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 43 counties in 1997, at 58. Newport News city had the lowest, at 9. The median was 35. Source: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest58Rockbridge County
Lowest9Newport News city
Median3543 counties

Map of counties, 1997

Arlington County: 45 indexCaroline County: 37 indexCarroll County: 15 indexCharles City County: 41 indexChesterfield County: 50 indexCulpeper County: 14 indexFairfax County: 44 indexFauquier County: 48 indexFrederick County: 48 indexGiles County: 44 indexHanover County: 51 indexHenrico County: 46 indexHenry County: 46 indexKing William County: 14 indexLoudoun County: 14 indexMadison County: 46 indexNorthumberland County: 12 indexPrince Edward County: 41 indexPrince William County: 34 indexRoanoke County: 39 indexRockbridge County: 58 indexRockingham County: 27 indexSmyth County: 14 indexStafford County: 48 indexTazewell County: 13 indexWarren County: 18 indexWise County: 17 indexWythe County: 51 indexAlexandria city: 42 indexBristol city: 17 indexCharlottesville city: 17 indexChesapeake city: 17 indexCovington city: 21 indexFredericksburg city: 16 indexHampton city: 45 indexLynchburg city: 19 indexMartinsville city: 14 indexNewport News city: 9 indexNorfolk city: 35 indexRichmond city: 37 indexRoanoke city: 15 indexSuffolk city: 50 indexWinchester city: 19 index
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 17
  • 17 to 35
  • 35 to 44
  • 44 to 48
  • 48 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

Rockbridge County: 58 indexRockbridge County58Hanover County: 51 indexHanover County51Wythe County: 51 indexWythe County51Chesterfield County: 50 indexChesterfield County50Suffolk city: 50 indexSuffolk city50Fauquier County: 48 indexFauquier County48Frederick County: 48 indexFrederick County48Stafford County: 48 indexStafford County48Henrico County: 46 indexHenrico County46Henry County: 46 indexHenry County46Madison County: 46 indexMadison County46Arlington County: 45 indexArlington County45Hampton city: 45 indexHampton city45Fairfax County: 44 indexFairfax County44Giles County: 44 indexGiles County44Alexandria city: 42 indexAlexandria city42Charles City County: 41 indexCharles City County41Prince Edward County: 41 indexPrince Edward County41Roanoke County: 39 indexRoanoke County39Caroline County: 37 indexCaroline County37Richmond city: 37 indexRichmond city37Norfolk city: 35 indexNorfolk city35Prince William County: 34 indexPrince William County34Rockingham County: 27 indexRockingham County27Covington city: 21 indexCovington city21Lynchburg city: 19 indexLynchburg city19Winchester city: 19 indexWinchester city19Warren County: 18 indexWarren County18Bristol city: 17 indexBristol city17Charlottesville city: 17 indexCharlottesville city17Chesapeake city: 17 indexChesapeake city17Wise County: 17 indexWise County17Fredericksburg city: 16 indexFredericksburg city16Carroll County: 15 indexCarroll County15Roanoke city: 15 indexRoanoke city15Culpeper County: 14 indexCulpeper County14King William County: 14 indexKing William County14Loudoun County: 14 indexLoudoun County14Martinsville city: 14 indexMartinsville city14Smyth County: 14 indexSmyth County14Tazewell County: 13 indexTazewell County13Northumberland County: 12 indexNorthumberland County12Newport News city: 9 indexNewport News city9Rockbridge County: 58 indexRockbridge County58Hanover County: 51 indexHanover County51Wythe County: 51 indexWythe County51Chesterfield County: 50 indexChesterfield County50Suffolk city: 50 indexSuffolk city50Fauquier County: 48 indexFauquier County48Frederick County: 48 indexFrederick County48Stafford County: 48 indexStafford County48Henrico County: 46 indexHenrico County46Henry County: 46 indexHenry County46Madison County: 46 indexMadison County46Arlington County: 45 indexArlington County45Hampton city: 45 indexHampton city45Fairfax County: 44 indexFairfax County44Giles County: 44 indexGiles County44Alexandria city: 42 indexAlexandria city42Charles City County: 41 indexCharles City County41Prince Edward County: 41 indexPrince Edward County41Roanoke County: 39 indexRoanoke County39Caroline County: 37 indexCaroline County37Richmond city: 37 indexRichmond city37Norfolk city: 35 indexNorfolk city35Prince William County: 34 indexPrince William County34Rockingham County: 27 indexRockingham County27Covington city: 21 indexCovington city21Lynchburg city: 19 indexLynchburg city19Winchester city: 19 indexWinchester city19Warren County: 18 indexWarren County18Bristol city: 17 indexBristol city17Charlottesville city: 17 indexCharlottesville city17Chesapeake city: 17 indexChesapeake city17Wise County: 17 indexWise County17Fredericksburg city: 16 indexFredericksburg city16Carroll County: 15 indexCarroll County15Roanoke city: 15 indexRoanoke city15Culpeper County: 14 indexCulpeper County14King William County: 14 indexKing William County14Loudoun County: 14 indexLoudoun County14Martinsville city: 14 indexMartinsville city14Smyth County: 14 indexSmyth County14Tazewell County: 13 indexTazewell County13Northumberland County: 12 indexNorthumberland County12Newport News city: 9 indexNewport News city9
index. Source: EPA, EPA AirData annual AQI by county: median daily AQI. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties1997
index		Change on 1996
1Rockbridge County58-1
2Hanover County51+6
2Wythe County51+2
4Chesterfield County50+6
4Suffolk city50+6
6Fauquier County48+2
6Frederick County48+4
6Stafford County48+1
9Henrico County46+2
9Henry County460
9Madison County460
12Arlington County45+2
12Hampton city45+1
14Fairfax County44-1
14Giles County44+6
16Alexandria city42+2
17Charles City County41+3
17Prince Edward County41+4
19Roanoke County39+3
20Caroline County37+5
20Richmond city370
22Norfolk city35+2
23Prince William County340
24Rockingham County27n/a
25Covington city21+2
26Lynchburg city190
26Winchester city19-1
28Warren County180
29Bristol city17-3
29Charlottesville city17-2
29Chesapeake city17-2
29Wise County17-1
33Fredericksburg city16+1
34Carroll County15-3
34Roanoke city15+1
36Culpeper County14-2
36King William County14-1
36Loudoun County14-1
36Martinsville city14-4
36Smyth County14-4
41Tazewell County13-3
42Northumberland County12-1
43Newport News city9-1

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. 17 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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=1997.

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), 1997 [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=1997 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_virginia_by_1997,
  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), 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/virginia-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 Virginia 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/virginia-counties?period=1997
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/median-air-quality-index/virginia-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 Virginia 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)?

Rockbridge County, with 58 in 1997, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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

Newport News city, with 9 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. 17 counties have no value for 1997 and are not ranked.

Median Air Quality Index (US EPA): other rankings

Counties in Virginia: more rankings