Counties in Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003

Blount County had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 30 counties in 2003, at 11.5%. Roane County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 4.4%. Source: EPA.

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Highest11.5Blount County
Median4.430 counties

Map of counties, 2003

Anderson County: 4.2 %Blount County: 11.5 %Bradley County: 0 %Claiborne County: 1.4 %Davidson County: 4.1 %DeKalb County: 2 %Dyer County: 1 %Hamilton County: 7 %Haywood County: 4.3 %Humphreys County: 4.4 %Jefferson County: 5.7 %Knox County: 5.8 %Lawrence County: 3.2 %Loudon County: 0 %McMinn County: 0.6 %Madison County: 0 %Maury County: 0 %Meigs County: 6.9 %Montgomery County: 1.6 %Obion County: 5.3 %Putnam County: 6.8 %Roane County: 0 %Rutherford County: 7.2 %Sevier County: 9.1 %Shelby County: 9.9 %Sullivan County: 5.2 %Sumner County: 8.4 %Union County: 0.3 %Williamson County: 8.2 %Wilson County: 7.4 %
  • Under 0.2
  • 0.2 to 1.9
  • 1.9 to 4.3
  • 4.3 to 6.1
  • 6.1 to 7.5
  • 7.5 and over
  • No data
%, 2003. 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, 2003

Blount County: 11.5 %Blount County11.5Shelby County: 9.9 %Shelby County9.9Sevier County: 9.1 %Sevier County9.1Sumner County: 8.4 %Sumner County8.4Williamson County: 8.2 %Williamson County8.2Wilson County: 7.4 %Wilson County7.4Rutherford County: 7.2 %Rutherford County7.2Hamilton County: 7 %Hamilton County7Meigs County: 6.9 %Meigs County6.9Putnam County: 6.8 %Putnam County6.8Knox County: 5.8 %Knox County5.8Jefferson County: 5.7 %Jefferson County5.7Obion County: 5.3 %Obion County5.3Sullivan County: 5.2 %Sullivan County5.2Humphreys County: 4.4 %Humphreys County4.4Haywood County: 4.3 %Haywood County4.3Anderson County: 4.2 %Anderson County4.2Davidson County: 4.1 %Davidson County4.1Lawrence County: 3.2 %Lawrence County3.2DeKalb County: 2 %DeKalb County2Montgomery County: 1.6 %Montgomery County1.6Claiborne County: 1.4 %Claiborne County1.4Dyer County: 1 %Dyer County1McMinn County: 0.6 %McMinn County0.6Union County: 0.3 %Union County0.3Bradley County: 0 %Bradley County0Loudon County: 0 %Loudon County0Madison County: 0 %Madison County0Maury County: 0 %Maury County0Roane County: 0 %Roane County0Blount County: 11.5 %Blount County11.5Shelby County: 9.9 %Shelby County9.9Sevier County: 9.1 %Sevier County9.1Sumner County: 8.4 %Sumner County8.4Williamson County: 8.2 %Williamson County8.2Wilson County: 7.4 %Wilson County7.4Rutherford County: 7.2 %Rutherford County7.2Hamilton County: 7 %Hamilton County7Meigs County: 6.9 %Meigs County6.9Putnam County: 6.8 %Putnam County6.8Knox County: 5.8 %Knox County5.8Jefferson County: 5.7 %Jefferson County5.7Obion County: 5.3 %Obion County5.3Sullivan County: 5.2 %Sullivan County5.2Humphreys County: 4.4 %Humphreys County4.4Haywood County: 4.3 %Haywood County4.3Anderson County: 4.2 %Anderson County4.2Davidson County: 4.1 %Davidson County4.1Lawrence County: 3.2 %Lawrence County3.2DeKalb County: 2 %DeKalb County2Montgomery County: 1.6 %Montgomery County1.6Claiborne County: 1.4 %Claiborne County1.4Dyer County: 1 %Dyer County1McMinn County: 0.6 %McMinn County0.6Union County: 0.3 %Union County0.3Bradley County: 0 %Bradley County0Loudon County: 0 %Loudon County0Madison County: 0 %Madison County0Maury County: 0 %Maury County0Roane County: 0 %Roane County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2003 (%)Change on 2002
1Blount County11.5-7.4 pts
2Shelby County9.9-1.9 pts
3Sevier County9.1-12.7 pts
4Sumner County8.4-4.1 pts
5Williamson County8.2-6.9 pts
6Wilson County7.4-5.6 pts
7Rutherford County7.2-6.3 pts
8Hamilton County7-9.7 pts
9Meigs County6.9-12.6 pts
10Putnam County6.8-8.6 pts
11Knox County5.8-9.5 pts
12Jefferson County5.7-16.5 pts
13Obion County5.3n/a
14Sullivan County5.2-6.6 pts
15Humphreys County4.4n/a
16Haywood County4.3-3.8 pts
17Anderson County4.2-17.2 pts
18Davidson County4.1-2.5 pts
19Lawrence County3.2-3.5 pts
20DeKalb County2-1.6 pts
21Montgomery County1.6+1.6 pts
22Claiborne County1.4-7.7 pts
23Dyer County1+0.1 pts
24McMinn County0.6+0.3 pts
25Union County0.3+0.3 pts
26Bradley County00 pts
26Loudon County0n/a
26Madison County00 pts
26Maury County0-0.9 pts
26Roane 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. 12 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2003 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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003) [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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003. 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/tennessee-counties. 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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003. 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/tennessee-counties.

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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/tennessee-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_tennessee_by_2003,
  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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003}},
  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/tennessee-counties. 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 Tennessee by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2003
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/tennessee-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/tennessee-counties.
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 Tennessee 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)?

Blount County, with 11.5% in 2003, according to EPA.

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

Roane County, with 0% in 2003.

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. 12 counties have no value for 2003 and are not ranked.

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

Counties in Tennessee: more rankings