State air quality · 2025

Kansas Air Quality Ranking

Across 12 monitored counties, the typical county in Kansas posts a median AQI of 39 (Good) and 74.7% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.

39
Avg median AQI
74.7%
Good-air days
12
Counties monitored
38%
Cleaner than US states

Kansas's typical county median AQI is 39 (Good) across 12 monitored counties

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Kansas monitors 12 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 74.7%. Cleanest: Leavenworth County (94.0% Good). Most polluted: Sedgwick County (57.5%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US states
Kansas's day-weighted Good-day share of 74.7% places it cleaner than 38% of US states.
In-state spread
Within Kansas, Leavenworth County leads at 94.0% Good days while Sedgwick County sits at 57.5% across 12 monitored counties.
2024→2025 release
Kansas's Good-day share moved +0.6 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
Typical median AQI
Typical median AQI: 39

Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 12 monitored counties, Kansas averages a good median AQI of 39, more polluted than the median US state, with 74.7% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Leavenworth and Sedgwick County is the real story.

39
avg median AQI · Good
74.7%
of monitored days in the Good band
6/12
counties ≥75% Good days
38%
cleaner than other states

Cleanest: Leavenworth County (94.0% Good days). Most polluted: Sedgwick County (57.5%).

Data updated August 2026

Kansas: 12 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 39 (Good), 74.7% good-air days, 10 total unhealthy days (0.3%). Best: Leavenworth County (94.0%). Worst: Sedgwick County (57.5%). Worst single reading: AQI 370. 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

74.7%

Good-day share in 2025, up 0.6 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 39, within half a point of the 2024 county-mean median.

Pollutant mix

PM2.5

Main driver on 49.6% of pollutant-assigned days.

  • PM2.5 49.6%
  • Ozone 44.7%
  • PM10 5.5%
  • NO2 0.3%

Monitoring coverage

332

Average monitored days per county in the latest release. 1 of 12 counties sit below the 100-day floor used for cleanest/most-polluted claims.

Counties Monitored

12

Good Days %

74.7%

Avg Median AQI

39

Total Unhealthy Days

10

Best Air Quality

Leavenworth County

Worst Air Quality

Sedgwick County

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

Cleanest counties in Kansas

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

  1. 1 Leavenworth County 94%
  2. 2 Douglas County 92.9%
  3. 3 Sherman County 90.1%
  4. 4 Ford County 89.8%
  5. 5 Chase County 82.8%
  6. 6 Trego County 75.6%
  7. 7 Johnson County 68.5%
  8. 8 Sumner County 65.8%
  9. 9 Neosho County 64.1%
  10. 10 Shawnee County 64.1%
  11. 11 Wyandotte County 61.9%
  12. 12 Sedgwick County 57.5%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Leavenworth 94.0% 34
Douglas 92.9% 37
Sherman 90.1% 27
Ford 89.8% 28
Chase 82.8% 31
Trego 75.5% 41
Johnson 68.5% 44
Sumner 65.8% 45
Neosho 64.1% 44
Shawnee 64.1% 44
Wyandotte 61.9% 45
Sedgwick 57.5% 48

Reading Kansas'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 12 monitored counties. County profiles
  • Leavenworth County (94.0% Good days) and Sedgwick County (57.5%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
  • New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 39 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 Kansas 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 Kansas?
Kansas has 12 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 39, and 74.7% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Kansas has the best air quality?
Leavenworth County has the best air quality in Kansas based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Kansas has the worst air quality?
Sedgwick County has the worst air quality in Kansas. The state recorded 10 total unhealthy air days across all 12 monitored counties.
How many counties in Kansas have air quality monitors?
12 counties in Kansas 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 Kansas have?
Kansas recorded 10 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 12 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 Kansas's AQI most often?
Across Kansas's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, PM2.5 was the main driver on 49.6% of pollutant-assigned days (1,974 of 3,982). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Kansas's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 74.7%, up 0.6 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 39, 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: 12 counties in Kansas 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.