Metro Atlanta’s air quality dropped to an “F” rating for ozone pollution this year, meaning residents are being exposed to more smog. Other air pollutants also increased slightly, though recent decades have brought dramatic improvement to the air we breathe.
The findings are from the American Lung Association’s Wednesday release of its annual State of the Air report, which grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone, or smog, and particulate matter, or soot, over a three-year period.
This year’s report, based on data from 2021 through 2023, ranks the metro area as the third-worst in the Southeast for ozone pollution, trailing only Memphis, Tennessee, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Metro Atlanta is tied with Augusta’s metro area for fourth-worst in the Southeast in terms of year-round levels of particle pollution. The Southeast locales with worse results are Columbus; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
“Many areas in the Southeast saw some worsening of air quality similar to what Atlanta experienced in this year’s report,” said Katherine Pruitt, the lung association’s senior director of nationwide clean air policy.
“Atlantans drive a lot and motor vehicle emissions are a big part of the region’s problems,” she added.
Nationwide, Atlanta ranks as the 48th worst out of 228 metro areas for ground-level ozone pollution. That’s a decline from last year’s national ranking, when Atlanta held the 67th spot.
Officials with Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division, which monitors the state’s air quality, said metro Atlanta is in compliance with all federal air quality standards. The state agency said it continues to implement all state and federal regulations.
“The Air Protection Branch is continuously evaluating the air quality and the need for additional actions needed to address air quality concerns,” EPD spokesperson Sara Lips said.
Ground-level ozone is a gas created when chemicals coming out of vehicles and factories get “cooked” by the sun, according to the U.S. Air Quality Index. Inhaling the smog can sometimes be painful and could make the lining of your airways red and swollen, similar to a sunburn.
In Atlanta, the number of days with unhealthy levels of ozone increased from 1.8 days in last year’s report to 5.5 days, dropping this year’s grade from a “C” to an “F.”
Ozone levels peak in the hot summer months and trigger smog alerts. Metro Atlanta typically sees a few Code Orange days per summer. During that time, people with respiratory issues, older adults and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
Overall, though, air quality in the metro area has significantly improved in the last 25 years. Back in 1998 through 2000, for example, Atlanta saw 95.5 days of high ozone levels. That is closer to, but still not as high as, the levels in many West Coast cities this year. The report found the Los Angeles and Long Beach area, for instance, had an average of 153.7 high-ozone days a year, down from just over 200 days 25 years ago.
Experts credit the improvement to federal environmental regulations that have pushed clean air standards across industries.
The association’s report also assesses particulate matter, which is made up of dust, soot and other pollutants that can sometimes be seen floating through the air. It’s produced by fires or other combustions, including gasoline burning in a car’s engine, the AQI explains. It can even be produced by dust kicked up in construction or from a dirt road.
This year, metro Atlanta was downgraded from a “B” to a “C” for short-term spikes in particle pollution, with 1.7 unhealthy days instead of just 0.3 days last year.
The decline in air quality is concerning because it affects everyone’s health. Both ozone and particulate matter can cause health complications, such as asthma attacks and even premature death, the lung association warns.
“Unfortunately, too many people in the Atlanta metro area are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution,” Danna Thompson, the group’s Georgia advocacy director said in a statement. “This air pollution is a threat to human health at every stage of life — increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight in babies to causing or worsening lung and heart disease to shortening lives.”
Metro Atlanta is not the only Georgia region to see a decline in air quality this year. Savannah fell from an “A” grade to a “B” grade for ozone.
There were bits of good news. While Augusta struggled with particle pollution, it ranks among the nation’s cleanest for smog.
And despite Atlanta’s poor grades, no Georgia or the Southeast cities made the association’s list of 25 most polluted cities, as measured by ozone and by short-term and year-round particle pollution. The three worst cities nationwide in each category are all in California, with Los Angeles coming in as the No. 1 worst by ozone.
“The most polluted cities … are very large, very sunny, in close proximity to major pollution sources including oil and gas extraction and have been plagued by wildfires,” Pruitt said.
The report notes that nearly half of the country lives in areas with unhealthy air quality. Extreme heat and wildfires are contributing to worsening air quality in much of the country, experts warn.
By the numbers: Metro Atlanta’s 2025 air quality report
Ground-level ozone pollution:
Unhealthy days per year: 5.5 days (1.8 days in 2024)
Grade: F (C in 2024)
Short-term spikes in particle pollution:
Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 1.7 days (0.3 days in 2024)
Grade: C (B in 2024)
Year-round average of particle pollution:
Grade: Failing (failing grade in 2024)
Source: American Lung Association’s State of the Air report
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