Air quality · Massachusetts
Air quality in Massachusetts
Across the 8 Massachusetts ZIPs with EPA county air-quality data, the median day is Good in all 8 (median AQI 36–39). No day in those counties reached Unhealthy in 2025. This is a 2025 county annual summary, not a live reading.
Last verified 2026-09-24 · methodology
Air quality by ZIP code in Massachusetts
EPA's 2025 annual summary for each ZIP's county. Median AQI is the typical day; lower is cleaner.
| ZIP | Median AQI | Good days | Unhealthy or worse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02108BostonSuffolk County | 37 Good | 279 of 365 | 0 |
| 02139CambridgeMiddlesex County | 38 Good | 299 of 365 | 0 |
| 01609WorcesterWorcester County | 39 Good | 298 of 365 | 0 |
| 02601HyannisBarnstable County | 36 Good | 341 of 364 | 0 |
| 01002AmherstHampshire County | 36 Good | 312 of 365 | 0 |
| 02451WalthamMiddlesex County | 38 Good | 299 of 365 | 0 |
| 01060Northampton (MA)Hampshire County | 36 Good | 312 of 365 | 0 |
| 02148MaldenMiddlesex County | 38 Good | 299 of 365 | 0 |
County-level figures from EPA Air Quality System (AQS), annual county summary, joined to each ZIP by county. None of them is a measurement at a specific address.
What lands here
Pages show the 2025 median AQI category (Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, Hazardous) for the ZIP's county, plus the year's max/90th-percentile AQI and day-count breakdown by category.
Source & refresh
EPA Air Quality System (AQS), annual county summary. Refreshed annual (epa aqs publication). Primary source →
Massachusetts top concern
Lead pipes, coastal flood, older housing
Massachusetts has dense lead-service-line obligations under LCRR in Boston, Lowell, Worcester, Springfield. Coastal AE/VE zones along the South Shore + Cape. Older housing stock means lead-paint risk overlaps with LSL risk.
See Massachusetts state page for the full state-level rollup across all 12 dimensions.
Read more on air quality
Editorial deep-dives explaining the source data, its limits, and how to read it.
EPA AQI categories explained — what 0–50 Good through 301–500 Hazardous mean
Plain-English guide to the six EPA Air Quality Index categories: 0–50 Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151–200 Unhealthy, 201–300 Very Unhealthy, 301–500 Hazardous — what each level means and who is at risk.
AQI explained — what 50, 100, 150 actually mean for your lungs
Plain-English guide to the EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) and the 6 categories from Good to Hazardous. When to take precautions and which pollutants matter.
Wildfire Hazard Potential — what the USFS scale means and how to defend your home
Plain-English guide to the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Hazard Potential 1–5 scale, how to read your community's risk, and concrete home-defense measures.
AirNow + wildfire smoke — when AQI is a real-time tool
How EPA AirNow handles real-time wildfire smoke, what the colors mean during fire season, and where AirNow leaves gaps you should know about.