Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI)

Jefferson County had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 31 counties in 2015, at 4.7%. San Juan County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 0.5%. Source: EPA.

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Median0.531 counties

Map of counties, 2015

Adams County: 0.8 %Alamosa County: 0 %Arapahoe County: 0.6 %Archuleta County: 0 %Boulder County: 1.9 %Chaffee County: 1 %Clear Creek County: 2 %Delta County: 0 %Denver County: 2.5 %Douglas County: 3 %El Paso County: 0.3 %Fremont County: 0 %Garfield County: 2.7 %Grand County: 0 %Gunnison County: 0.8 %Jackson County: 0 %Jefferson County: 4.7 %La Plata County: 0.5 %Larimer County: 4.7 %Mesa County: 0.8 %Moffat County: 0 %Montezuma County: 0 %Park County: 1.1 %Pitkin County: 0 %Prowers County: 0.9 %Pueblo County: 0 %Rio Blanco County: 0 %Routt County: 0 %San Juan County: 0 %San Miguel County: 0.4 %Weld County: 2.5 %
  • Under 0.5
  • 0.5 to 0.9
  • 0.9 to 2.5
  • 2.5 and over
  • No data
%, 2015. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2015

Jefferson County: 4.7 %Jefferson County4.7Larimer County: 4.7 %Larimer County4.7Douglas County: 3 %Douglas County3Garfield County: 2.7 %Garfield County2.7Denver County: 2.5 %Denver County2.5Weld County: 2.5 %Weld County2.5Clear Creek County: 2 %Clear Creek County2Boulder County: 1.9 %Boulder County1.9Park County: 1.1 %Park County1.1Chaffee County: 1 %Chaffee County1Prowers County: 0.9 %Prowers County0.9Adams County: 0.8 %Adams County0.8Gunnison County: 0.8 %Gunnison County0.8Mesa County: 0.8 %Mesa County0.8Arapahoe County: 0.6 %Arapahoe County0.6La Plata County: 0.5 %La Plata County0.5San Miguel County: 0.4 %San Miguel County0.4El Paso County: 0.3 %El Paso County0.3Alamosa County: 0 %Alamosa County0Archuleta County: 0 %Archuleta County0Delta County: 0 %Delta County0Fremont County: 0 %Fremont County0Grand County: 0 %Grand County0Jackson County: 0 %Jackson County0Moffat County: 0 %Moffat County0Montezuma County: 0 %Montezuma County0Pitkin County: 0 %Pitkin County0Pueblo County: 0 %Pueblo County0Rio Blanco County: 0 %Rio Blanco County0Routt County: 0 %Routt County0San Juan County: 0 %San Juan County0Jefferson County: 4.7 %Jefferson County4.7Larimer County: 4.7 %Larimer County4.7Douglas County: 3 %Douglas County3Garfield County: 2.7 %Garfield County2.7Denver County: 2.5 %Denver County2.5Weld County: 2.5 %Weld County2.5Clear Creek County: 2 %Clear Creek County2Boulder County: 1.9 %Boulder County1.9Park County: 1.1 %Park County1.1Chaffee County: 1 %Chaffee County1Prowers County: 0.9 %Prowers County0.9Adams County: 0.8 %Adams County0.8Gunnison County: 0.8 %Gunnison County0.8Mesa County: 0.8 %Mesa County0.8Arapahoe County: 0.6 %Arapahoe County0.6La Plata County: 0.5 %La Plata County0.5San Miguel County: 0.4 %San Miguel County0.4El Paso County: 0.3 %El Paso County0.3Alamosa County: 0 %Alamosa County0Archuleta County: 0 %Archuleta County0Delta County: 0 %Delta County0Fremont County: 0 %Fremont County0Grand County: 0 %Grand County0Jackson County: 0 %Jackson County0Moffat County: 0 %Moffat County0Montezuma County: 0 %Montezuma County0Pitkin County: 0 %Pitkin County0Pueblo County: 0 %Pueblo County0Rio Blanco County: 0 %Rio Blanco County0Routt County: 0 %Routt County0San Juan County: 0 %San Juan County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Jefferson County4.7+0.3 pts
1Larimer County4.70 pts
3Douglas County3+0.5 pts
4Garfield County2.7+2.2 pts
5Denver County2.5+1.7 pts
5Weld County2.5+1.4 pts
7Clear Creek County2-3.6 pts
8Boulder County1.9+0.5 pts
9Park County1.1+0.5 pts
10Chaffee County1+1 pts
11Prowers County0.9-1.6 pts
12Adams County0.8-0.6 pts
12Gunnison County0.8+0.8 pts
12Mesa County0.8+0.5 pts
15Arapahoe County0.6+0.3 pts
16La Plata County0.5+0.2 pts
17San Miguel County0.4+0.4 pts
18El Paso County0.3+0.3 pts
19Alamosa County0-0.5 pts
19Archuleta County00 pts
19Delta County00 pts
19Fremont County00 pts
19Grand County0n/a
19Jackson County00 pts
19Moffat County00 pts
19Montezuma County00 pts
19Pitkin County00 pts
19Pueblo County0-0.8 pts
19Rio Blanco County00 pts
19Routt County00 pts
19San Juan County00 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Days with a daily Air Quality Index above 100 (unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, very unhealthy or hazardous) as a percentage of the days of the year with an AQI in a US county. Calculated by Invokely from the day counts in the EPA AirData annual summaries; the counts are stored with each value.

Use the share rather than the number of days to compare counties, since the days with an AQI differ. 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. 9 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2015 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: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. 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: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts (Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015) [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: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts, Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 13 July 2026, https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2026. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2026) EPA AirData annual AQI by county: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts, Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_colorado_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Environmental Protection Agency}},
  title = {{EPA AirData annual AQI by county: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts: Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015}},
  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/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015. Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. 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: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts: Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2015
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/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/colorado-counties?period=2015.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, AirData. EPA AirData annual AQI by county: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Colorado by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI)?

Jefferson County, with 4.7% in 2015, according to EPA.

Which county has the lowest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI)?

San Juan County, with 0% in 2015.

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: days with an AQI above 100 as a share of days with an AQI, calculated with stored counts. Retrieved 2026-10-12. 9 counties have no value for 2015 and are not ranked.

Share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI): other rankings

Counties in Colorado: more rankings