Charleston, WV Air Quality in 2023

In 2023, Charleston's air quality (Charleston, WV area) had a median daily AQI of 42 (Good) across 361 monitored days. 1 day (0.3%) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, 254 were Good, and the year's peak AQI was 153 (Unhealthy). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 225 of those days. The cleanest month of 2023 was October (median AQI 32, 0 days above 100) and the worst was June (median 59, 1 day above 100, peak 153).

42
Median AQI
Good
1
Days above AQI 100
0.3% of 361 days
58
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
153
Peak AQI
Unhealthy
PM2.5
Main pollutant
225 of 361 days
254
Good days
70.4% of days
  • Good: 70.4%
  • Moderate: 29.4%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.0%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.3%

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QUICK ANSWER

How was Charleston's air quality in 2023?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 42, with 1 day above AQI 100 out of 361 monitored — the 7th cleanest of 7 years on record for the area.

  • Peak AQI in 2023: 153 (Unhealthy).
  • Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was the main pollutant on 225 days.
  • Cleanest month: October; worst: June.

Frequently asked questions

What was the average AQI in Charleston in 2023?

EPA's Air Quality System puts Charleston's (Charleston, WV) median daily AQI for 2023 at 42, which is Good. 1 day were Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse and the year's highest AQI was 153.

Which month had the worst air quality in Charleston in 2023?

The cleanest month of 2023 was October (median AQI 32, 0 days above 100) and the worst was June (median 59, 1 day above 100, peak 153).

Was 2023 a good or bad year for Charleston's air?

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2023 ranks 7th cleanest by days above AQI 100 — the worst year on record here. 2023's median of 42 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 41.

Charleston month by month in 2023

Charleston air quality month by month, 2023 (Charleston, WV, EPA AQS daily AQI)

MonthDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
January3035056PM2.5
February2640055PM2.5
March3042055O3
April3045087O3
May3147064PM2.5
Juneworst30591153PM2.5
July3144080PM2.5
August3144064PM2.5
September3038053O3
Octobercleanest3132054PM2.5
November3045081PM2.5
December3137056PM2.5

How 2023 compares

Among the 7 years EPA has published for the area (2019–2025), 2023 ranks 7th cleanest by days above AQI 100 — the worst year on record here.

2023's median of 42 is in line with the area's typical annual median of 41.

Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.

Right now in Charleston

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Charleston's AQI at 32 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year annual statistics, not today's reading.

View current Charleston air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Charleston, WV), 2019–2025. Daily AQI per CBSA is the highest AQI reported by any monitor in the area that day; the defining parameter is the pollutant that set it. Month and season statistics pool every such day in the period across all years listed. Retrieved 2026-09-09.