North Carolina · County air quality · 2025
Macon County, North Carolina
Median AQI 32 (Good). 96.5% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 32
- Median AQI
- 96.5%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 95%
- Cleaner than US counties
Macon County's 2025 annual median AQI is 32 (Good), with 96.5% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Macon County, North Carolina posted a 2025 median AQI of 32 (Good) across 348 monitored days, with 96.5% 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
- Macon County's 96.5% Good-day share places it cleaner than 95% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Aroostook County (83.3% Good, median AQI 32) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Macon County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Macon County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is stable from 2020 to 2025 (99.4% → 96.6%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 32
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Macon County, North Carolina ranks #114 of 951 by median AQI (32) and #48 by good-day share (96.5%). 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
- Macon County's peak single-day AQI rose from 71 to 97 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +26 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 336 d · 96.6%
- Moderate · 12 d · 3.4%
How did Macon County's air break down in 2025?
Across 348 monitored days, 336 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 97 (Moderate).
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 Macon County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Macon County's Good-day share is 96.5% - cleaner than 95% of that comparison set.
Macon County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
96.5% Cleaner than 95% higher than 95% 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 Macon County.
- Ozone · 348 days · 100.0%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Macon County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (362 reported days in 2024). Apr posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 44, peak 61); Jul was cleanest at median 25. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 32 vs 34 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,802 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Apr has the highest matched-month median AQI (45), while Jul is lowest (24). 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
Macon County's air quality is rated Excellent based on 96.5% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.
Air quality was acceptable on 96.5% of monitored days in 2025, with a median AQI of 32. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.
The dominant pollutant is Ozone, driving AQI on 348 of 348 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in Macon County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (99.4%, 358 of 360 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 358 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 64 |
| 2021 | 347 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 67 |
| 2022 | 349 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 97 |
| 2023 | 342 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 93 |
| 2024 | 348 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 71 |
| 2025 | 336 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 97 |
How does Macon County compare?
How Macon 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 Macon County, North Carolina · 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.