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

Richland County had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 27 counties in 2004, at 9.3%. Horry County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 1.7%. Source: EPA.

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Highest9.3Richland County
Median1.727 counties

Map of counties, 2004

Abbeville County: 3.6 %Aiken County: 4.9 %Anderson County: 6 %Barnwell County: 2.2 %Beaufort County: 1 %Berkeley County: 1.6 %Charleston County: 1.9 %Cherokee County: 0.6 %Chester County: 0.9 %Chesterfield County: 2.8 %Colleton County: 1.7 %Darlington County: 2.8 %Edgefield County: 1.7 %Florence County: 0 %Georgetown County: 0.6 %Greenville County: 1.1 %Greenwood County: 0.9 %Horry County: 0 %Lexington County: 0.6 %Oconee County: 2 %Orangeburg County: 1.3 %Pickens County: 4.3 %Richland County: 9.3 %Spartanburg County: 6.4 %Union County: 2.1 %Williamsburg County: 0.5 %York County: 1.6 %
  • Under 0.7
  • 0.7 to 1.4
  • 1.4 to 2
  • 2 to 3.4
  • 3.4 and over
  • No data
%, 2004. 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, 2004

Richland County: 9.3 %Richland County9.3Spartanburg County: 6.4 %Spartanburg County6.4Anderson County: 6 %Anderson County6Aiken County: 4.9 %Aiken County4.9Pickens County: 4.3 %Pickens County4.3Abbeville County: 3.6 %Abbeville County3.6Chesterfield County: 2.8 %Chesterfield County2.8Darlington County: 2.8 %Darlington County2.8Barnwell County: 2.2 %Barnwell County2.2Union County: 2.1 %Union County2.1Oconee County: 2 %Oconee County2Charleston County: 1.9 %Charleston County1.9Colleton County: 1.7 %Colleton County1.7Edgefield County: 1.7 %Edgefield County1.7Berkeley County: 1.6 %Berkeley County1.6York County: 1.6 %York County1.6Orangeburg County: 1.3 %Orangeburg County1.3Greenville County: 1.1 %Greenville County1.1Beaufort County: 1 %Beaufort County1Chester County: 0.9 %Chester County0.9Greenwood County: 0.9 %Greenwood County0.9Cherokee County: 0.6 %Cherokee County0.6Georgetown County: 0.6 %Georgetown County0.6Lexington County: 0.6 %Lexington County0.6Williamsburg County: 0.5 %Williamsburg County0.5Florence County: 0 %Florence County0Horry County: 0 %Horry County0Richland County: 9.3 %Richland County9.3Spartanburg County: 6.4 %Spartanburg County6.4Anderson County: 6 %Anderson County6Aiken County: 4.9 %Aiken County4.9Pickens County: 4.3 %Pickens County4.3Abbeville County: 3.6 %Abbeville County3.6Chesterfield County: 2.8 %Chesterfield County2.8Darlington County: 2.8 %Darlington County2.8Barnwell County: 2.2 %Barnwell County2.2Union County: 2.1 %Union County2.1Oconee County: 2 %Oconee County2Charleston County: 1.9 %Charleston County1.9Colleton County: 1.7 %Colleton County1.7Edgefield County: 1.7 %Edgefield County1.7Berkeley County: 1.6 %Berkeley County1.6York County: 1.6 %York County1.6Orangeburg County: 1.3 %Orangeburg County1.3Greenville County: 1.1 %Greenville County1.1Beaufort County: 1 %Beaufort County1Chester County: 0.9 %Chester County0.9Greenwood County: 0.9 %Greenwood County0.9Cherokee County: 0.6 %Cherokee County0.6Georgetown County: 0.6 %Georgetown County0.6Lexington County: 0.6 %Lexington County0.6Williamsburg County: 0.5 %Williamsburg County0.5Florence County: 0 %Florence County0Horry County: 0 %Horry County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2004 (%)Change on 2003
1Richland County9.3+2.7 pts
2Spartanburg County6.4+1.7 pts
3Anderson County6-2.1 pts
4Aiken County4.9+4 pts
5Pickens County4.3-5.2 pts
6Abbeville County3.6-1.3 pts
7Chesterfield County2.8-0.5 pts
7Darlington County2.80 pts
9Barnwell County2.2+0.8 pts
10Union County2.1-3.1 pts
11Oconee County2-1.9 pts
12Charleston County1.9+0.5 pts
13Colleton County1.7+0.4 pts
13Edgefield County1.7+1.4 pts
15Berkeley County1.6+0.8 pts
15York County1.6-2 pts
17Orangeburg County1.3+1.3 pts
18Greenville County1.1-0.5 pts
19Beaufort County1+1 pts
20Chester County0.9-4.7 pts
20Greenwood County0.9+0.1 pts
22Cherokee County0.6-3 pts
22Georgetown County0.6+0.6 pts
22Lexington County0.6+0.6 pts
25Williamsburg County0.5-0.4 pts
26Florence County00 pts
26Horry 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. 1 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2004 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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004) [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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004. 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/south-carolina-counties?period=2004. 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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004. 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/south-carolina-counties?period=2004.

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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/south-carolina-counties?period=2004 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_south_carolina_2004,
  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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004}},
  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/south-carolina-counties?period=2004. 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 South Carolina by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2004
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/south-carolina-counties?period=2004
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/south-carolina-counties?period=2004.
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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Questions

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

Richland County, with 9.3% in 2004, according to EPA.

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

Horry County, with 0% in 2004.

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. 1 counties have no value for 2004 and are not ranked.

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

Counties in South Carolina: more rankings