State air quality · 2025

Ohio Air Quality Ranking

Across 37 monitored counties, the typical county in Ohio posts a median AQI of 43 (Good) and 67.0% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.

43
Avg median AQI
67.0%
Good-air days
37
Counties monitored
12%
Cleaner than US states

Ohio's typical county median AQI is 43 (Good) across 37 monitored counties

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Ohio monitors 37 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 67.0%. Cleanest: Washington County (88.4% Good). Most polluted: Butler County (33.1%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US states
Ohio's day-weighted Good-day share of 67.0% places it cleaner than 12% of US states.
In-state spread
Within Ohio, Columbiana County leads at 100.0% Good days while Butler County sits at 33.1% across 37 monitored counties.
2024→2025 release
Ohio's Good-day share moved -2.3 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
Typical median AQI
Typical median AQI: 43

Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 37 monitored counties, Ohio averages a good median AQI of 43, among the more polluted US states, with 67.0% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Washington and Butler County is the real story.

43
avg median AQI · Good
67.0%
of monitored days in the Good band
17/37
counties ≥75% Good days
12%
cleaner than other states

Cleanest: Washington County (88.4% Good days). Most polluted: Butler County (33.1%).

Data updated August 2026

Ohio: 37 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 43 (Good), 67.0% good-air days, 6 total unhealthy days (0.1%). Best: Washington County (88.4%). Worst: Butler County (33.1%). Worst single reading: AQI 238. 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

67.0%

Good-day share in 2025, down 2.3 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 43, within half a point of the 2024 county-mean median.

Pollutant mix

Ozone

Main driver on 54.6% of pollutant-assigned days.

  • Ozone 54.6%
  • PM2.5 44.2%
  • PM10 1.1%
  • NO2 0.1%

Monitoring coverage

308

Average monitored days per county in the latest release. 1 of 37 counties sit below the 100-day floor used for cleanest/most-polluted claims.

Counties Monitored

37

Good Days %

67.0%

Avg Median AQI

43

Total Unhealthy Days

6

Best Air Quality

Washington County

Worst Air Quality

Butler County

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

Cleanest counties in Ohio

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

  1. 1 Columbiana County 100%
  2. 2 Washington County 88.4%
  3. 3 Lorain County 87.3%
  4. 4 Noble County 85.9%
  5. 5 Licking County 85.7%
  6. 6 Knox County 85.3%
  7. 7 Greene County 85.3%
  8. 8 Wood County 85.3%
  9. 9 Delaware County 84.3%
  10. 10 Miami County 84.2%
  11. 11 Athens County 83.4%
  12. 12 Clinton County 83.1%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Columbiana 100.0% 12
Washington 88.4% 40
Lorain 87.3% 39
Noble 85.9% 37
Licking 85.7% 40
Greene 85.3% 40
Knox 85.3% 39
Wood 85.3% 39
Delaware 84.3% 40
Miami 84.2% 40
Athens 83.4% 31
Clinton 83.1% 41
Geauga 82.9% 42
Ashtabula 81.2% 43
Madison 79.1% 43
Portage 77.5% 43
Clermont 76.9% 41
Lawrence 71.0% 42
Medina 69.0% 43
Warren 67.9% 44
Preble 67.7% 43
Lake 67.2% 42
Allen 67.0% 42
Summit 63.6% 44
Mahoning 63.4% 44
Belmont 63.0% 42
Clark 61.4% 45
Montgomery 60.3% 46
Trumbull 60.3% 46
Scioto 55.9% 46
Jefferson 53.4% 49
Stark 53.1% 49
Lucas 47.4% 52
Cuyahoga 43.3% 53
Franklin 40.3% 53
Hamilton 34.3% 54
Butler 33.1% 55

Reading Ohio'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 37 monitored counties. County profiles
  • Washington County (88.4% Good days) and Butler County (33.1%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
  • New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 43 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 Ohio 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 Ohio?
Ohio has 37 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 43, and 67.0% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Ohio has the best air quality?
Washington County has the best air quality in Ohio based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Ohio has the worst air quality?
Butler County has the worst air quality in Ohio. The state recorded 6 total unhealthy air days across all 37 monitored counties.
How many counties in Ohio have air quality monitors?
37 counties in Ohio 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 Ohio have?
Ohio recorded 6 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 37 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 Ohio's AQI most often?
Across Ohio's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, Ozone was the main driver on 54.6% of pollutant-assigned days (6,225 of 11,401). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Ohio's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 67.0%, down 2.3 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 43, 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: 37 counties in Ohio 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.