State air quality · 2025
Virginia Air Quality Ranking
Across 30 monitored counties, the typical county in Virginia posts a median AQI of 34 (Good) and 86.5% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.
- 34
- Avg median AQI
- 86.5%
- Good-air days
- 30
- Counties monitored
- 94%
- Cleaner than US states
Virginia's typical county median AQI is 34 (Good) across 30 monitored counties
According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Virginia monitors 30 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 86.5%. Cleanest: Prince Edward County (97.8% Good). Most polluted: Frederick County (74.0%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.
Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)
- Cleaner than US states
- Virginia's day-weighted Good-day share of 86.5% places it cleaner than 94% of US states.
- In-state spread
- Within Virginia, Carroll County leads at 100.0% Good days while Frederick County sits at 74.0% across 30 monitored counties.
- 2024→2025 release
- Virginia's Good-day share moved +1.2 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
- Typical median AQI
- Typical median AQI: 34
Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →
EPA state monitoring brief
AQS state key VIRGINIA
Virginia · 2025 EPA AQS · 30 counties · med AQI 34 · 86.5% Good · Prince Edward→Frederick spread
- GOOD 34 Median AQI · Good
- SHARE 86.5% Good-day share
- COUNT 30 Counties monitored
- UNH 0 Unhealthy+ days
- RANK 94% Cleaner than states
- O3 58.0% Main pollutant share
Virginia's 86.5% Good-day share is cleaner than 94% of monitored US states; Prince Edward and Frederick County bracket the in-state range. Open Carroll County →
According to EPA AQS annual summaries on PlainAirData, Virginia ranks #3 of 52 by day-weighted good-day share (86.5%) and #11 by mean county median AQI (34.4). Hawaii is #1 of 52 by day-weighted good-day share (93.8% of monitored days) at mean county median-AQI #4 (27.3) ≠ Alaska #1 lowest mean county median AQI (20.3) at good-day share #8 (84.4%).
Data updated August 2026
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
86.5%
Good-day share in 2025, up 1.2 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 34, 0.9 points lower (cleaner) than 2024.
Pollutant mix
Ozone
Main driver on 58.0% of pollutant-assigned days.
- Ozone 58.0%
- PM2.5 38.0%
- NO2 2.7%
- PM10 1.3%
Monitoring coverage
292
Average monitored days per county in the latest release. 2 of 30 counties sit below the 100-day floor used for cleanest/most-polluted claims.
Counties Monitored
30
Good Days %
86.5%
Avg Median AQI
34
Total Unhealthy Days
0
Best Air Quality
Prince Edward County
Worst Air Quality
Frederick County
Where Virginia sits nationally
COUNT-derived placement among 52 US states with at least 365 monitored days in the latest county release. Virginia's day-weighted Good-day share is 86.5% - cleaner than 94% of that comparison set.
Virginia Good-day share vs. every US state
Day-weighted share of monitored days in the Good band (AQI 0–50) - EPA AQS annual release
86.5% Cleaner than 94% higher than 94% of 52 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System (AQS) · 2025
Which counties in Virginia have the cleanest and most polluted air?
Cleanest counties in Virginia
| County | Good % | Median AQI | Max AQI | Unhealthy Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll | 100.0% | 7 | 19 | 0 |
| Hopewell City | 100.0% | 6 | 15 | 0 |
| Prince Edward | 97.8% | 33 | 67 | 0 |
| Fauquier | 97.5% | 34 | 77 | 0 |
| Suffolk City | 96.7% | 38 | 101 | 0 |
| Caroline | 96.7% | 35 | 74 | 0 |
| Hanover | 96.7% | 36 | 77 | 0 |
| Stafford | 96.4% | 35 | 77 | 0 |
| Prince William | 95.6% | 35 | 87 | 0 |
| Giles | 94.4% | 37 | 80 | 0 |
| Wythe | 94.1% | 39 | 77 | 0 |
| Rockbridge | 93.9% | 36 | 67 | 0 |
| Charles | 88.7% | 35 | 101 | 0 |
| Arlington | 87.4% | 37 | 140 | 0 |
| Norfolk City | 86.0% | 33 | 94 | 0 |
| Madison | 85.8% | 40 | 87 | 0 |
| Lynchburg City | 85.2% | 30 | 69 | 0 |
| Roanoke | 83.8% | 37 | 80 | 0 |
| Hampton City | 83.0% | 38 | 105 | 0 |
| Albemarle | 81.0% | 38 | 77 | 0 |
| Virginia Beach City | 80.8% | 34 | 98 | 0 |
| Chesterfield | 80.8% | 39 | 80 | 0 |
| Loudoun | 80.5% | 40 | 120 | 0 |
| Rockingham | 80.0% | 39 | 80 | 0 |
| Salem City | 79.7% | 31 | 76 | 0 |
| Richmond City | 78.9% | 36 | 77 | 0 |
| Bristol City | 78.0% | 34 | 61 | 0 |
| Fairfax | 77.8% | 42 | 124 | 0 |
| Henrico | 75.8% | 40 | 85 | 0 |
| Frederick | 74.0% | 39 | 85 | 0 |
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: 30 counties in Virginia 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
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.