Michigan · County air quality · 2025
Bay County, Michigan
Median AQI 39 (Good). 70.4% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 39
- Median AQI
- 70.4%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 34%
- Cleaner than US counties
Bay County's 2025 annual median AQI is 39 (Good), with 70.4% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Bay County, Michigan posted a 2025 median AQI of 39 (Good) across 358 monitored days, with 70.4% 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
- Bay County's 70.4% Good-day share places it cleaner than 34% 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 Bay County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Bay County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is worsening from 2020 to 2025 (89.0% → 70.4%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 39
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Bay County, Michigan ranks #392 of 951 by median AQI (39) and #630 by good-day share (70.4%). 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
- Bay County's peak single-day AQI rose from 73 to 139 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +66 points.
- Bay County's Good-day share fell from 76.3% to 70.4% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5.9 percentage points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 252 d · 70.4%
- Moderate · 103 d · 28.8%
- USG · 3 d · 0.8%
How did Bay County's air break down in 2025?
Across 358 monitored days, 252 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 139 (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 Bay County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Bay County's Good-day share is 70.4% - cleaner than 34% of that comparison set.
Bay County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
70.4% 34th percentile higher than 34% 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 Bay County.
- PM2.5 · 358 days · 100.0%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Bay County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (363 reported days in 2024). Aug posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 51, peak 68); Apr was cleanest at median 28. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 43 vs 42 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,808 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Dec has the highest matched-month median AQI (40), while Apr is lowest (26). 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
Bay County's air quality is rated Moderate based on 70.4% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.
Air quality was acceptable on 70.4% 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 PM2.5, driving AQI on 358 of 358 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in Bay County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (89.0%, 325 of 365 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 325 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 77 |
| 2021 | 290 | 73 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 86 |
| 2022 | 287 | 67 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 85 |
| 2023 | 229 | 128 | 3 | 3 | 42 | 192 |
| 2024 | 277 | 86 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 73 |
| 2025 | 252 | 103 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 139 |
How does Bay County compare?
How Bay 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 Bay County, Michigan · 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.