State air quality · 2025
Arizona Air Quality Ranking
Across 13 monitored counties, the typical county in Arizona posts a median AQI of 45 (Good) and 60.7% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.
- 45
- Avg median AQI
- 60.7%
- Good-air days
- 13
- Counties monitored
- 0%
- Cleaner than US states
Arizona's typical county median AQI is 45 (Good) across 13 monitored counties
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Arizona monitors 13 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 60.7%. Cleanest: Navajo County (99.5% Good). Most polluted: Maricopa County (8.8%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US states
- Arizona's day-weighted Good-day share of 60.7% places it cleaner than 0% of US states.
- In-state spread
- Within Arizona, Navajo County leads at 99.5% Good days while Maricopa County sits at 8.8% across 13 monitored counties.
- 2024→2025 release
- Arizona's Good-day share moved +0.9 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
- Typical median AQI
- Typical median AQI: 45
Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →
The verdict
According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 13 monitored counties, Arizona averages a good median AQI of 45, among the more polluted US states, with 60.7% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Navajo and Maricopa County is the real story.
- 45
- avg median AQI · Good
- 60.7%
- of monitored days in the Good band
- 4/13
- counties ≥75% Good days
- 0%
- cleaner than other states
Cleanest: Navajo County (99.5% Good days). Most polluted: Maricopa County (8.8%).
Data updated August 2026
Arizona: 13 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 45 (Good), 60.7% good-air days, 27 total unhealthy days (0.6%). Best: Navajo County (99.5%). Worst: Maricopa County (8.8%). Worst single reading: AQI 1215 - a reading beyond the EPA’s standard 0-500 AQI scale, reflecting an extreme wildfire-smoke event or a transient monitor anomaly. EPA AQS methodology + AQI interpretation →
A statewide average smooths over real differences between counties, so it should be read as a starting point rather than a verdict on any one place. Within almost every state, a handful of urban or wildfire-prone counties carry most of the unhealthy days while rural counties sit near the clean end of the scale, and the gap between the best and worst county is often wider than the gap between two neighboring states. Coverage matters too: the Environmental Protection Agency places monitors where population density, emission sources, or attainment status warrant them, so a state with few monitored counties is described by a thinner sample than one blanketed with stations. The figures here count only the days each monitor actually reported, which keeps lightly monitored and heavily monitored counties on comparable footing but cannot speak for the roughly two thousand U.S. counties that have no monitor at all. For a fuller picture, open the individual county profiles below and compare the primary pollutant, the share of Good days, and the five-year trend for the places that matter to you.
What changed, what drives it, and how thick is the sample
Three derived views WPR-style word count does not substitute for: release-over-release movement from county annual rows, the EPA main-pollutant day mix, and how many counties sit below the 100-day ranking floor.
Release change
60.7%
Good-day share in 2025, up 0.9 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 45, within half a point of the 2024 county-mean median.
Pollutant mix
Ozone
Main driver on 53.4% of pollutant-assigned days.
- Ozone 53.4%
- PM10 30.5%
- PM2.5 16.2%
Monitoring coverage
363
Average monitored days per county in the latest release. Every monitored county clears the 100-day ranking floor.
Counties Monitored
13
Good Days %
60.7%
Avg Median AQI
45
Total Unhealthy Days
27
Best Air Quality
Navajo County
Worst Air Quality
Maricopa County
Which counties in Arizona have the cleanest and most polluted air?
Cleanest counties in Arizona
| County | Good % | Median AQI | Max AQI | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navajo | 99.5% | 13 | 54 | 0 |
| Mohave | 94.8% | 17 | 331 | 2 |
| Apache | 86.2% | 33 | 100 | 0 |
| La Paz | 76.6% | 44 | 253 | 1 |
| Coconino | 70.1% | 46 | 113 | 0 |
| Cochise | 69.9% | 45 | 328 | 2 |
| Yavapai | 65.9% | 47 | 97 | 0 |
| Gila | 62.7% | 47 | 196 | 1 |
| Yuma | 54.0% | 48 | 211 | 1 |
| Santa Cruz | 52.2% | 49 | 187 | 1 |
| Pima | 33.7% | 54 | 357 | 5 |
| Pinal | 17.0% | 67 | 1215 | 8 |
| Maricopa | 8.8% | 73 | 366 | 6 |
Reading Arizona's air quality
A statewide average is a starting point, not a verdict, what matters is the county you actually breathe in.
- Open your county's profile for its primary pollutant, Good-day share, and where it sits among 13 monitored counties. County profiles
- Navajo County (99.5% Good days) and Maricopa County (8.8%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
- New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 45 means for sensitive groups. Understand AQI
Figures count only days each EPA monitor reported; roughly two thousand U.S. counties have no monitor and are not represented. Data: EPA AQS annual summaries, 2020–2025.
Explore Arizona air quality
Dig into the cleanest and most-polluted counties, metro areas, and national rankings.
Cleanest county
Navajo County
99.5% good-air days, median AQI 13.
Most polluted county
Maricopa County
8.8% good-air days, median AQI 73.
Metro areas
Metro air quality
AQI summaries for U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.
National rankings
Cleanest & worst air
How Arizona counties rank against the rest of the country.
Air Quality Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the air quality in Arizona? ▼
Which county in Arizona has the best air quality? ▼
Which county in Arizona has the worst air quality? ▼
How many counties in Arizona have air quality monitors? ▼
How many unhealthy air days does Arizona have? ▼
What pollutant drives Arizona's AQI most often? ▼
Did Arizona's air quality improve in 2025? ▼
Data Sources
Primary Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Air Quality System (AQS), Annual AQI by County dataset, 2020–2025. See our methodology for how AQI and median figures are computed.
Coverage: 13 counties in Arizona with active monitoring stations. Unmonitored counties are not represented.
Source: U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) Annual AQI by county summary files, aggregated to the state level · 2020–2025
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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.
Informational only, not professional advice. Data from EPA AQS. See our disclaimer.