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

Share of monitored days rated Good (AQI 0–50)

  1. 1 Navajo County 99.5%
  2. 2 Mohave County 94.8%
  3. 3 Apache County 86.2%
  4. 4 La Paz County 76.6%
  5. 5 Coconino County 70.1%
  6. 6 Cochise County 69.9%
  7. 7 Yavapai County 65.9%
  8. 8 Gila County 62.7%
  9. 9 Yuma County 54%
  10. 10 Santa Cruz County 52.2%
  11. 11 Pima County 33.7%
  12. 12 Pinal County 17%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Navajo 99.5% 13
Mohave 94.8% 17
Apache 86.2% 33
La Paz 76.6% 44
Coconino 70.1% 46
Cochise 69.9% 45
Yavapai 65.9% 47
Gila 62.7% 47
Yuma 54.0% 48
Santa Cruz 52.2% 49
Pima 33.7% 54
Pinal 17.0% 67
Maricopa 8.8% 73

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.

Air Quality Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the air quality in Arizona?
Arizona has 13 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 45, and 60.7% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Arizona has the best air quality?
Navajo County has the best air quality in Arizona based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Arizona has the worst air quality?
Maricopa County has the worst air quality in Arizona. The state recorded 27 total unhealthy air days across all 13 monitored counties.
How many counties in Arizona have air quality monitors?
13 counties in Arizona have active EPA Air Quality System (AQS) monitoring stations. Only counties with monitors are included in AQI data. Unmonitored counties are not represented.
How many unhealthy air days does Arizona have?
Arizona recorded 27 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 13 monitored counties. These include days rated Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, or Hazardous on the EPA AQI scale; Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups days are not included in this count.
What pollutant drives Arizona's AQI most often?
Across Arizona's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, Ozone was the main driver on 53.4% of pollutant-assigned days (2,515 of 4,714). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Arizona's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 60.7%, up 0.9 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 45, within half a point of the 2024 county-mean median. These are annual EPA summaries, not today's AirNow reading.

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.