City in North Carolina, United States

Air quality in Asheville

Updated October 2026Sources

6.6PM2.5 µg/m³, yearly

Fairly clean

The annual average PM2.5 in Asheville was 6.6 µg/m³ in 2022, about 1.3 times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³. Smoke from regional wildfires and fall controlled burns sometimes drifts in; otherwise air is clean.

Key facts

PM2.5: 6.6 µg/m³ yearly average (2022). Measured at Asheville NC.
Recent average: 6.1 µg/m³ over the last five years of measurements.

PM2.5 by year

Year	Annual average
2022	6.6 µg/m³
2021	7 µg/m³
2021	6.7 µg/m³
2020	5 µg/m³
2020	4.9 µg/m³
2019	6 µg/m³
2019	6.1 µg/m³
2018	6 µg/m³
2018	6.5 µg/m³
2017	7 µg/m³
2017	7 µg/m³
2016	9 µg/m³
2016	8.6 µg/m³

Air quality across United States

Place	PM2.5	Level
Maui	2 µg/m³	Meets the WHO guideline
Honolulu	3 µg/m³	Meets the WHO guideline
Kauai	3 µg/m³	Meets the WHO guideline
Big Island	3 µg/m³	Meets the WHO guideline
Lake Tahoe	5.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Portland	5.8 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Denver	6 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Seattle	6.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Miami	6.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Miami Beach	6.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Washington, D.C.	6.3 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Boston	6.4 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Asheville	6.6 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Orlando	6.7 µg/m³	Fairly clean
New York City	7.1 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Philadelphia	7.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Charleston	7.3 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Nashville	7.7 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Scottsdale	8 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Napa Valley	8 µg/m³	Fairly clean
New Orleans	8.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
San Diego	8.2 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Atlanta	8.5 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Dallas	8.5 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Chicago	8.7 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Austin	9 µg/m³	Fairly clean
San Antonio	9 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Las Vegas	9.7 µg/m³	Fairly clean
Los Angeles	10.5 µg/m³	Moderate
Houston	11.1 µg/m³	Moderate

Quick answers

Is the air in Asheville bad?

Fairly clean: 6.6 µg/m³ of PM2.5 on average, 1.3× the WHO guideline.

When is the air worst in Asheville?

Smoke from regional wildfires and fall controlled burns sometimes drifts in; otherwise air is clean.

How does Asheville compare with the rest of United States?

People in United States breathe 7 µg/m³ of PM2.5 on average (2023, World Bank/WHO), against 6.6 µg/m³ measured here.

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Sources

Annual averages are measured values reported to the WHO; check a live map for today's air. Compiled and reviewed by SoloSquare. How we compile and score this. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.