Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County

Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County was 77 in 2025, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is down 20 from 2024.

2025, index77
Change on 2024-20
Series high2101980
Series low772025

Next release: Tuesday, 13 July 2027, estimated by Invokely from past publication dates (low confidence), not announced by the publisher. Release calendar

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Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County, 1980 to 2025

5010015020025019801987199420012008201520251980: 210 index1981: 158 index1982: 163 index1983: 166 index1984: 190 index1985: 166 index1986: 181 index1987: 118 index1988: 130 index1989: 145 index1990: 120 index1991: 95 index1992: 91 index1993: 166 index1994: 172 index1995: 156 index1996: 169 index1997: 161 index1998: 197 index1999: 192 index2000: 182 index2001: 182 index2002: 195 index2003: 182 index2004: 136 index2005: 140 index2006: 159 index2007: 166 index2008: 143 index2009: 97 index2010: 129 index2011: 122 index2012: 151 index2013: 87 index2014: 90 index2015: 87 index2016: 119 index2017: 100 index2018: 100 index2019: 87 index2020: 97 index2021: 90 index2022: 93 index2023: 121 index2024: 97 index2025: 77 index5010015020025019801996201220251980: 210 index1981: 158 index1982: 163 index1983: 166 index1984: 190 index1985: 166 index1986: 181 index1987: 118 index1988: 130 index1989: 145 index1990: 120 index1991: 95 index1992: 91 index1993: 166 index1994: 172 index1995: 156 index1996: 169 index1997: 161 index1998: 197 index1999: 192 index2000: 182 index2001: 182 index2002: 195 index2003: 182 index2004: 136 index2005: 140 index2006: 159 index2007: 166 index2008: 143 index2009: 97 index2010: 129 index2011: 122 index2012: 151 index2013: 87 index2014: 90 index2015: 87 index2016: 119 index2017: 100 index2018: 100 index2019: 87 index2020: 97 index2021: 90 index2022: 93 index2023: 121 index2024: 97 index2025: 77 index
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-07-13.
All 46 values
Periodindex
202577
202497
2023121
202293
202190
202097
201987
2018100
2017100
2016119
201587
201490
201387
2012151
2011122
2010129
200997
2008143
2007166
2006159
2005140
2004136
2003182
2002195
2001182
2000182
1999192
1998197
1997161
1996169
1995156
1994172
1993166
199291
199195
1990120
1989145
1988130
1987118
1986181
1985166
1984190
1983166
1982163
1981158
1980210

Durham County compared with nearby places

Alexander County: 80 indexAvery County: 90 indexBuncombe County: 97 indexCaldwell County: 77 indexCarteret County: 80 indexCaswell County: 77 indexCatawba County: 88 indexCumberland County: 74 indexDavidson County: 93 indexDurham County: 77 indexEdgecombe County: 68 indexForsyth County: 100 indexGraham County: 97 indexGranville County: 87 indexGuilford County: 77 indexHaywood County: 87 indexHyde County: 59 indexJohnston County: 84 indexLenoir County: 71 indexLincoln County: 87 indexMacon County: 97 indexMartin County: 50 indexMecklenburg County: 97 indexMitchell County: 102 indexMontgomery County: 85 indexNew Hanover County: 121 indexNorthampton County: 79 indexPerson County: 74 indexPitt County: 71 indexRockingham County: 74 indexRowan County: 88 indexSwain County: 87 indexUnion County: 90 indexWake County: 76 index
  • Under 74
  • 74 to 77
  • 77 to 85
  • 85 to 88
  • 88 to 97
  • 97 and over
  • No data
Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2025, index. Durham County is outlined. Same source and period for every area shown. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Rankings

Definition

Highest daily Air Quality Index (AQI) value recorded in a US county during the year, from the EPA AirData annual summaries. Values above 500 are beyond the AQI scale and are published as EPA computes them.

A single day decides the value, so one wildfire or dust event can set it. Dust from the dry Owens Lake bed puts Inyo and Mono counties in California in the thousands. United States counties with air quality monitors only, about 1,000 of some 3,100 in recent years; a county without monitors has no value. The number of days with an AQI differs between counties because some monitors run only in the ozone season.

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How to cite

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2026). EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI (Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual

MLA 9

EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI, Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 July 2026, https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI, Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_highest_daily_air_quality_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI: Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina. Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download\_files.html\#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
TI  - EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI: Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA), Durham County, 1980 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/13
PB  - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/durham-county-north-carolina.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

What is the highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County?

Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County was 77 in 2025, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is down 20 from 2024.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Durham County?

210 in 1980, the highest value since 1980 in this series.

Related statistics for Durham County

All statistics for Durham County | Durham County in figures