North Carolina · County air quality · 2025
New Hanover County, North Carolina
Median AQI 41 (Good). 77.0% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 41
- Median AQI
- 77.0%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 48%
- Cleaner than US counties
New Hanover County's 2025 annual median AQI is 41 (Good), with 77.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, New Hanover County, North Carolina posted a 2025 median AQI of 41 (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
- New Hanover County's 77.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 48% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Armstrong County (70.5% Good, median AQI 41) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to New Hanover County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- New Hanover County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is worsening from 2020 to 2025 (91.9% → 77.0%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 41
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, New Hanover County, North Carolina ranks #519 of 951 by median AQI (41) and #487 by good-day share (77.0%). 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
- New Hanover County's Good-day share fell from 80.7% to 77.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -3.7 percentage points.
- New Hanover County's peak single-day AQI rose from 97 to 121 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +24 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 281 d · 77.0%
- Moderate · 82 d · 22.5%
- USG · 2 d · 0.5%
How did New Hanover 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 121 (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 New Hanover County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. New Hanover County's Good-day share is 77.0% - cleaner than 48% of that comparison set.
New Hanover County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
77.0% 48th percentile higher than 48% 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 New Hanover County.
- PM2.5 · 271 days · 74.2%
- Ozone · 94 days · 25.8%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in New Hanover County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (363 reported days in 2024). Apr posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 48, peak 74); Nov was cleanest at median 33. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 41 vs 37 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,803 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Apr has the highest matched-month median AQI (46), while Feb is lowest (33). 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
New Hanover 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 41. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.
The dominant pollutant is PM2.5, driving AQI on 271 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is worsening in New Hanover County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (91.9%, 328 of 357 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 328 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 77 |
| 2021 | 286 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 93 |
| 2022 | 268 | 93 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 80 |
| 2023 | 237 | 124 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 142 |
| 2024 | 293 | 70 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 97 |
| 2025 | 281 | 82 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 121 |
How does New Hanover County compare?
How New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.