Iowa · County air quality · 2025
Palo Alto County, Iowa
Median AQI 40 (Good). 72.3% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 40
- Median AQI
- 72.3%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 37%
- Cleaner than US counties
Palo Alto County's 2025 annual median AQI is 40 (Good), with 72.3% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Palo Alto County, Iowa posted a 2025 median AQI of 40 (Good) across 364 monitored days, with 72.3% 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
- Palo Alto County's 72.3% Good-day share places it cleaner than 37% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Anderson County (91.3% Good, median AQI 40) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Palo Alto County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Palo Alto County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is stable from 2020 to 2025 (74.6% → 72.3%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 40
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Palo Alto County, Iowa ranks #462 of 951 by median AQI (40) and #598 by good-day share (72.3%). 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
- Palo Alto County's peak single-day AQI rose from 96 to 134 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +38 points.
- Palo Alto County's Good-day share fell from 73.8% to 72.3% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -1.6 percentage points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 263 d · 72.3%
- Moderate · 92 d · 25.3%
- USG · 9 d · 2.5%
How did Palo Alto County's air break down in 2025?
Across 364 monitored days, 263 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 134 (USG).
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 Palo Alto County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Palo Alto County's Good-day share is 72.3% - cleaner than 37% of that comparison set.
Palo Alto County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
72.3% 37th percentile higher than 37% 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 Palo Alto County.
- PM2.5 · 215 days · 59.1%
- Ozone · 149 days · 40.9%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Palo Alto County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (363 reported days in 2024). Oct posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 54, peak 75); Nov was cleanest at median 31. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 45 vs 36 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,820 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Jun has the highest matched-month median AQI (56), while Nov is lowest (34). 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
Palo Alto County's air quality is rated Moderate based on 72.3% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.
Air quality was acceptable on 72.3% of monitored days in 2025, with a median AQI of 40. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.
The dominant pollutant is PM2.5, driving AQI on 215 of 364 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in Palo Alto County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (74.6%, 273 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 273 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 87 |
| 2021 | 250 | 108 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 167 |
| 2022 | 271 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 79 |
| 2023 | 211 | 135 | 14 | 4 | 46 | 161 |
| 2024 | 268 | 95 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 96 |
| 2025 | 263 | 92 | 9 | 0 | 40 | 134 |
How does Palo Alto County compare?
How Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto 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.