Wilkes-Barre?
- No day in Wilkes-Barre's county topped AQI 100 in the EPA's 2020–2022 records. The highest median AQI came in 2022, at 37.
- How many unhealthy air days does Wilkes-Barre have?
- None: across 2020–2022, no day in Wilkes-Barre's county had an AQI above 100 in the EPA's records (878 days reported).
- What's the main air pollutant in Wilkes-Barre?
- Ozone: it drove Wilkes-Barre's county AQI on the most days in every year of the EPA's 2020–2022 records.