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

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

Jefferson County had the highest median Air Quality Index (US EPA) of 32 counties in 1997, at 61. Giles County had the lowest, at 14. The median was 42. Source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest61Jefferson County
Lowest14Giles County
Median4232 counties

Map of counties, 1997

Anderson County: 49 indexBlount County: 51 indexBradley County: 38 indexClaiborne County: 42 indexDavidson County: 42 indexDeKalb County: 42 indexDickson County: 17 indexGiles County: 14 indexHamblen County: 40 indexHamilton County: 45 indexHaywood County: 49 indexHenry County: 21 indexHumphreys County: 42 indexJefferson County: 61 indexKnox County: 39 indexLawrence County: 46 indexLoudon County: 31 indexMcMinn County: 26 indexMadison County: 19 indexMaury County: 21 indexMontgomery County: 19 indexPutnam County: 61 indexRoane County: 24 indexRutherford County: 50 indexSevier County: 54 indexShelby County: 48 indexSullivan County: 44 indexSumner County: 51 indexUnion County: 38 indexWashington County: 22 indexWilliamson County: 58 indexWilson County: 47 index
  • Under 21
  • 21 to 38
  • 38 to 42
  • 42 to 47
  • 47 to 51
  • 51 and over
  • No data
index, 1997. 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, 1997

Jefferson County: 61 indexJefferson County61Putnam County: 61 indexPutnam County61Williamson County: 58 indexWilliamson County58Sevier County: 54 indexSevier County54Blount County: 51 indexBlount County51Sumner County: 51 indexSumner County51Rutherford County: 50 indexRutherford County50Anderson County: 49 indexAnderson County49Haywood County: 49 indexHaywood County49Shelby County: 48 indexShelby County48Wilson County: 47 indexWilson County47Lawrence County: 46 indexLawrence County46Hamilton County: 45 indexHamilton County45Sullivan County: 44 indexSullivan County44Claiborne County: 42 indexClaiborne County42Davidson County: 42 indexDavidson County42DeKalb County: 42 indexDeKalb County42Humphreys County: 42 indexHumphreys County42Hamblen County: 40 indexHamblen County40Knox County: 39 indexKnox County39Bradley County: 38 indexBradley County38Union County: 38 indexUnion County38Loudon County: 31 indexLoudon County31McMinn County: 26 indexMcMinn County26Roane County: 24 indexRoane County24Washington County: 22 indexWashington County22Henry County: 21 indexHenry County21Maury County: 21 indexMaury County21Madison County: 19 indexMadison County19Montgomery County: 19 indexMontgomery County19Dickson County: 17 indexDickson County17Giles County: 14 indexGiles County14Jefferson County: 61 indexJefferson County61Putnam County: 61 indexPutnam County61Williamson County: 58 indexWilliamson County58Sevier County: 54 indexSevier County54Blount County: 51 indexBlount County51Sumner County: 51 indexSumner County51Rutherford County: 50 indexRutherford County50Anderson County: 49 indexAnderson County49Haywood County: 49 indexHaywood County49Shelby County: 48 indexShelby County48Wilson County: 47 indexWilson County47Lawrence County: 46 indexLawrence County46Hamilton County: 45 indexHamilton County45Sullivan County: 44 indexSullivan County44Claiborne County: 42 indexClaiborne County42Davidson County: 42 indexDavidson County42DeKalb County: 42 indexDeKalb County42Humphreys County: 42 indexHumphreys County42Hamblen County: 40 indexHamblen County40Knox County: 39 indexKnox County39Bradley County: 38 indexBradley County38Union County: 38 indexUnion County38Loudon County: 31 indexLoudon County31McMinn County: 26 indexMcMinn County26Roane County: 24 indexRoane County24Washington County: 22 indexWashington County22Henry County: 21 indexHenry County21Maury County: 21 indexMaury County21Madison County: 19 indexMadison County19Montgomery County: 19 indexMontgomery County19Dickson County: 17 indexDickson County17Giles County: 14 indexGiles County14
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties1997
index		Change on 1996
1Jefferson County61-13
1Putnam County61+30
3Williamson County58+7
4Sevier County54-7
5Blount County51+1
5Sumner County510
7Rutherford County50+1
8Anderson County49-2
8Haywood County49-2
10Shelby County48+3
11Wilson County47-11
12Lawrence County46n/a
13Hamilton County45+3
14Sullivan County44+2
15Claiborne County42+9
15Davidson County420
15DeKalb County420
15Humphreys County42-2
19Hamblen County40n/a
20Knox County390
21Bradley County38+13
21Union County38+7
23Loudon County31-13
24McMinn County26+1
25Roane County24+1
26Washington County220
27Henry County21-2
27Maury County210
29Madison County190
29Montgomery County19-1
31Dickson County17-2
32Giles County14-37

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. 10 counties with data in other periods have no value for 1997 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 Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997) [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 Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997. 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/tennessee-counties?period=1997. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Counties in Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997. 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/tennessee-counties?period=1997.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI, Counties in Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/tennessee-counties?period=1997 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_tennessee_by_1997,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI: Counties in Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997}},
  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/tennessee-counties?period=1997. 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 Tennessee by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1997
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/tennessee-counties?period=1997
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/tennessee-counties?period=1997.
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 Tennessee 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)?

Jefferson County, with 61 in 1997, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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

Giles County, with 14 in 1997.

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. 10 counties have no value for 1997 and are not ranked.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA): other rankings

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings