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

El Paso County had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 42 counties in 2017, at 6.3%. Webb County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 0.3%. Source: EPA.

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Highest6.3El Paso County
Median0.342 counties

Map of counties, 2017

Bell County: 1.4 %Bexar County: 1.7 %Bowie County: 0 %Brazoria County: 2 %Brewster County: 0 %Cameron County: 0 %Collin County: 1.9 %Culberson County: 1.7 %Dallas County: 1.9 %Denton County: 2.5 %Ector County: 0 %Ellis County: 0.8 %El Paso County: 6.3 %Fayette County: 0 %Galveston County: 1.7 %Gregg County: 0 %Harris County: 5.5 %Harrison County: 0 %Hidalgo County: 0 %Hood County: 0.9 %Hunt County: 0 %Jefferson County: 0.8 %Johnson County: 2.2 %Kaufman County: 0.3 %Kleberg County: 0 %Lubbock County: 0 %McLennan County: 0.5 %Maverick County: 0 %Montgomery County: 1.9 %Navarro County: 0.3 %Nueces County: 0 %Orange County: 0.3 %Parker County: 0.3 %Polk County: 0 %Potter County: 0 %Randall County: 0.3 %Rockwall County: 0.3 %Smith County: 0 %Tarrant County: 3.6 %Travis County: 1.1 %Victoria County: 0 %Webb County: 0 %
  • Under 0.3
  • 0.3 to 1
  • 1 to 1.9
  • 1.9 and over
  • No data
%, 2017. 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, 2017

El Paso County: 6.3 %El Paso County6.3Harris County: 5.5 %Harris County5.5Tarrant County: 3.6 %Tarrant County3.6Denton County: 2.5 %Denton County2.5Johnson County: 2.2 %Johnson County2.2Brazoria County: 2 %Brazoria County2Collin County: 1.9 %Collin County1.9Dallas County: 1.9 %Dallas County1.9Montgomery County: 1.9 %Montgomery County1.9Bexar County: 1.7 %Bexar County1.7Culberson County: 1.7 %Culberson County1.7Galveston County: 1.7 %Galveston County1.7Bell County: 1.4 %Bell County1.4Travis County: 1.1 %Travis County1.1Hood County: 0.9 %Hood County0.9Ellis County: 0.8 %Ellis County0.8Jefferson County: 0.8 %Jefferson County0.8McLennan County: 0.5 %McLennan County0.5Kaufman County: 0.3 %Kaufman County0.3Navarro County: 0.3 %Navarro County0.3Orange County: 0.3 %Orange County0.3Parker County: 0.3 %Parker County0.3Randall County: 0.3 %Randall County0.3Rockwall County: 0.3 %Rockwall County0.3Bowie County: 0 %Bowie County0Brewster County: 0 %Brewster County0Cameron County: 0 %Cameron County0Ector County: 0 %Ector County0Fayette County: 0 %Fayette County0Gregg County: 0 %Gregg County0Harrison County: 0 %Harrison County0Hidalgo County: 0 %Hidalgo County0Hunt County: 0 %Hunt County0Kleberg County: 0 %Kleberg County0Lubbock County: 0 %Lubbock County0Maverick County: 0 %Maverick County0Nueces County: 0 %Nueces County0Polk County: 0 %Polk County0Potter County: 0 %Potter County0Smith County: 0 %Smith County0Victoria County: 0 %Victoria County0Webb County: 0 %Webb County0El Paso County: 6.3 %El Paso County6.3Harris County: 5.5 %Harris County5.5Tarrant County: 3.6 %Tarrant County3.6Denton County: 2.5 %Denton County2.5Johnson County: 2.2 %Johnson County2.2Brazoria County: 2 %Brazoria County2Collin County: 1.9 %Collin County1.9Dallas County: 1.9 %Dallas County1.9Montgomery County: 1.9 %Montgomery County1.9Bexar County: 1.7 %Bexar County1.7Culberson County: 1.7 %Culberson County1.7Galveston County: 1.7 %Galveston County1.7Bell County: 1.4 %Bell County1.4Travis County: 1.1 %Travis County1.1Hood County: 0.9 %Hood County0.9Ellis County: 0.8 %Ellis County0.8Jefferson County: 0.8 %Jefferson County0.8McLennan County: 0.5 %McLennan County0.5Kaufman County: 0.3 %Kaufman County0.3Navarro County: 0.3 %Navarro County0.3Orange County: 0.3 %Orange County0.3Parker County: 0.3 %Parker County0.3Randall County: 0.3 %Randall County0.3Rockwall County: 0.3 %Rockwall County0.3Bowie County: 0 %Bowie County0Brewster County: 0 %Brewster County0Cameron County: 0 %Cameron County0Ector County: 0 %Ector County0Fayette County: 0 %Fayette County0Gregg County: 0 %Gregg County0Harrison County: 0 %Harrison County0Hidalgo County: 0 %Hidalgo County0Hunt County: 0 %Hunt County0Kleberg County: 0 %Kleberg County0Lubbock County: 0 %Lubbock County0Maverick County: 0 %Maverick County0Nueces County: 0 %Nueces County0Polk County: 0 %Polk County0Potter County: 0 %Potter County0Smith County: 0 %Smith County0Victoria County: 0 %Victoria County0Webb County: 0 %Webb County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1El Paso County6.3+4.7 pts
2Harris County5.5+0.9 pts
3Tarrant County3.6+1.4 pts
4Denton County2.5-0.5 pts
5Johnson County2.2+1.1 pts
6Brazoria County2+1.2 pts
7Collin County1.9+0.8 pts
7Dallas County1.9+1.1 pts
7Montgomery County1.9+0.8 pts
10Bexar County1.7+0.1 pts
10Culberson County1.7+1.7 pts
10Galveston County1.7+0.1 pts
13Bell County1.4+1.4 pts
14Travis County1.1+0.8 pts
15Hood County0.9+0.6 pts
16Ellis County0.8+0.8 pts
16Jefferson County0.80 pts
18McLennan County0.5+0.5 pts
19Kaufman County0.3+0.3 pts
19Navarro County0.3+0.3 pts
19Orange County0.3+0.3 pts
19Parker County0.30 pts
19Randall County0.30 pts
19Rockwall County0.3+0.3 pts
25Bowie County00 pts
25Brewster County00 pts
25Cameron County0-0.5 pts
25Ector County0-0.3 pts
25Fayette County00 pts
25Gregg County00 pts
25Harrison County00 pts
25Hidalgo County0-0.3 pts
25Hunt County00 pts
25Kleberg County00 pts
25Lubbock County00 pts
25Maverick County00 pts
25Nueces County00 pts
25Polk County00 pts
25Potter County00 pts
25Smith County0-0.3 pts
25Victoria County00 pts
25Webb 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. 21 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2017 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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017) [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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017. 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/texas-counties?period=2017. 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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017. 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/texas-counties?period=2017.

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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/texas-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_texas_by_2017,
  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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017}},
  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/texas-counties?period=2017. 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 Texas by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2017
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/texas-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/texas-counties?period=2017.
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 Texas 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)?

El Paso County, with 6.3% in 2017, according to EPA.

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

Webb County, with 0% in 2017.

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. 21 counties have no value for 2017 and are not ranked.

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

Counties in Texas: more rankings