South Dakota · County air quality · 2025
Clay County, South Dakota
Median AQI 34 (Good). 87.8% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 34
- Median AQI
- 87.8%
- Good-air days
- 0
- Unhealthy days
- 76%
- Cleaner than US counties
Clay County's 2025 annual median AQI is 34 (Good), with 87.8% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Clay County, South Dakota posted a 2025 median AQI of 34 (Good) across 351 monitored days, with 87.8% 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
- Clay County's 87.8% Good-day share places it cleaner than 76% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Androscoggin County (85.2% Good, median AQI 34) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Clay County.
- 2022–2025 trend
- Clay County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is stable from 2022 to 2025 (87.7% → 87.7%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 34
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Clay County, South Dakota ranks #151 of 951 by median AQI (34) and #227 by good-day share (87.8%). 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
- Clay County's Good-day share rose from 79.0% to 87.7% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +8.8 percentage points.
- Clay County's peak single-day AQI fell from 137 to 117 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -20 points.
- Clay County's median AQI fell from 39 to 34 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of -5 points.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 308 d · 87.7%
- Moderate · 41 d · 11.7%
- USG · 2 d · 0.6%
How did Clay County's air break down in 2025?
Across 351 monitored days, 308 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 0 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 117 (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 Clay County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Clay County's Good-day share is 87.8% - cleaner than 76% of that comparison set.
Clay County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
87.8% Cleaner than 76% higher than 76% 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 Clay County.
- Ozone · 245 days · 69.8%
- PM2.5 · 106 days · 30.2%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Clay County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Oct posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 51, peak 137); Nov was cleanest at median 27. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 43 vs 33 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2022–20241,096 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Jun has the highest matched-month median AQI (56), while Nov is lowest (29). 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
Clay County's air quality is rated Good based on 87.8% good air days. No unhealthy air days were recorded in 2025.
Air quality was acceptable on 87.8% of monitored days in 2025, with a median AQI of 34. Unusually sensitive people can check real-time conditions at AirNow.gov during high-pollution events.
The dominant pollutant is Ozone, driving AQI on 245 of 351 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in Clay County. Highest Good-day share: 2025 (87.7%, 308 of 351 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 320 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 87 |
| 2023 | 244 | 103 | 15 | 3 | 43 | 173 |
| 2024 | 289 | 75 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 137 |
| 2025 | 308 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 117 |
How does Clay County compare?
How Clay 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 Clay County, South Dakota · 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.