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

Counties in New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA)

Morris County had the highest median Air Quality Index (US EPA) of 19 counties in 1981, at 65. Gloucester County had the lowest, at 3. The median was 42. Source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Highest65Morris County
Lowest3Gloucester County
Median4219 counties

Map of counties, 1981

Atlantic County: 50 indexBergen County: 45 indexBurlington County: 42 indexCamden County: 49 indexCape May County: 40 indexEssex County: 56 indexGloucester County: 3 indexHudson County: 61 indexHunterdon County: 40 indexMercer County: 27 indexMiddlesex County: 43 indexMonmouth County: 42 indexMorris County: 65 indexOcean County: 32 indexPassaic County: 22 indexSalem County: 19 indexSomerset County: 36 indexUnion County: 45 indexWarren County: 42 index
  • Under 30
  • 30 to 40
  • 40 to 43
  • 43 to 49
  • 49 and over
  • No data
index, 1981. 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, 1981

Morris County: 65 indexMorris County65Hudson County: 61 indexHudson County61Essex County: 56 indexEssex County56Atlantic County: 50 indexAtlantic County50Camden County: 49 indexCamden County49Bergen County: 45 indexBergen County45Union County: 45 indexUnion County45Middlesex County: 43 indexMiddlesex County43Burlington County: 42 indexBurlington County42Monmouth County: 42 indexMonmouth County42Warren County: 42 indexWarren County42Cape May County: 40 indexCape May County40Hunterdon County: 40 indexHunterdon County40Somerset County: 36 indexSomerset County36Ocean County: 32 indexOcean County32Mercer County: 27 indexMercer County27Passaic County: 22 indexPassaic County22Salem County: 19 indexSalem County19Gloucester County: 3 indexGloucester County3Morris County: 65 indexMorris County65Hudson County: 61 indexHudson County61Essex County: 56 indexEssex County56Atlantic County: 50 indexAtlantic County50Camden County: 49 indexCamden County49Bergen County: 45 indexBergen County45Union County: 45 indexUnion County45Middlesex County: 43 indexMiddlesex County43Burlington County: 42 indexBurlington County42Monmouth County: 42 indexMonmouth County42Warren County: 42 indexWarren County42Cape May County: 40 indexCape May County40Hunterdon County: 40 indexHunterdon County40Somerset County: 36 indexSomerset County36Ocean County: 32 indexOcean County32Mercer County: 27 indexMercer County27Passaic County: 22 indexPassaic County22Salem County: 19 indexSalem County19Gloucester County: 3 indexGloucester County3
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties1981
index		Change on 1980
1Morris County65-5
2Hudson County61+1
3Essex County56+1
4Atlantic County50-9
5Camden County490
6Bergen County45-3
6Union County45-13
8Middlesex County43-9
9Burlington County42-8
9Monmouth County42-13
9Warren County42+6
12Cape May County40-4
12Hunterdon County40-9
14Somerset County36-7
15Ocean County32-9
16Mercer County27-14
17Passaic County22-17
18Salem County19+3
19Gloucester County3-35

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. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 1981 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 New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981) [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 New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981. 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/new-jersey-counties?period=1981. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Counties in New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981. 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/new-jersey-counties?period=1981.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI, Counties in New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/new-jersey-counties?period=1981 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_new_jersey_1981,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI: Counties in New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981}},
  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/new-jersey-counties?period=1981. 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 New Jersey by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1981
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/new-jersey-counties?period=1981
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/new-jersey-counties?period=1981.
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 New Jersey 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)?

Morris County, with 65 in 1981, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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

Gloucester County, with 3 in 1981.

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. 1 counties have no value for 1981 and are not ranked.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA): other rankings

Counties in New Jersey: more rankings