Massachusetts · County air quality · 2025

Hampden County, Massachusetts

Median AQI 39 (Good). 77.0% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.

39
Median AQI
77.0%
Good-air days
0
Unhealthy days
48%
Cleaner than US counties

Hampden County's 2025 annual median AQI is 39 (Good), with 77.0% Good days

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Hampden County, Massachusetts posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) across 365 monitored days, with 77.0% 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
Hampden County's 77.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 48% of US counties in 2025.
Closest median-AQI peer
Aiken County (90.6% Good, median AQI 39) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Hampden County.
2020–2025 trend
Hampden County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is improving from 2020 to 2025 (68.0% → 77.0%).
Median AQI
Median AQI: 39

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, Hampden County's air is good on balance, more polluted than the median US county, a median AQI of 39 with 77.0% of 365 monitored days in the Good band, driven mainly by Ozone.

39
median AQI · Good
77.0%
days rated Good
Ozone
main pollutant
48%
cleaner than US counties

Not one day crossed into the Unhealthy tier; the worst single reading was AQI 124.

Annual release change

What changed in the 2025 EPA annual release

2024 → 2025
  • Hampden County's Good-day share fell from 79.2% to 77.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -2.2 percentage points.

Compared against 366 monitored days in 2024 and 365 in 2025. 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

Hampden 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 365 monitored days G M Median AQI 39 0 50 100 150 200 300 500 Hampden County
  • Good · 281 d · 77.0%
  • Moderate · 79 d · 21.6%
  • USG · 5 d · 1.4%

How did Hampden County's air break down in 2025?

Across 365 monitored days, 281 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 124 (USG).

EPA AQS →

Air quality data from EPA Air Quality System (2025). 365 days monitored. Median AQI: 39 (Good).

Insights: Hampden County, Massachusetts. EPA monitors recorded a median Air Quality Index of 39 across 365 measured days in 2025, earning a Good classification and a Good health grade. Of those days, 281 (77%) fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50), 79 (22%) registered Moderate readings, and 5 (1%) reached Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups. The 90th-percentile AQI settled at 61, while the worst single-day peak hit 124 (USG). Residents averaged about 23.1 clean-air days per 30-day window during the monitoring year.

The full pollutant mix ranks as Ozone (221 days), PM2.5 (136 days), NO2 (8 days). Across the 2020–2025 trend window, the share of monitored days rated Good shifted by +9.0 points and the median AQI moved -5 points, placing the multi-year trajectory at improving. The worst single reading over the 2020–2025 window was AQI 124, usg but never Unhealthy. Nearby counties show comparable readings: Barnstable (93.7% good, AQI 36); Berkshire (78.1% good, AQI 38); Bristol (83.8% good, AQI 38); Dukes (95.9% good, AQI 35); Essex (81.1% good, AQI 40); Franklin (76.9% good, AQI 38).

Air Quality Summary

Median AQI

39

Good

Good Days

77.0%

281 of 365 monitored days

2.0pp vs 75% target

Max AQI Recorded

124

USG

Health Grade

Good

90th-pct AQI 61

Hampden County, Good days share 77.0%
National avg

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

Hampden 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).

AQI Day Breakdown (2025)

Distribution of 365 monitored days across EPA AQI categories.

Good

281

77%

Moderate

79

22%

USG

5

1%

Unhealthy

0

0%

Very Unhealthy

0

0%

Hazardous

0

0%

Pollutant Breakdown

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

Hampden County, Massachusetts 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 · 60.5% PM2.5 · 37.3% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Hampden County, Massachusetts · 365 monitored days Criteria pollutant column
  • Ozone · 221 days · 60.5%
  • PM2.5 · 136 days · 37.3%
  • NO₂ · 8 days · 2.2%
Ozone (O3) 221 days (61%)

How Ozone affects health →

Fine Particles (PM2.5) 136 days (37%)

How PM2.5 affects health →

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 8 days (2%)

How NO2 affects health →

Health Impact Assessment

Good

Hampden County's air quality is rated Good based on 77.0% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.

