Colorado · County air quality · 2024

Rio Blanco County, Colorado

Median AQI 46 (Good). 72.7% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.

46
Median AQI
72.7%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
27%
Cleaner than US counties

Rio Blanco County's 2024 annual median AQI is 46 (Good), with 72.7% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Rio Blanco County, Colorado posted a 2024 median AQI of 46 (Good) across 366 monitored days, with 72.7% rated Good and 0 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US
Rio Blanco County's 72.7% Good-day share places it cleaner than 27% of US counties in 2024.
Closest median-AQI peer
Santa Clara County (55.4% Good, median AQI 47) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Rio Blanco County.
2020–2024 trend
Rio Blanco County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is stable from 2020 to 2024 (72.1% → 72.7%).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 46

According to the 2024 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Rio Blanco County, Colorado ranks #12 of 15 by median AQI (46) and #11 by good-day share (72.7%). San Mateo County, California is #1 of 15 by median AQI (27, 88.1% Good days) at good-day-share #5 ≠ Chattooga County, Georgia #1 by good-day share (96.3%, median AQI 39) at median-AQI #5.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2024 EPA annual release

2023 → 2024
  • Rio Blanco County's Good-day share rose from 67.7% to 72.7% between the 2023 and 2024 EPA annual releases, a change of +5.0 percentage points.
  • Rio Blanco County's peak single-day AQI fell from 166 to 142 between the 2023 and 2024 EPA annual releases, a change of -24 points.
  • Rio Blanco County's Unhealthy-category days fell from 1 to 0 between the 2023 and 2024 EPA annual releases, a change of -1 days.

Compared against 365 monitored days in 2023 and 366 in 2024. These are arithmetic differences between two stored EPA annual summaries, not a cause claim or a live advisory.

National release changes Two-year CSV

Data updated August 2026

Rio Blanco County AQI category distribution Stacked-segment bar showing the share of monitored days that fell in each EPA AQI category, Good, Moderate, USG, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, Hazardous, with median AQI marker. AQI category distribution 366 monitored days G M Median AQI 46 0 50 100 150 200 300 500 Rio Blanco County
  • Good · 266 d · 72.7%
  • Moderate · 96 d · 26.2%
  • USG · 4 d · 1.1%

How did Rio Blanco County's air break down in 2024?

Across 366 monitored days, 266 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 142 (USG).

EPA AQS →
Rio Blanco County, Good days share 72.7%
National avg

Share of monitored days at AQI 0-50 (Good band).

Rio Blanco County, Unhealthy-or-worse share 0.0%
National avg

Share of monitored days above AQI 150 (Unhealthy or worse). Bar maxes at 10% (worst-county ceiling).

Where Rio Blanco County sits nationally

COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2024. Rio Blanco County's Good-day share is 72.7% - cleaner than 27% of that comparison set.

Rio Blanco County Good-day share vs. every US county

Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release

72.7% 27th percentile higher than 27% of 951 US counties

0.0%–5.0%: 0 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 5.0%–10.0%: 1 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 10.0%–15.0%: 4 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 15.0%–20.0%: 4 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 20.0%–25.0%: 1 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 25.0%–30.0%: 5 US counties (1%). Below this entry. 30.0%–35.0%: 9 US counties (1%). Below this entry. 35.0%–40.0%: 4 US counties (0%). Below this entry. 40.0%–45.0%: 16 US counties (2%). Below this entry. 45.0%–50.0%: 16 US counties (2%). Below this entry. 50.0%–55.0%: 32 US counties (3%). Below this entry. 55.0%–60.0%: 50 US counties (5%). Below this entry. 60.0%–65.0%: 77 US counties (8%). Below this entry. 65.0%–70.0%: 93 US counties (10%). Below this entry. 70.0%–75.0%: 109 US counties (11%). This entry sits in this band. 75.0%–80.0%: 114 US counties (12%). Above this entry. 80.0%–85.0%: 123 US counties (13%). Above this entry. 85.0%–90.0%: 99 US counties (10%). Above this entry. 90.0%–95.0%: 117 US counties (12%). Above this entry. 95.0%–100.0%: 70 US counties (7%). Above this entry. 100.0%–105.0%: 7 US counties (1%). Above this entry. This county 0.0% 100% every floor-qualified US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System (AQS) · 2024

Pollutant Breakdown

Days where each pollutant was the primary driver of AQI readings in Rio Blanco County.

Rio Blanco County, Colorado criteria pollutant distribution Stratified-band visualization showing the share of monitored days each criteria pollutant (PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, CO) was the primary AQI driver. Ozone · 95.9% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Rio Blanco County, Colorado · 366 monitored days Criteria pollutant column
  • Ozone · 351 days · 95.9%
  • PM2.5 · 14 days · 3.8%
  • NO₂ · 1 days · 0.3%

2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Rio Blanco County

Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Jul posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 64, peak 133); Dec was cleanest at median 39. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 54 vs 41 in Dec–Feb.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 41 43 45 49 54 51 64 47 47 46 40 39
Rio Blanco County median daily AQI by calendar month (2024, EPA daily county file)

Five-year seasonal record

EPA day-level county files · 2020–2024

1,826 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Jul has the highest matched-month median AQI (60), while Dec is lowest (40). Each cell is that month’s median daily AQI, not a current-air forecast.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2020 404242454750535948444139
2021 434344505255777256424143
2022 444647515858515349424040
2023 435051505858544944424141
2024 414345495451644747464039

Lower AQI is better. The colors summarize EPA AQI bands; gaps mean the county had no day-level record for that month.

Health Impact Assessment

Moderate

Rio Blanco County's air quality is rated Moderate based on 72.7% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2024.

Air quality was acceptable on 72.7% of monitored days in 2024, with a median AQI of 46. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.

The dominant pollutant is Ozone, driving AQI on 351 of 366 monitored days.

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is stable in Rio Blanco County. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (72.7%, 266 of 366 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate USG Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 263 99 3 0 45
2021 212 148 4 1 48
2022 243 120 2 0 47
2023 247 113 4 1 47
2024 266 96 4 0 46

How does Rio Blanco County compare?

How Rio Blanco County compares

Good-day share worse than typical
Rio Blanco County 72.7%
Santa Clara County, California 55.4%
Typical US county 76.0%
Median AQI worse than typical
Rio Blanco County 46
Santa Clara County, California 47
Typical US county 39
Unhealthy days / yr better than typical
Rio Blanco County 0
Santa Clara County, California 0
Typical US county 1

Data Sources

Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by County dataset, 2020–2025 (aqs.epa.gov). For current conditions (not shown here — this page is historical annual data), see EPA AirNow (airnow.gov). See our methodology for how AQI, median, and coverage figures are computed.

Informational only, not professional advice. Data from EPA AQS. See our disclaimer. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.

Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by county summary files for Rio Blanco County, Colorado · 2020–2025

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Download this county's annual AQI row as CSV , with the same EPA fields and denominator shown on this page.

Every figure on PlainAirData is rendered directly from EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on EPA AQS air-quality monitoring data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.