Data / Rankings / Median Air Quality Index (US EPA) / Counties in Florida

Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA)

Duval County had the highest median Air Quality Index (US EPA) of 38 counties in 2021, at 52. Putnam County had the lowest, at 16. The median was 43. Source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Highest52Duval County
Lowest16Putnam County
Median4338 counties

Map of counties, 2021

Alachua County: 39 indexBaker County: 42 indexBay County: 46 indexBrevard County: 45 indexBroward County: 49 indexCitrus County: 44 indexCollier County: 42 indexColumbia County: 44 indexDuval County: 52 indexEscambia County: 49 indexFlagler County: 33 indexHamilton County: 46 indexHighlands County: 33 indexHillsborough County: 51 indexHolmes County: 48 indexIndian River County: 36 indexLake County: 34 indexLee County: 41 indexLeon County: 48 indexLiberty County: 32 indexManatee County: 32 indexMarion County: 42 indexMartin County: 44 indexMiami-Dade County: 46 indexOkaloosa County: 33 indexOrange County: 33 indexOsceola County: 33 indexPalm Beach County: 43 indexPasco County: 35 indexPinellas County: 47 indexPolk County: 45 indexPutnam County: 16 indexSt. Lucie County: 33 indexSanta Rosa County: 44 indexSarasota County: 45 indexSeminole County: 42 indexVolusia County: 47 indexWakulla County: 41 index
  • Under 33
  • 33 to 40
  • 40 to 43
  • 43 to 45
  • 45 to 47
  • 47 and over
  • No data
index, 2021. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Duval County: 52 indexDuval County52Hillsborough County: 51 indexHillsborough County51Broward County: 49 indexBroward County49Escambia County: 49 indexEscambia County49Holmes County: 48 indexHolmes County48Leon County: 48 indexLeon County48Pinellas County: 47 indexPinellas County47Volusia County: 47 indexVolusia County47Bay County: 46 indexBay County46Hamilton County: 46 indexHamilton County46Miami-Dade County: 46 indexMiami-Dade County46Brevard County: 45 indexBrevard County45Polk County: 45 indexPolk County45Sarasota County: 45 indexSarasota County45Citrus County: 44 indexCitrus County44Columbia County: 44 indexColumbia County44Martin County: 44 indexMartin County44Santa Rosa County: 44 indexSanta Rosa County44Palm Beach County: 43 indexPalm Beach County43Baker County: 42 indexBaker County42Collier County: 42 indexCollier County42Marion County: 42 indexMarion County42Seminole County: 42 indexSeminole County42Lee County: 41 indexLee County41Wakulla County: 41 indexWakulla County41Alachua County: 39 indexAlachua County39Indian River County: 36 indexIndian River County36Pasco County: 35 indexPasco County35Lake County: 34 indexLake County34Flagler County: 33 indexFlagler County33Highlands County: 33 indexHighlands County33Okaloosa County: 33 indexOkaloosa County33Orange County: 33 indexOrange County33Osceola County: 33 indexOsceola County33St. Lucie County: 33 indexSt. Lucie County33Liberty County: 32 indexLiberty County32Manatee County: 32 indexManatee County32Putnam County: 16 indexPutnam County16Duval County: 52 indexDuval County52Hillsborough County: 51 indexHillsborough County51Broward County: 49 indexBroward County49Escambia County: 49 indexEscambia County49Holmes County: 48 indexHolmes County48Leon County: 48 indexLeon County48Pinellas County: 47 indexPinellas County47Volusia County: 47 indexVolusia County47Bay County: 46 indexBay County46Hamilton County: 46 indexHamilton County46Miami-Dade County: 46 indexMiami-Dade County46Brevard County: 45 indexBrevard County45Polk County: 45 indexPolk County45Sarasota County: 45 indexSarasota County45Citrus County: 44 indexCitrus County44Columbia County: 44 indexColumbia County44Martin County: 44 indexMartin County44Santa Rosa County: 44 indexSanta Rosa County44Palm Beach County: 43 indexPalm Beach County43Baker County: 42 indexBaker County42Collier County: 42 indexCollier County42Marion County: 42 indexMarion County42Seminole County: 42 indexSeminole County42Lee County: 41 indexLee County41Wakulla County: 41 indexWakulla County41Alachua County: 39 indexAlachua County39Indian River County: 36 indexIndian River County36Pasco County: 35 indexPasco County35Lake County: 34 indexLake County34Flagler County: 33 indexFlagler County33Highlands County: 33 indexHighlands County33Okaloosa County: 33 indexOkaloosa County33Orange County: 33 indexOrange County33Osceola County: 33 indexOsceola County33St. Lucie County: 33 indexSt. Lucie County33Liberty County: 32 indexLiberty County32Manatee County: 32 indexManatee County32Putnam County: 16 indexPutnam County16
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021
index		Change on 2020
1Duval County520
2Hillsborough County51-1
3Broward County490
3Escambia County49-2
5Holmes County48+1
5Leon County48-1
7Pinellas County47+1
7Volusia County47+3
9Bay County46-1
9Hamilton County460
9Miami-Dade County46+1
12Brevard County45+2
12Polk County45+3
12Sarasota County45+1
15Citrus County44+1
15Columbia County440
15Martin County44+2
15Santa Rosa County44-3
19Palm Beach County43+1
20Baker County42+2
20Collier County42+1
20Marion County42-4
20Seminole County42+2
24Lee County41+2
24Wakulla County410
26Alachua County39-3
27Indian River County36-1
28Pasco County350
29Lake County34+2
30Flagler County33+2
30Highlands County33+2
30Okaloosa County33-1
30Orange County33-1
30Osceola County33+1
30St. Lucie County330
36Liberty County32+1
36Manatee County32-1
38Putnam County16+2

Other periods

About this ranking

Median of the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) values of a US county over the days of the year with an AQI, from the EPA AirData annual summaries.

More on how it is measured
  • The daily county AQI is the highest AQI among the monitors and pollutants reported that day (ozone, PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide).
  • Lower is cleaner: 0 to 50 is good, 51 to 100 moderate and above 100 unhealthy for sensitive groups.

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. 4 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2021 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: median 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: median daily AQI (Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021) [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: median daily AQI, Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 July 2026, https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI, Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_florida_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI: Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021}},
  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/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median 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: median daily AQI: Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 2021
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/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/florida-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Counties in Florida by median Air Quality Index (US EPA) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest median Air Quality Index (US EPA)?

Duval County, with 52 in 2021, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Which county has the lowest median Air Quality Index (US EPA)?

Putnam County, with 16 in 2021.

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: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 counties have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA): other rankings

Counties in Florida: more rankings