State air quality · 2025

Louisiana Air Quality Ranking

Across 22 monitored counties, the typical county in Louisiana posts a median AQI of 41 (Good) and 74.6% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.

41
Avg median AQI
74.6%
Good-air days
22
Counties monitored
37%
Cleaner than US states

Louisiana's typical county median AQI is 41 (Good) across 22 monitored counties

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Louisiana monitors 22 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 74.6%. Cleanest: Ascension County (95.6% Good). Most polluted: West Baton Rouge County (49.3%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US states
Louisiana's day-weighted Good-day share of 74.6% places it cleaner than 37% of US states.
In-state spread
Within Louisiana, Ascension County leads at 95.6% Good days while West Baton Rouge County sits at 49.3% across 22 monitored counties.
2024→2025 release
Louisiana's Good-day share moved +4.4 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
Typical median AQI
Typical median AQI: 41

Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 22 monitored counties, Louisiana averages a good median AQI of 41, more polluted than the median US state, with 74.6% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Ascension and West Baton Rouge County is the real story.

41
avg median AQI · Good
74.6%
of monitored days in the Good band
10/22
counties ≥75% Good days
37%
cleaner than other states

Cleanest: Ascension County (95.6% Good days). Most polluted: West Baton Rouge County (49.3%).

Data updated August 2026

Louisiana: 22 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 41 (Good), 74.6% good-air days, 0 total unhealthy days (0.0%). Best: Ascension County (95.6%). Worst: West Baton Rouge County (49.3%). Worst single reading: AQI 122. 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

74.6%

Good-day share in 2025, up 4.4 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 41, 1.1 points lower (cleaner) than 2024.

Pollutant mix

Ozone

Main driver on 57.1% of pollutant-assigned days.

  • Ozone 57.1%
  • PM2.5 42.3%
  • NO2 0.5%
  • PM10 0.1%

Monitoring coverage

331

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

Counties Monitored

22

Good Days %

74.6%

Avg Median AQI

41

Total Unhealthy Days

0

Best Air Quality

Ascension County

Worst Air Quality

West Baton Rouge County

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

Cleanest counties in Louisiana

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

  1. 1 Ascension County 95.6%
  2. 2 St. James County 93.9%
  3. 3 Pointe Coupee County 93.7%
  4. 4 St. John the Baptist County 93.1%
  5. 5 St. Martin County 92.2%
  6. 6 St. Tammany County 86.8%
  7. 7 Caddo County 80%
  8. 8 Tangipahoa County 79.5%
  9. 9 Bossier County 78.9%
  10. 10 Iberville County 78.6%
  11. 11 Rapides County 73.7%
  12. 12 Terrebonne County 73%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Ascension 95.6% 33
St. James 93.9% 33
Pointe Coupee 93.7% 35
St. John the Baptist 93.1% 34
St. Martin 92.2% 36
St. Tammany 86.8% 37
Caddo 80.0% 38
Tangipahoa 79.5% 41
Bossier 78.9% 42
Iberville 78.6% 40
Rapides 73.7% 37
Terrebonne 73.0% 42
St. Bernard 72.9% 44
Orleans 71.0% 42
Lafourche 67.4% 44
Lafayette 65.8% 45
Calcasieu 62.2% 47
Jefferson 62.2% 47
Ouachita 62.2% 45
Livingston 62.0% 45
East Baton Rouge 49.6% 51
West Baton Rouge 49.3% 51

Reading Louisiana'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 22 monitored counties. County profiles
  • Ascension County (95.6% Good days) and West Baton Rouge County (49.3%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
  • New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 41 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana?
Louisiana has 22 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 41, and 74.6% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Louisiana has the best air quality?
Ascension County has the best air quality in Louisiana based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Louisiana has the worst air quality?
West Baton Rouge County has the worst air quality in Louisiana. The state recorded 0 total unhealthy air days across all 22 monitored counties.
How many counties in Louisiana have air quality monitors?
22 counties in Louisiana 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 Louisiana have?
Louisiana recorded 0 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 22 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 Louisiana's AQI most often?
Across Louisiana's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, Ozone was the main driver on 57.1% of pollutant-assigned days (4,152 of 7,272). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Louisiana's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 74.6%, up 4.4 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 41, 1.1 points lower (cleaner) 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: 22 counties in Louisiana 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.