Iowa · County air quality · 2025
Black Hawk County, Iowa
Median AQI 49 (Good). 53.4% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 49
- Median AQI
- 53.4%
- Good-air days
- 1
- Unhealthy days
- 8%
- Cleaner than US counties
Black Hawk County's 2025 annual median AQI is 49 (Good), with 53.4% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Black Hawk County, Iowa posted a 2025 median AQI of 49 (Good) across 365 monitored days, with 53.4% rated Good and 1 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- Black Hawk County's 53.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 8% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Adams County (55.1% Good, median AQI 49) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Black Hawk County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Black Hawk County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is worsening from 2020 to 2025 (65.3% → 53.4%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 49
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Black Hawk County, Iowa ranks #866 of 951 by median AQI (49) and #869 by good-day share (53.4%). Ponce County, Puerto Rico is #1 of 951 by median AQI (3, 91.4% Good days) at good-day-share #159 ≠ largest of 7 at 100.0% Good days #1 by good-day share (100.0%, median AQI 9) at median-AQI #7.
Annual release change
What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release
- Black Hawk County's peak single-day AQI rose from 87 to 158 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +71 points.
- Black Hawk County's Good-day share fell from 58.9% to 53.4% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5.5 percentage points.
- Black Hawk County's Unhealthy-category days rose from 0 to 1 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +1 days.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 195 d · 53.4%
- Moderate · 168 d · 46.0%
- USG · 1 d · 0.3%
- Unhealthy · 1 d · 0.3%
How did Black Hawk County's air break down in 2025?
Across 365 monitored days, 195 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 1 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 158 (Unhealthy).
EPA AQS →Share of monitored days at AQI 0-50 (Good band).
Share of monitored days above AQI 150 (Unhealthy or worse). Bar maxes at 10% (worst-county ceiling).
Where Black Hawk County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Black Hawk County's Good-day share is 53.4% - cleaner than 8% of that comparison set.
Black Hawk County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
53.4% 8th percentile higher than 8% of 951 US counties
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) · 2025
Pollutant Breakdown
Days where each pollutant was the primary driver of AQI readings in Black Hawk County.
- PM2.5 · 365 days · 100.0%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Black Hawk County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (365 reported days in 2024). Oct posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 54, peak 63); May was cleanest at median 32. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 44 vs 52 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,814 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Jan has the highest matched-month median AQI (53), while May is lowest (42). Each cell is that month’s median daily AQI, not a current-air forecast.
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
Black Hawk County's air quality is rated Moderate based on 53.4% good air days. There were 1 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality is acceptable most days, but 1 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" (AQI 101-150) and peak AQI reached 158. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
The dominant pollutant is PM2.5, driving AQI on 365 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in Black Hawk County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (65.3%, 239 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 239 | 127 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 92 |
| 2021 | 211 | 154 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 96 |
| 2022 | 232 | 132 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 84 |
| 2023 | 147 | 200 | 4 | 3 | 53 | 187 |
| 2024 | 215 | 150 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 87 |
| 2025 | 195 | 168 | 1 | 1 | 49 | 158 |
How does Black Hawk County compare?
How Black Hawk County compares
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 Black Hawk County, Iowa · 2020–2025
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.