Kansas City Air Quality in October

Across 2019–2025, Kansas City's October air quality had a median AQI of 49 (Good) over 217 monitored days in the Kansas City, MO-KS area. 0.9% of October days (2 of 217) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 58.1% of days. The cleanest October on record here was 2023 (median AQI 41, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2024 (median 54, 2 days above 100, peak AQI 101).

49
Median AQI
Good
0.9%
Days above AQI 100
2 of 217 days
67
90th percentile AQI
worst 1 day in 10
101
Peak AQI
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
PM2.5
Main pollutant
58.1% of days
53.5%
Good days
116 of 217
  • Good: 53.5%
  • Moderate: 45.6%
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.9%
  • Unhealthy or worse: 0.0%

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QUICK ANSWER

How is the air in Kansas City in October?

Good on a typical day: median AQI 49 across 2019–2025, with 0.9% of October days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.

  • 53.5% of October days were Good (AQI 0–50), 45.6% Moderate (51–100).
  • 2 days of 217 reached AQI 101+; the October peak was 101.
  • Best October: 2023; worst October: 2024.

Frequently asked questions

What is the air quality like in Kansas City in October?

Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Kansas City in October was 49 (Good). 53.5% of days were Good, 45.6% Moderate, and 0.9% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 217 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.

Is October a good time for outdoor exercise in Kansas City?

A typical October day in Kansas City sits in the Good range (median AQI 49), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of October days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

Which pollutant causes Kansas City's October air quality problems?

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 58.1% of October days in Kansas City. The highest October AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 101 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups), in 2024.

Kansas City October air quality, year by year

Kansas City October air quality by year (Kansas City, MO-KS, EPA AQS daily AQI)

YearDays monitoredMedian AQIDays above 100Peak AQIMain pollutant
20193143059PM2.5
20203152076PM2.5
20213152077PM2.5
20223153075PM2.5
2023cleanest3141077PM2.5
2024worst31542101PM10
20253148087O3

What October air means in Kansas City

A typical October day in Kansas City sits in the Good range (median AQI 49), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; fewer than 1% of October days reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.

October's median AQI of 49 is below Kansas City's whole-year median of 54, making it one of the area's cleaner periods. Nationally, the median October AQI across every EPA metro area (102,872 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 38, so Kansas City runs above the national October norm; 0.9% of its October days topped AQI 100 versus 1.3% nationally (about the same).

October is part of Kansas City's fall season (September, October, November); the fall page pools all three months.

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

Right now in Kansas City

The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Kansas City's AQI at 64 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year month statistics, not today's reading.

View current Kansas City air quality →

Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Kansas City, MO-KS), 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.