New ‘State of the Air’ Report Reveals Air Quality Has Worsened in North Dakota

The air quality in the Fargo metro area has worsened according to the American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of the Air” report, released today. Residents are being exposed to more unhealthy ozone smog and particle pollution the report finds. Greater Fargo is ranked as the 130th worst in the nation for ozone pollution with 1 unhealthy day per year and received a C grade. The metro area also received an F grade for particle pollution and is ranked 18th worst in the country with 10.7 unhealthy days per year. The Fargo, Bismarck, and Minot metro areas are all on this year’s list of top 25 metro areas with the highest number of days with unhealthy levels of daily fine particulate matter.  

The report also found that nearly half of the U.S. population, 156 million people, live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. Researchers add extreme heat and wildfires contributed to the worsening air quality across much of the country. North Dakota’s air quality has been significantly impacted by wildfire smoke in recent years.

The Lung Association’s 26th annual “State of the Air” report grades exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone air pollution and particle pollution over a three-year period (2021-2023). The report looks at the latest quality-assured air quality data from 2021-2023. Findings for the Fargo metro area include:

• Ground-level Ozone Pollution in the Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN metro area:
  • National Ranking: 130th worst out of 228 (116th worst in 2024 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 1 day per year (0.3 days per year in 2024 report)
  • Grade: C, Cass County, ND worst in metro area (B in 2024 report)
• Particle Pollution in the Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN metro area
  • National Ranking: 18th worst out of 223 (24th worst in 2024 report)
  • Number of Unhealthy Days Per Year: 10.7 days per year (7.3 days per year in 2024 report)
  • Grade: F, Cass County, ND worst in metro area (F in 2024 report)
• Year-Round Average Level of Particle Pollution in the Fargo-Wahpeton, ND-MN metro area
  • National Ranking: 59th worst in the nation (99th worst in 2024 report)
  • Grade: Failing grade, pollution levels above the federal standard

Ozone smog and particle pollution are widespread and can impact anyone’s health. Both pollutants can cause premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, preterm births and impaired cognitive functioning later in life. Particle pollution can also cause lung cancer.

“Unfortunately, too many people in North Dakota are living with unhealthy levels of ozone and particle pollution. This air pollution is a threat to human health at every stage of life – from increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight babies to causing or worsening lung disease,” said Jon Hunter, Senior Director, Healthy Air Solutions for the American Lung Association. “We urge North Dakota policymakers to take action to improve our air quality, and we are calling on everyone to support the incredibly important work of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).”

Air quality in most other areas of the state also significantly worsened since last year’s report.

Highlights include: The Bismarck metro area ranked 14th worst for short-term particle pollution and 92nd worst for ozone; and the Minot metro area is 19th worst for short-term particle pollution and 100th worst for ozone pollution.

On a national level, the “State of the Air” report found that 156 million people in the U.S. (46%) live in an area that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution. 42.5 million people live in areas with failing grades for all three measures. The report also found that a person of color in the U.S. is more than twice as likely as a white individual to live in a community with a failing grade on all three pollution measures. Notably, Hispanic individuals are nearly three times as likely as white individuals to live in a community with three failing grades.

The Lung Association is calling on everyone to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is essential to protecting people’s health from ozone and particle pollution. Join the American Lung Association in advocating to protect EPA’s expert staff and lifesaving programs. See the full report results and take action at Lung.org/sota.

The “State of the Air” report relies on data from air quality monitors managed by state, local and Tribal air pollution control authorities in counties across the U.S. The rankings are based on the worst county in the area’s average number of unhealthy days.

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