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The American Lung Association released its 2025 edition of the "State of the Air" report on Wednesday, April 23. The study, now in its 26th year, highlights troubling air quality trends in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
The report found that 156 million people – about 46% of the U.S. population – are living in counties that earned failing grades for ozone smog, particle pollution, or both.
That total is 25 million people higher, driven largely by extreme heat and smoke from 2023 wildfires.
"Air pollution is causing kids to have asthma attacks, making people who work outdoors sick, and leading to low birth weight in babies," said ALA president Harold Wimmer. "This year's report shows the dramatic impact that air pollution has on a growing number of people."
Connecticut
In Connecticut, Fairfield County again posted the worst ozone pollution in the New York City metro area, recording more than 20 days of unhealthy smog levels. Middlesex County also received an F grade for ozone, while the Hartford-New Haven-Waterbury area ranked 38th worst in the nation for ozone pollution.
Litchfield County's grade for short-term particle pollution dropped from a B to a D as the number of unhealthy soot days more than tripled.
"Unfortunately, too many people in Connecticut are living with unhealthy levels of both ozone and particle pollution," said Ruth Caonvi from the state's chapter of the ALA.
Maryland
In Maryland, the Baltimore metro area continues to struggle with some of the worst smog levels in the state. Baltimore County recorded an average of 7.5 unhealthy ozone days per year and 19 orange air quality days – the second-highest total in the region.
Prince George's and Harford counties also received F grades for ozone pollution. Prince George's posted 14 unhealthy days, while Harford logged 17.
Frederick, Montgomery, and Dorchester counties earned D grades. Garrett County stood out as Maryland's only jurisdiction with an A grade, reporting zero days of unhealthy air.
Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, air quality took a hit as ozone smog and particle pollution worsened across several counties. The Boston-Providence-Worcester metro area ranked among the three worst in the Northeast for ozone pollution.
Worcester County saw its grade for short-term particle pollution slip from a B to a C as daily spikes in soot levels climbed. While year-round particle pollution in the metro area showed slight improvement, the region still holds the second-worst ranking for that measure in the Northeast.
No Massachusetts county earned an A grade for ozone or particle pollution this year. The highest ozone grade reported in the state was a B, held by Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Middlesex, and Worcester counties.
Suffolk, Norfolk, and Middlesex counties posted B grades for daily particle pollution. The remaining eight reporting counties earned only C or D marks.
As weather conditions become warmer and drier, wildfires will likely become more common and add to particle production.
"It's so important that the "State of the Air" report includes pollution from exceptional events such as wildfires because this reflects what communities experience and are breathing in," said Dr. Meredith Hastings, a Brown University professor and leader of the Breathe Providence project.
New Jersey
In New Jersey, 12 out of 14 graded counties saw ozone levels worsen. Five counties – Bergen, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, and Ocean – earned F grades for smog.
Union County remained the worst in the New York metro area for year-round particle pollution. Despite the statewide decline, Atlantic and Warren counties remained bright spots, holding onto their A grades for zero days of high ozone pollution.
New York
In New York, the air quality also continued to deteriorate. The New York-Newark metro area earned the worst ozone pollution ranking in the Northeast and the 16th-worst in the nation.
Queens County saw one of the most alarming spikes in daily particle pollution. The borough logged more than double the number of unhealthy soot days compared to last year, dropping its grade from a C to an F.
Albany County's ozone grade slipped from an A to a B, while its short-term particle pollution grade dropped from a C to a D, marking the worst levels ever recorded for the area.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia metro area earned straight F grades across all air pollution measures, making it the third worst in the mid-Atlantic for both ozone and daily particle pollution. Harrisburg-Lebanon-York ranked third worst in the region for year-round particle pollution and saw its ozone grade fall from a B to a D.
The Lehigh Valley was downgraded from its best-ever ozone grade. Despite that, the Allentown-Bethlehem-East Stroudsburg metro improved in the national rankings from 79th to 105th worst.
Virginia
In Virginia, Arlington and Fairfax counties each earned D grades for ozone pollution, with seven unhealthy days reported in both locations. Loudoun and Prince William counties each posted C grades.
Several areas, including Albemarle, Roanoke, and Wythe counties, maintained A grades with no recorded unhealthy days. Stafford County stood out for recording one red-level air quality day along with its C grade.
Future Of Air Quality
The ALA's report also underscored racial disparities in air pollution exposure. According to the findings, a person of color in the US is more than twice as likely as someone who's white to live in a community with failing grades across all three pollution measures.
The group has urged lawmakers to protect the Environmental Protection Agency from President Donald Trump's cuts to the federal government.
"For decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked to ensure people have clean air to breathe, from providing trustworthy air quality forecasts to making sure polluters who violate the law clean up," said Wimmer. "Efforts to slash staff, funding, and programs at [the] EPA are leaving families even more vulnerable to harmful air pollution. We need to protect [the] EPA.”
You can click here to see the full findings from the "State of the Air" report.
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