State air quality · 2025

Hawaii Air Quality Ranking

Across 3 monitored counties, the typical county in Hawaii posts a median AQI of 27 (Good) and 93.8% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.

27
Avg median AQI
93.8%
Good-air days
3
Counties monitored
98%
Cleaner than US states

Hawaii's typical county median AQI is 27 (Good) across 3 monitored counties

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Hawaii monitors 3 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 93.8%. Cleanest: Maui County (98.1% Good). Most polluted: Hawaii County (86.0%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US states
Hawaii's day-weighted Good-day share of 93.8% places it cleaner than 98% of US states.
In-state spread
Within Hawaii, Maui County leads at 98.1% Good days while Hawaii County sits at 86.0% across 3 monitored counties.
2024→2025 release
Hawaii's Good-day share moved -4.6 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
Typical median AQI
Typical median AQI: 27

Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 3 monitored counties, Hawaii averages a good median AQI of 27, among the cleanest 10% of US states, with 93.8% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Maui and Hawaii County is the real story.

27
avg median AQI · Good
93.8%
of monitored days in the Good band
3/3
counties ≥75% Good days
98%
cleaner than other states

Cleanest: Maui County (98.1% Good days). Most polluted: Hawaii County (86.0%).

Data updated August 2026

Hawaii: 3 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 27 (Good), 93.8% good-air days, 0 total unhealthy days (0.0%). Best: Maui County (98.1%). Worst: Hawaii County (86.0%). Worst single reading: AQI 93. 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

93.8%

Good-day share in 2025, down 4.6 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 27, 3.0 points higher (worse) than 2024.

Pollutant mix

PM2.5

Main driver on 79.2% of pollutant-assigned days.

  • PM2.5 79.2%
  • Ozone 20.7%
  • PM10 0.1%

Monitoring coverage

363

Average monitored days per county in the latest release. Every monitored county clears the 100-day ranking floor.

Counties Monitored

3

Good Days %

93.8%

Avg Median AQI

27

Total Unhealthy Days

0

Best Air Quality

Maui County

Worst Air Quality

Hawaii County

Which counties in Hawaii have the cleanest and most polluted air?

Cleanest counties in Hawaii

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

  1. 1 Maui County 98.1%
  2. 2 Honolulu County 97.3%
  3. 3 Hawaii County 86%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Maui 98.1% 21
Honolulu 97.3% 29
Hawaii 86.0% 32

Reading Hawaii'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 3 monitored counties. County profiles
  • Maui County (98.1% Good days) and Hawaii County (86.0%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
  • New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 27 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii?
Hawaii has 3 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 27, and 93.8% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Hawaii has the best air quality?
Maui County has the best air quality in Hawaii based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Hawaii has the worst air quality?
Hawaii County has the worst air quality in Hawaii. The state recorded 0 total unhealthy air days across all 3 monitored counties.
How many counties in Hawaii have air quality monitors?
3 counties in Hawaii 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 Hawaii have?
Hawaii recorded 0 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 3 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 Hawaii's AQI most often?
Across Hawaii's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, PM2.5 was the main driver on 79.2% of pollutant-assigned days (863 of 1,090). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Hawaii's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 93.8%, down 4.6 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 27, 3.0 points higher (worse) than 2024. 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: 3 counties in Hawaii 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.