Tennessee · County air quality · 2025
Knox County, Tennessee
Median AQI 46 (Good). 63.0% of monitored days rated Good, direct from EPA Air Quality System stations.
- 46
- Median AQI
- 63.0%
- Good-air days
- 1
- Unhealthy days
- 19%
- Cleaner than US counties
Knox County's 2025 annual median AQI is 46 (Good), with 63.0% Good days
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Knox County, Tennessee posted a 2025 median AQI of 46 (Good) across 365 monitored days, with 63.0% rated Good and 1 unhealthy or worse. This is an annual comparison, not today's advisory.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US
- Knox County's 63.0% Good-day share places it cleaner than 19% of US counties in 2025.
- Closest median-AQI peer
- Beaver County (55.6% Good, median AQI 46) is the closest nationwide median-AQI peer to Knox County.
- 2020–2025 trend
- Knox County's floor-qualifying Good-day share is stable from 2020 to 2025 (63.7% → 63.0%).
- Median AQI
- Median AQI: 46
According to the 2025 EPA AQS county release on PlainAirData, Knox County, Tennessee ranks #787 of 951 by median AQI (46) and #767 by good-day share (63.0%). 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
- Knox County's Good-day share rose from 56.0% to 63.0% between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +7.0 percentage points.
- Knox County's peak single-day AQI rose from 105 to 156 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +51 points.
- Knox County's Unhealthy-category days rose from 0 to 1 between the 2024 and 2025 EPA annual releases, a change of +1 days.
Data updated August 2026
- Good · 230 d · 63.0%
- Moderate · 134 d · 36.7%
- Unhealthy · 1 d · 0.3%
How did Knox County's air break down in 2025?
Across 365 monitored days, 230 fell in the Good band (AQI 0–50) and 1 reached Unhealthy or worse. The worst single day peaked at AQI 156 (Unhealthy).
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 Knox County sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 951 US counties with at least 100 monitored days in 2025. Knox County's Good-day share is 63.0% - cleaner than 19% of that comparison set.
Knox County Good-day share vs. every US county
Share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
63.0% 19th percentile higher than 19% 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 Knox County.
- PM2.5 · 275 days · 75.3%
- Ozone · 90 days · 24.7%
2024 daily-monitor rhythm in Knox County
Month-by-month median AQI from EPA day-level county monitors (366 reported days in 2024). Jun posted the highest typical readings (median AQI 54, peak 80); Sep was cleanest at median 38. Summer months (Jun–Aug) averaged median AQI 52 vs 46 in Dec–Feb.
Five-year seasonal record
EPA day-level county files · 2020–20241,827 daily readings show a recurring local pattern: Jun has the highest matched-month median AQI (56), while Mar is lowest (45). 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
Knox County's air quality is rated Moderate based on 63.0% good air days. There were 1 unhealthy days in 2025 when outdoor activity should be limited.
Air quality is acceptable most days, but 0 days reached "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" (AQI 101-150) and peak AQI reached 156. Sensitive groups should monitor real-time conditions at AirNow.gov.
The dominant pollutant is PM2.5, driving AQI on 275 of 365 monitored days.
5-Year Air Quality Trend
Air quality is stable in Knox County. Highest Good-day share: 2020 (63.7%, 233 of 366 monitored days).
| Year | Good | Moderate | USG | Unhealthy | Median AQI | Max AQI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 233 | 133 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 91 |
| 2021 | 153 | 207 | 5 | 0 | 52 | 150 |
| 2022 | 185 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 77 |
| 2023 | 162 | 199 | 4 | 0 | 52 | 149 |
| 2024 | 205 | 160 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 105 |
| 2025 | 230 | 134 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 156 |
How does Knox County compare?
How Knox 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 Knox County, Tennessee · 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.