Burlington Air Quality in Summer
Across 2019–2025, Burlington's summer (June–August) air quality had a median AQI of 41 (Good) over 644 monitored days in the Burlington-South Burlington, VT area. 1.4% of summer days (9 of 644) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 58.7% of days. The cleanest summer on record here was 2022 (median AQI 38, 0 days above 100) and the worst was 2023 (median 43, 5 days above 100, peak AQI 160).
- Good: 73.8%
- Moderate: 24.8%
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: 0.9%
- Unhealthy or worse: 0.5%
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How is the air in Burlington in summer?
Good on a typical day: median AQI 41 across 2019–2025, with 1.4% of summer days above AQI 100. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the main driver.
- ✓73.8% of summer days were Good (AQI 0–50), 24.8% Moderate (51–100).
- ✓9 days of 644 reached AQI 101+; the summer peak was 160.
- ✓Cleanest month: August; worst month: June.
Frequently asked questions
What is the air quality like in Burlington in summer?▾
Across 2019–2025, the median daily AQI in Burlington in summer was 41 (Good). 73.8% of days were Good, 24.8% Moderate, and 1.4% reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse, based on 644 monitored days in EPA's Air Quality System.
Is summer a good time for outdoor exercise in Burlington?▾
A typical summer day in Burlington sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 71 of summer days (1.4%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Which pollutant causes Burlington's summer air quality problems?▾
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) set the daily AQI on 58.7% of summer days in Burlington. The highest summer AQI recorded in 2019–2025 was 160 (Unhealthy), in 2023.
Burlington summer air quality, year by year
Burlington summer air quality by year (Burlington-South Burlington, VT, EPA AQS daily AQI)
| Year | Days monitored | Median AQI | Days above 100 | Peak AQI | Main pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 92 | 39 | 0 | 66 | PM2.5 |
| 2020 | 92 | 39 | 0 | 57 | PM2.5 |
| 2021 | 92 | 46 | 1 | 129 | PM2.5 |
| 2022cleanest | 92 | 38 | 0 | 61 | PM2.5 |
| 2023worst | 92 | 43 | 5 | 160 | PM2.5 |
| 2024 | 92 | 39 | 0 | 84 | PM2.5 |
| 2025 | 92 | 42 | 3 | 156 | O3 |
What summer air means in Burlington
A typical summer day in Burlington sits in the Good range (median AQI 41), so running, cycling and children's outdoor play are fine for everyone on most days; about 1 day in 71 of summer days (1.4%) reached AQI 101+ in 2019–2025.
Summer's median AQI of 41 is in line with Burlington's whole-year median of 39, so this period is neither a clean nor a dirty stretch for the area. Nationally, the median Summer AQI across every EPA metro area (308,645 metro-days, 2019–2025) is 46, so Burlington runs below the national Summer norm; 1.4% of its Summer days topped AQI 100 versus 3.6% nationally (below average).
Within the season, August is the cleanest month (median AQI 38, 0.5% of days above 100) and June the worst (median 41, 1.9% above 100).
Activity-specific thresholds: running, cycling, kids' sports.
Right now in Burlington
The latest EPA AirNow observation puts Burlington's AQI at 27 (PM2.5). The figures above are multi-year season statistics, not today's reading.
View current Burlington air quality →Source: EPA Air Quality System (AQS) pre-generated Daily AQI by CBSA files — daily AQI by CBSA (Burlington-South Burlington, VT), 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.