Air quality has declined in the Jacksonville metropolitan area after three years in a row of being named one of the cleanest in the nation.
The annual American Lung Association State of the Air report ranks communities across the nation for “exposure to unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone air pollution, annual particle pollution and short-term spikes in particle pollution over a three-year period.” The 2025 report data for 2021 to 2023 was obtained from state, local and Tribal air pollution control authorities.
The Jacksonville metropolitan area, which extends to St. Marys, Ga., and Palatka, received “B” grades for ground-level ozone pollution, or smog, and short-term spikes in particle pollution, or soot, after getting an “A” in both categories in the 2024 report…