State air quality · 2025

Wisconsin Air Quality Ranking

Across 29 monitored counties, the typical county in Wisconsin posts a median AQI of 38 (Good) and 76.5% of monitored days were rated Good, from EPA AQS.

38
Avg median AQI
76.5%
Good-air days
29
Counties monitored
46%
Cleaner than US states

Wisconsin's typical county median AQI is 38 (Good) across 29 monitored counties

According to the U.S. EPA Air Quality System, Wisconsin monitors 29 counties with a day-weighted Good-day share of 76.5%. Cleanest: Taylor County (95.3% Good). Most polluted: Milwaukee County (62.5%). These are annual summaries, not live AirNow readings.

Data source EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cleaner than US states
Wisconsin's day-weighted Good-day share of 76.5% places it cleaner than 46% of US states.
In-state spread
Within Wisconsin, Taylor County leads at 95.3% Good days while Milwaukee County sits at 62.5% across 29 monitored counties.
2024→2025 release
Wisconsin's Good-day share moved -6.3 points vs the 2024 EPA annual release.
Typical median AQI
Typical median AQI: 38

Verify with AirNow → · EPA AQS →

The verdict

According to EPA Air Quality System monitoring data, across 29 monitored counties, Wisconsin averages a good median AQI of 38, more polluted than the median US state, with 76.5% of its monitored days in the Good band, but the gap between Taylor and Milwaukee County is the real story.

38
avg median AQI · Good
76.5%
of monitored days in the Good band
18/29
counties ≥75% Good days
46%
cleaner than other states

Cleanest: Taylor County (95.3% Good days). Most polluted: Milwaukee County (62.5%).

Data updated August 2026

Wisconsin: 29 monitored counties (2025), avg median AQI 38 (Good), 76.5% good-air days, 54 total unhealthy days (0.6%). Best: Taylor County (95.3%). Worst: Milwaukee County (62.5%). Worst single reading: AQI 188. 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

76.5%

Good-day share in 2025, down 6.3 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI 38, 0.8 points higher (worse) than 2024.

Pollutant mix

Ozone

Main driver on 55.1% of pollutant-assigned days.

  • Ozone 55.1%
  • PM2.5 44.5%
  • NO2 0.3%
  • PM10 0.1%

Monitoring coverage

291

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

Counties Monitored

29

Good Days %

76.5%

Avg Median AQI

38

Total Unhealthy Days

54

Best Air Quality

Taylor County

Worst Air Quality

Milwaukee County

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

Cleanest counties in Wisconsin

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

  1. 1 Taylor County 95.3%
  2. 2 La Crosse County 93.4%
  3. 3 Vilas County 92%
  4. 4 Fond du Lac County 91.5%
  5. 5 Manitowoc County 87.4%
  6. 6 Door County 85.9%
  7. 7 Kewaunee County 84.9%
  8. 8 Columbia County 84.9%
  9. 9 Jefferson County 84.9%
  10. 10 Ashland County 81.6%
  11. 11 Rock County 79.9%
  12. 12 Walworth County 79.4%

Good-day share · EPA Air Quality System

County Good % Median AQI
Taylor 95.3% 34
La Crosse 93.4% 37
Vilas 92.0% 36
Fond du Lac 91.5% 37
Manitowoc 87.4% 36
Door 85.9% 38
Kewaunee 84.9% 39
Columbia 84.8% 40
Jefferson 84.8% 40
Ashland 81.6% 36
Rock 79.9% 42
Walworth 79.4% 42
Sheboygan 78.9% 41
Marathon 76.6% 36
Ozaukee 75.9% 36
Racine 75.9% 41
Sauk 75.6% 35
Forest 75.1% 39
Eau Claire 73.7% 38
Brown 73.2% 37
Dodge 72.3% 40
Outagamie 72.3% 38
Kenosha 69.2% 42
Jackson 69.0% 36
Grant 68.7% 37
Monroe 67.5% 36
Dane 67.4% 41
Waukesha 66.3% 41
Milwaukee 62.5% 43

Reading Wisconsin'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 29 monitored counties. County profiles
  • Taylor County (95.3% Good days) and Milwaukee County (62.5%) bracket the range, compare both before drawing a conclusion. See the cleanest
  • New to the scale? The AQI guide explains what a median of 38 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin?
Wisconsin has 29 counties with EPA air quality monitoring. The median AQI in the typical monitored county is 38, and 76.5% of the state's monitored days were rated Good.
Which county in Wisconsin has the best air quality?
Taylor County has the best air quality in Wisconsin based on EPA AQS data. Counties are ranked by the percentage of monitored days with "Good" AQI (0-50).
Which county in Wisconsin has the worst air quality?
Milwaukee County has the worst air quality in Wisconsin. The state recorded 54 total unhealthy air days across all 29 monitored counties.
How many counties in Wisconsin have air quality monitors?
29 counties in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin have?
Wisconsin recorded 54 Unhealthy-or-worse air days across all 29 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 Wisconsin's AQI most often?
Across Wisconsin's monitored counties in the latest EPA annual release, Ozone was the main driver on 55.1% of pollutant-assigned days (4,650 of 8,442). That is a day-count share of the EPA main-pollutant assignment, not a concentration ranking.
Did Wisconsin's air quality improve in 2025?
Day-weighted Good-day share is 76.5%, down 6.3 percentage points vs 2024. County-mean median AQI is 38, 0.8 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: 29 counties in Wisconsin 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.