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

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

Rockbridge County had the highest median Air Quality Index (US EPA) of 42 counties in 1996, at 59. Newport News city had the lowest, at 10. The median was 34. Source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Highest59Rockbridge County
Lowest10Newport News city
Median3442 counties

Map of counties, 1996

Arlington County: 43 indexCaroline County: 32 indexCarroll County: 18 indexCharles City County: 38 indexChesterfield County: 44 indexCulpeper County: 16 indexFairfax County: 45 indexFauquier County: 46 indexFrederick County: 44 indexGiles County: 38 indexHanover County: 45 indexHenrico County: 44 indexHenry County: 46 indexKing William County: 15 indexLoudoun County: 15 indexMadison County: 46 indexNorthumberland County: 13 indexPrince Edward County: 37 indexPrince William County: 34 indexRoanoke County: 36 indexRockbridge County: 59 indexSmyth County: 18 indexStafford County: 47 indexTazewell County: 16 indexWarren County: 18 indexWise County: 18 indexWythe County: 49 indexAlexandria city: 40 indexBristol city: 20 indexCharlottesville city: 19 indexChesapeake city: 19 indexCovington city: 19 indexFredericksburg city: 15 indexHampton city: 44 indexLynchburg city: 19 indexMartinsville city: 18 indexNewport News city: 10 indexNorfolk city: 33 indexRichmond city: 37 indexRoanoke city: 14 indexSuffolk city: 44 indexWinchester city: 20 index
  • Under 16
  • 16 to 19
  • 19 to 34
  • 34 to 41
  • 41 to 45
  • 45 and over
  • No data
index, 1996. 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, 1996

Rockbridge County: 59 indexRockbridge County59Wythe County: 49 indexWythe County49Stafford County: 47 indexStafford County47Fauquier County: 46 indexFauquier County46Henry County: 46 indexHenry County46Madison County: 46 indexMadison County46Fairfax County: 45 indexFairfax County45Hanover County: 45 indexHanover County45Chesterfield County: 44 indexChesterfield County44Frederick County: 44 indexFrederick County44Hampton city: 44 indexHampton city44Henrico County: 44 indexHenrico County44Suffolk city: 44 indexSuffolk city44Arlington County: 43 indexArlington County43Alexandria city: 40 indexAlexandria city40Charles City County: 38 indexCharles City County38Giles County: 38 indexGiles County38Prince Edward County: 37 indexPrince Edward County37Richmond city: 37 indexRichmond city37Roanoke County: 36 indexRoanoke County36Prince William County: 34 indexPrince William County34Norfolk city: 33 indexNorfolk city33Caroline County: 32 indexCaroline County32Bristol city: 20 indexBristol city20Winchester city: 20 indexWinchester city20Charlottesville city: 19 indexCharlottesville city19Chesapeake city: 19 indexChesapeake city19Covington city: 19 indexCovington city19Lynchburg city: 19 indexLynchburg city19Carroll County: 18 indexCarroll County18Martinsville city: 18 indexMartinsville city18Smyth County: 18 indexSmyth County18Warren County: 18 indexWarren County18Wise County: 18 indexWise County18Culpeper County: 16 indexCulpeper County16Tazewell County: 16 indexTazewell County16Fredericksburg city: 15 indexFredericksburg city15King William County: 15 indexKing William County15Loudoun County: 15 indexLoudoun County15Roanoke city: 14 indexRoanoke city14Northumberland County: 13 indexNorthumberland County13Newport News city: 10 indexNewport News city10Rockbridge County: 59 indexRockbridge County59Wythe County: 49 indexWythe County49Stafford County: 47 indexStafford County47Fauquier County: 46 indexFauquier County46Henry County: 46 indexHenry County46Madison County: 46 indexMadison County46Fairfax County: 45 indexFairfax County45Hanover County: 45 indexHanover County45Chesterfield County: 44 indexChesterfield County44Frederick County: 44 indexFrederick County44Hampton city: 44 indexHampton city44Henrico County: 44 indexHenrico County44Suffolk city: 44 indexSuffolk city44Arlington County: 43 indexArlington County43Alexandria city: 40 indexAlexandria city40Charles City County: 38 indexCharles City County38Giles County: 38 indexGiles County38Prince Edward County: 37 indexPrince Edward County37Richmond city: 37 indexRichmond city37Roanoke County: 36 indexRoanoke County36Prince William County: 34 indexPrince William County34Norfolk city: 33 indexNorfolk city33Caroline County: 32 indexCaroline County32Bristol city: 20 indexBristol city20Winchester city: 20 indexWinchester city20Charlottesville city: 19 indexCharlottesville city19Chesapeake city: 19 indexChesapeake city19Covington city: 19 indexCovington city19Lynchburg city: 19 indexLynchburg city19Carroll County: 18 indexCarroll County18Martinsville city: 18 indexMartinsville city18Smyth County: 18 indexSmyth County18Warren County: 18 indexWarren County18Wise County: 18 indexWise County18Culpeper County: 16 indexCulpeper County16Tazewell County: 16 indexTazewell County16Fredericksburg city: 15 indexFredericksburg city15King William County: 15 indexKing William County15Loudoun County: 15 indexLoudoun County15Roanoke city: 14 indexRoanoke city14Northumberland County: 13 indexNorthumberland County13Newport News city: 10 indexNewport News city10
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties1996
index		Change on 1995
1Rockbridge County59-1
2Wythe County49-1
3Stafford County47-3
4Fauquier County46-1
4Henry County46-1
4Madison County46+2
7Fairfax County450
7Hanover County45-4
9Chesterfield County44-1
9Frederick County44-3
9Hampton city440
9Henrico County440
9Suffolk city44-3
14Arlington County43+2
15Alexandria city40-3
16Charles City County38-3
16Giles County38-10
18Prince Edward County37-6
18Richmond city37-1
20Roanoke County360
21Prince William County34+1
22Norfolk city330
23Caroline County32+2
24Bristol city20-2
24Winchester city20+1
26Charlottesville city190
26Chesapeake city19+1
26Covington city19-2
26Lynchburg city19-1
30Carroll County18+1
30Martinsville city180
30Smyth County18-1
30Warren County18-1
30Wise County18-1
35Culpeper County16-1
35Tazewell County16-3
37Fredericksburg city15-3
37King William County15+1
37Loudoun County15+1
40Roanoke city140
41Northumberland County130
42Newport News city100

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. 18 counties with data in other periods have no value for 1996 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 Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996) [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 Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996. 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/virginia-counties?period=1996. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Counties in Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996. 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/virginia-counties?period=1996.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI, Counties in Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/virginia-counties?period=1996 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_virginia_by_1996,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI: Counties in Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996}},
  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/virginia-counties?period=1996. 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 Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA), 1996
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/virginia-counties?period=1996
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/virginia-counties?period=1996.
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 Virginia by median Air Quality Index (US EPA) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"aqi_median","level":"province","within":"Virginia","limit":10}
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Questions

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

Rockbridge County, with 59 in 1996, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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

Newport News city, with 10 in 1996.

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. 18 counties have no value for 1996 and are not ranked.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings