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

Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Macon County was 97 in 2025, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is up 26 from 2024.

2025, index97
Change on 2024+26
Series high1871998
Series low642020

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 Macon County, 1990 to 2025

507510012515017520019901996200220082014202020251990: 126 index1991: 136 index1992: 147 index1993: 119 index1994: 150 index1995: 133 index1996: 136 index1997: 129 index1998: 187 index1999: 161 index2000: 156 index2001: 129 index2002: 115 index2003: 112 index2004: 105 index2005: 143 index2006: 97 index2007: 112 index2008: 74 index2009: 90 index2010: 129 index2011: 97 index2012: 90 index2013: 84 index2014: 84 index2015: 80 index2016: 101 index2017: 74 index2018: 93 index2019: 87 index2020: 64 index2021: 67 index2022: 97 index2023: 93 index2024: 71 index2025: 97 index5010015020019902002201420251990: 126 index1991: 136 index1992: 147 index1993: 119 index1994: 150 index1995: 133 index1996: 136 index1997: 129 index1998: 187 index1999: 161 index2000: 156 index2001: 129 index2002: 115 index2003: 112 index2004: 105 index2005: 143 index2006: 97 index2007: 112 index2008: 74 index2009: 90 index2010: 129 index2011: 97 index2012: 90 index2013: 84 index2014: 84 index2015: 80 index2016: 101 index2017: 74 index2018: 93 index2019: 87 index2020: 64 index2021: 67 index2022: 97 index2023: 93 index2024: 71 index2025: 97 index
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: highest daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-07-13.
All 36 values
Periodindex
202597
202471
202393
202297
202167
202064
201987
201893
201774
2016101
201580
201484
201384
201290
201197
2010129
200990
200874
2007112
200697
2005143
2004105
2003112
2002115
2001129
2000156
1999161
1998187
1997129
1996136
1995133
1994150
1993119
1992147
1991136
1990126

Macon 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. Macon 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), Macon County, 1990 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), Macon County, 1990 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/macon-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), Macon County, 1990 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/macon-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), Macon County, 1990 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/macon-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), Macon County, 1990 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/macon-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), Macon County, 1990 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/macon-county-north-carolina
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/highest-daily-air-quality-index/macon-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 Macon County?

Highest daily Air Quality Index (US EPA) in Macon County was 97 in 2025, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is up 26 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 Macon County?

187 in 1998, the highest value since 1990 in this series.

Related statistics for Macon County

All statistics for Macon County | Macon County in figures