Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI)

Cook County had the highest share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI) of 21 counties in 2020, at 98.6%. Hennepin County had the lowest, at 56.3%. The median was 88.6%. Source: EPA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest98.6Cook County
Lowest56.3Hennepin County
Median88.621 counties

Map of counties, 2020

Anoka County: 79 %Becker County: 88.8 %Beltrami County: 88.6 %Carlton County: 98 %Cass County: 91.3 %Cook County: 98.6 %Crow Wing County: 94.2 %Dakota County: 71 %Goodhue County: 95.7 %Hennepin County: 56.3 %Lake County: 94.2 %Lyon County: 85.8 %Mille Lacs County: 98 %Olmsted County: 79.8 %Ramsey County: 68.9 %St. Louis County: 76.2 %Scott County: 84.1 %Stearns County: 84.4 %Washington County: 97.7 %Winona County: 94.1 %Wright County: 81 %
  • Under 79
  • 79 to 84
  • 84 to 91
  • 91 to 96
  • 96 and over
  • No data
%, 2020. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2020

Cook County: 98.6 %Cook County98.6Carlton County: 98 %Carlton County98Mille Lacs County: 98 %Mille Lacs County98Washington County: 97.7 %Washington County97.7Goodhue County: 95.7 %Goodhue County95.7Crow Wing County: 94.2 %Crow Wing County94.2Lake County: 94.2 %Lake County94.2Winona County: 94.1 %Winona County94.1Cass County: 91.3 %Cass County91.3Becker County: 88.8 %Becker County88.8Beltrami County: 88.6 %Beltrami County88.6Lyon County: 85.8 %Lyon County85.8Stearns County: 84.4 %Stearns County84.4Scott County: 84.1 %Scott County84.1Wright County: 81 %Wright County81Olmsted County: 79.8 %Olmsted County79.8Anoka County: 79 %Anoka County79St. Louis County: 76.2 %St. Louis County76.2Dakota County: 71 %Dakota County71Ramsey County: 68.9 %Ramsey County68.9Hennepin County: 56.3 %Hennepin County56.3Cook County: 98.6 %Cook County98.6Carlton County: 98 %Carlton County98Mille Lacs County: 98 %Mille Lacs County98Washington County: 97.7 %Washington County97.7Goodhue County: 95.7 %Goodhue County95.7Crow Wing County: 94.2 %Crow Wing County94.2Lake County: 94.2 %Lake County94.2Winona County: 94.1 %Winona County94.1Cass County: 91.3 %Cass County91.3Becker County: 88.8 %Becker County88.8Beltrami County: 88.6 %Beltrami County88.6Lyon County: 85.8 %Lyon County85.8Stearns County: 84.4 %Stearns County84.4Scott County: 84.1 %Scott County84.1Wright County: 81 %Wright County81Olmsted County: 79.8 %Olmsted County79.8Anoka County: 79 %Anoka County79St. Louis County: 76.2 %St. Louis County76.2Dakota County: 71 %Dakota County71Ramsey County: 68.9 %Ramsey County68.9Hennepin County: 56.3 %Hennepin County56.3
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Cook County98.6+3.7 pts
2Carlton County98+2.2 pts
2Mille Lacs County98+1.2 pts
4Washington County97.7+23.9 pts
5Goodhue County95.7+1.7 pts
6Crow Wing County94.2+3.9 pts
6Lake County94.2+2.5 pts
8Winona County94.1+5.4 pts
9Cass County91.3-0.4 pts
10Becker County88.8-1.5 pts
11Beltrami County88.6+1.4 pts
12Lyon County85.8+1.3 pts
13Stearns County84.4+0.1 pts
14Scott County84.1+9.3 pts
15Wright County81+1.2 pts
16Olmsted County79.8+5.3 pts
17Anoka County79+3.7 pts
18St. Louis County76.2-7.6 pts
19Dakota County71-2.7 pts
20Ramsey County68.9+1.5 pts
21Hennepin County56.3+5.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Days with a daily Air Quality Index of 0 to 50 (good) as a percentage of the days of the year with an AQI in a US county. Calculated by Invokely from the day counts in the EPA AirData annual summaries; both counts are stored with each value.

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.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. 19 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2020 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. 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: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts (Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020) [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: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts, Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 July 2026, https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts, Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_minnesota_by_2020,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts: Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020}},
  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/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. 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: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts: Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI), 2020
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/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/good-air-quality-days-share/minnesota-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Minnesota by share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"aqi_good_days_share","level":"province","within":"Minnesota","limit":10}
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Questions

Which county has the highest share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI)?

Cook County, with 98.6% in 2020, according to EPA.

Which county has the lowest share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI)?

Hennepin County, with 56.3% in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: good days as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 19 counties have no value for 2020 and are not ranked.

Share of days with good air quality (US EPA AQI): other rankings

Counties in Minnesota: more rankings