Air quality was acceptable on 77.0% of monitored days in 2025, with a median AQI of 39. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.

The dominant pollutant is Ozone, driving AQI on 221 of 365 monitored days.

5-Year Air Quality Trend

Air quality is improving in Hampden County. Highest Good-day share: 2024 (79.2%, 290 of 366 monitored days).

Year Good Moderate USG Unhealthy Median AQI
2020 249 117 0 0 44
2021 215 148 2 0 46
2022 262 102 1 0 42
2023 220 139 4 2 46
2024 290 74 2 0 37
2025 281 79 5 0 39

How does Hampden County compare?

How Hampden County compares

Good-day share better than US avg
Hampden County 77.0%
Aiken County, South Carolina 90.6%
US average 76.0%
Median AQI about average
Hampden County 39
Aiken County, South Carolina 39
US average 39
Unhealthy days / yr better than US avg
Hampden County 0
Aiken County, South Carolina 0
US average 1

Counties with a similar median AQI

Nationwide peers within about the same annual median AQI as Hampden County (39), not geographic neighbors.

Same primary pollutant: Ozone

Ozone led the AQI on the most monitored days here. These peers share that driver and the closest Good-day share (a second relationship type beyond median-AQI neighbors).

Massachusetts counties on the map

Geographic containment only, other monitored counties in Massachusetts, independent of AQI or pollutant match.

What Hampden County's air means for you

The air here stays in the breathable range year-round, with Ozone the main thing to watch.

  • Sensitive groups (asthma, heart conditions, children, older adults) should check the AQI on high-Ozone days, the guide explains what a median of 39 means for exposure. Health guidance
  • See how Hampden County ranks against every monitored U.S. county on Good-day share. County rankings
  • Compare Hampden County with its Massachusetts neighbours before drawing a conclusion about the region. All of Massachusetts

Based on 365 EPA-monitored days in 2025; figures reflect only days the monitors reported. Source: EPA Air Quality System annual summaries.

Keep exploring the annual AQI record

Air-quality reading list

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in Hampden County, Massachusetts?
Hampden County has a median Air Quality Index (AQI) of 39, rated "Good." 77.0% of monitored days (281 out of 365) had good air quality in 2025.
What is the main pollutant in Hampden County?
The primary pollutant in Hampden County is Ozone (O3), which was the main AQI driver on 221 days (61% of monitored days). Can trigger asthma, reduce lung function, and cause chest pain.
How many unhealthy air days does Hampden County have?
In 2025, Hampden County recorded 0 unhealthy air days (0 Unhealthy, 0 Very Unhealthy, 0 Hazardous). The maximum AQI reached 124.
Is the air quality in Hampden County getting better or worse?
Air quality in Hampden County is improving across floor-qualifying years (2020-2025); years with fewer than 100 monitored days are excluded from that direction. Highest qualifying Good-day share: 2024 at 79.2% (290 of 366 days). Lowest qualifying Good-day share: 2021 at 58.9% (215 of 365 days).
What does AQI 39 mean for health?
Hampden County's median AQI of 39 falls in the "Good" category. See the AQI category guide for what each range means for health.
How does Hampden County compare to other counties in Massachusetts?
Hampden County has 77.0% good air days. Nearby counties in Massachusetts: Barnstable (93.7% good), Berkshire (78.1% good), Bristol (83.8% good), Dukes (95.9% good), Essex (81.1% good), Franklin (76.9% good).
What is the 90th percentile AQI in Hampden County?
The 90th percentile AQI for Hampden County is 61, meaning 90% of monitored days had an AQI at or below this level. The maximum AQI recorded was 124 (USG).

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 Hampden County, Massachusetts · 2020–2025

Share this annual record

Send the source-year summary or download its ready-to-use data card.

XFacebookLinkedInWhatsAppEmail
Embed this widget

Copy this snippet to embed a live-linked card on your own site. Attribution to PlainAirData is baked into the widget.

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.