Counties in New York 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 35 counties in 2001, at 12.7%. Rensselaer County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 5.2%. Source: EPA.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest12.7Jefferson County
Median5.235 counties

Map of counties, 2001

Albany County: 4.7 %Bronx County: 7 %Broome County: 0.9 %Chautauqua County: 8.2 %Chemung County: 5.3 %Columbia County: 0 %Dutchess County: 6.9 %Erie County: 7.9 %Essex County: 5.5 %Franklin County: 0 %Hamilton County: 3 %Herkimer County: 2 %Jefferson County: 12.7 %Kings County: 0.8 %Madison County: 4.9 %Monroe County: 4.1 %Nassau County: 0.6 %New York County: 11.5 %Niagara County: 7.4 %Oneida County: 3 %Onondaga County: 5.2 %Orange County: 9.6 %Putnam County: 11.1 %Queens County: 6 %Rensselaer County: 0 %Richmond County: 10.8 %St. Lawrence County: 0.9 %Saratoga County: 6.2 %Schenectady County: 4.4 %Steuben County: 2.1 %Suffolk County: 6.8 %Tompkins County: 6.1 %Ulster County: 5.2 %Wayne County: 4.5 %Westchester County: 6.4 %
  • Under 0.9
  • 0.9 to 4.2
  • 4.2 to 5.2
  • 5.2 to 6.3
  • 6.3 to 8
  • 8 and over
  • No data
%, 2001. 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, 2001

Jefferson County: 12.7 %Jefferson County12.7New York County: 11.5 %New York County11.5Putnam County: 11.1 %Putnam County11.1Richmond County: 10.8 %Richmond County10.8Orange County: 9.6 %Orange County9.6Chautauqua County: 8.2 %Chautauqua County8.2Erie County: 7.9 %Erie County7.9Niagara County: 7.4 %Niagara County7.4Bronx County: 7 %Bronx County7Dutchess County: 6.9 %Dutchess County6.9Suffolk County: 6.8 %Suffolk County6.8Westchester County: 6.4 %Westchester County6.4Saratoga County: 6.2 %Saratoga County6.2Tompkins County: 6.1 %Tompkins County6.1Queens County: 6 %Queens County6Essex County: 5.5 %Essex County5.5Chemung County: 5.3 %Chemung County5.3Onondaga County: 5.2 %Onondaga County5.2Ulster County: 5.2 %Ulster County5.2Madison County: 4.9 %Madison County4.9Albany County: 4.7 %Albany County4.7Wayne County: 4.5 %Wayne County4.5Schenectady County: 4.4 %Schenectady County4.4Monroe County: 4.1 %Monroe County4.1Hamilton County: 3 %Hamilton County3Oneida County: 3 %Oneida County3Steuben County: 2.1 %Steuben County2.1Herkimer County: 2 %Herkimer County2Broome County: 0.9 %Broome County0.9St. Lawrence County: 0.9 %St. Lawrence County0.9Kings County: 0.8 %Kings County0.8Nassau County: 0.6 %Nassau County0.6Columbia County: 0 %Columbia County0Franklin County: 0 %Franklin County0Rensselaer County: 0 %Rensselaer County0Jefferson County: 12.7 %Jefferson County12.7New York County: 11.5 %New York County11.5Putnam County: 11.1 %Putnam County11.1Richmond County: 10.8 %Richmond County10.8Orange County: 9.6 %Orange County9.6Chautauqua County: 8.2 %Chautauqua County8.2Erie County: 7.9 %Erie County7.9Niagara County: 7.4 %Niagara County7.4Bronx County: 7 %Bronx County7Dutchess County: 6.9 %Dutchess County6.9Suffolk County: 6.8 %Suffolk County6.8Westchester County: 6.4 %Westchester County6.4Saratoga County: 6.2 %Saratoga County6.2Tompkins County: 6.1 %Tompkins County6.1Queens County: 6 %Queens County6Essex County: 5.5 %Essex County5.5Chemung County: 5.3 %Chemung County5.3Onondaga County: 5.2 %Onondaga County5.2Ulster County: 5.2 %Ulster County5.2Madison County: 4.9 %Madison County4.9Albany County: 4.7 %Albany County4.7Wayne County: 4.5 %Wayne County4.5Schenectady County: 4.4 %Schenectady County4.4Monroe County: 4.1 %Monroe County4.1Hamilton County: 3 %Hamilton County3Oneida County: 3 %Oneida County3Steuben County: 2.1 %Steuben County2.1Herkimer County: 2 %Herkimer County2Broome County: 0.9 %Broome County0.9St. Lawrence County: 0.9 %St. Lawrence County0.9Kings County: 0.8 %Kings County0.8Nassau County: 0.6 %Nassau County0.6Columbia County: 0 %Columbia County0Franklin County: 0 %Franklin County0Rensselaer County: 0 %Rensselaer County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2001 (%)Change on 2000
1Jefferson County12.7+10.4 pts
2New York County11.5+1.1 pts
3Putnam County11.1+5 pts
4Richmond County10.8+1.3 pts
5Orange County9.6+5.4 pts
6Chautauqua County8.2+3 pts
7Erie County7.9+5.2 pts
8Niagara County7.4+4.9 pts
9Bronx County7+1.5 pts
10Dutchess County6.9+3.1 pts
11Suffolk County6.8+1.9 pts
12Westchester County6.4+3 pts
13Saratoga County6.2+4.8 pts
14Tompkins County6.1+2.9 pts
15Queens County6+2.2 pts
16Essex County5.5+0.3 pts
17Chemung County5.3+3.6 pts
18Onondaga County5.2+2.7 pts
18Ulster County5.2+2.4 pts
20Madison County4.9+3.5 pts
21Albany County4.7+3.9 pts
22Wayne County4.5+3.6 pts
23Schenectady County4.4+3.3 pts
24Monroe County4.1+3 pts
25Hamilton County3+1.9 pts
25Oneida County3+2.2 pts
27Steuben County2.1+2.1 pts
28Herkimer County2+1.4 pts
29Broome County0.9+0.9 pts
29St. Lawrence County0.9+0.9 pts
31Kings County0.8-0.3 pts
32Nassau County0.6-0.2 pts
33Columbia County00 pts
33Franklin County00 pts
33Rensselaer County0n/a

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. 4 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2001 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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001) [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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001. 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/new-york-counties?period=2001. 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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001. 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/new-york-counties?period=2001.

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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/new-york-counties?period=2001 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_new_york_2001,
  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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001}},
  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/new-york-counties?period=2001. 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 New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2001
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/new-york-counties?period=2001
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/new-york-counties?period=2001.
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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in New York by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"aqi_unhealthy_sensitive_or_worse_days_share","level":"province","within":"New York","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=aqi_unhealthy_sensitive_or_worse_days_share&level=province&within=New%20York&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Jefferson County, with 12.7% in 2001, according to EPA.

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

Rensselaer County, with 0% in 2001.

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. 4 counties have no value for 2001 and are not ranked.

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

Counties in New York: more rankings