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

Suffolk city had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 42 counties in 1990, at 15.7%. York County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 0.2%. Source: EPA.

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Highest15.7Suffolk city
Median0.242 counties

Map of counties, 1990

Amherst County: 9.8 %Arlington County: 10.4 %Augusta County: 4.5 %Buchanan County: 0 %Campbell County: 0 %Carroll County: 0 %Charles City County: 13.2 %Chesterfield County: 4.8 %Fairfax County: 12.1 %Fauquier County: 7.1 %Giles County: 11.6 %Hanover County: 12.6 %Henrico County: 10.3 %King William County: 0 %Loudoun County: 0 %Madison County: 8.8 %Northampton County: 11.2 %Prince Edward County: 7.3 %Prince William County: 0 %Roanoke County: 2.5 %Smyth County: 0 %Warren County: 6.9 %Wythe County: 11.4 %York County: 0 %Alexandria city: 4.1 %Bristol city: 0 %Charlottesville city: 0 %Chesapeake city: 0 %Covington city: 0 %Fairfax city: 6.3 %Fredericksburg city: 0 %Hampton city: 7 %Hopewell city: 0 %Lynchburg city: 0 %Martinsville city: 0 %Newport News city: 0 %Norfolk city: 0 %Portsmouth city: 0 %Richmond city: 0.3 %Roanoke city: 0 %Suffolk city: 15.7 %Winchester city: 0 %
  • Under 0.1
  • 0.1 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 11
  • 11 and over
  • No data
%, 1990. 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, 1990

Suffolk city: 15.7 %Suffolk city15.7Charles City County: 13.2 %Charles City County13.2Hanover County: 12.6 %Hanover County12.6Fairfax County: 12.1 %Fairfax County12.1Giles County: 11.6 %Giles County11.6Wythe County: 11.4 %Wythe County11.4Northampton County: 11.2 %Northampton County11.2Arlington County: 10.4 %Arlington County10.4Henrico County: 10.3 %Henrico County10.3Amherst County: 9.8 %Amherst County9.8Madison County: 8.8 %Madison County8.8Prince Edward County: 7.3 %Prince Edward County7.3Fauquier County: 7.1 %Fauquier County7.1Hampton city: 7 %Hampton city7Warren County: 6.9 %Warren County6.9Fairfax city: 6.3 %Fairfax city6.3Chesterfield County: 4.8 %Chesterfield County4.8Augusta County: 4.5 %Augusta County4.5Alexandria city: 4.1 %Alexandria city4.1Roanoke County: 2.5 %Roanoke County2.5Richmond city: 0.3 %Richmond city0.3Bristol city: 0 %Bristol city0Buchanan County: 0 %Buchanan County0Campbell County: 0 %Campbell County0Carroll County: 0 %Carroll County0Charlottesville city: 0 %Charlottesville city0Chesapeake city: 0 %Chesapeake city0Covington city: 0 %Covington city0Fredericksburg city: 0 %Fredericksburg city0Hopewell city: 0 %Hopewell city0King William County: 0 %King William County0Loudoun County: 0 %Loudoun County0Lynchburg city: 0 %Lynchburg city0Martinsville city: 0 %Martinsville city0Newport News city: 0 %Newport News city0Norfolk city: 0 %Norfolk city0Portsmouth city: 0 %Portsmouth city0Prince William County: 0 %Prince William County0Roanoke city: 0 %Roanoke city0Smyth County: 0 %Smyth County0Winchester city: 0 %Winchester city0York County: 0 %York County0Suffolk city: 15.7 %Suffolk city15.7Charles City County: 13.2 %Charles City County13.2Hanover County: 12.6 %Hanover County12.6Fairfax County: 12.1 %Fairfax County12.1Giles County: 11.6 %Giles County11.6Wythe County: 11.4 %Wythe County11.4Northampton County: 11.2 %Northampton County11.2Arlington County: 10.4 %Arlington County10.4Henrico County: 10.3 %Henrico County10.3Amherst County: 9.8 %Amherst County9.8Madison County: 8.8 %Madison County8.8Prince Edward County: 7.3 %Prince Edward County7.3Fauquier County: 7.1 %Fauquier County7.1Hampton city: 7 %Hampton city7Warren County: 6.9 %Warren County6.9Fairfax city: 6.3 %Fairfax city6.3Chesterfield County: 4.8 %Chesterfield County4.8Augusta County: 4.5 %Augusta County4.5Alexandria city: 4.1 %Alexandria city4.1Roanoke County: 2.5 %Roanoke County2.5Richmond city: 0.3 %Richmond city0.3Bristol city: 0 %Bristol city0Buchanan County: 0 %Buchanan County0Campbell County: 0 %Campbell County0Carroll County: 0 %Carroll County0Charlottesville city: 0 %Charlottesville city0Chesapeake city: 0 %Chesapeake city0Covington city: 0 %Covington city0Fredericksburg city: 0 %Fredericksburg city0Hopewell city: 0 %Hopewell city0King William County: 0 %King William County0Loudoun County: 0 %Loudoun County0Lynchburg city: 0 %Lynchburg city0Martinsville city: 0 %Martinsville city0Newport News city: 0 %Newport News city0Norfolk city: 0 %Norfolk city0Portsmouth city: 0 %Portsmouth city0Prince William County: 0 %Prince William County0Roanoke city: 0 %Roanoke city0Smyth County: 0 %Smyth County0Winchester city: 0 %Winchester city0York County: 0 %York County0
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties1990 (%)Change on 1989
1Suffolk city15.7+13.1 pts
2Charles City County13.2+10.8 pts
3Hanover County12.6-0.6 pts
4Fairfax County12.1-5.7 pts
5Giles County11.6n/a
6Wythe County11.4n/a
7Northampton County11.2+0.2 pts
8Arlington County10.4+2.7 pts
9Henrico County10.3+4.7 pts
10Amherst County9.8n/a
11Madison County8.8+6.8 pts
12Prince Edward County7.3n/a
13Fauquier County7.1-4.6 pts
14Hampton city7+2.8 pts
15Warren County6.9+0.4 pts
16Fairfax city6.30 pts
17Chesterfield County4.8-3.8 pts
18Augusta County4.5+3 pts
19Alexandria city4.1+1.4 pts
20Roanoke County2.50 pts
21Richmond city0.3+0.3 pts
22Bristol city00 pts
22Buchanan County00 pts
22Campbell County00 pts
22Carroll County00 pts
22Charlottesville city00 pts
22Chesapeake city00 pts
22Covington city00 pts
22Fredericksburg city00 pts
22Hopewell city00 pts
22King William County0n/a
22Loudoun County0n/a
22Lynchburg city00 pts
22Martinsville city00 pts
22Newport News city00 pts
22Norfolk city00 pts
22Portsmouth city00 pts
22Prince William County0n/a
22Roanoke city00 pts
22Smyth County0-3.3 pts
22Winchester city00 pts
22York 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. 18 counties with data in other periods have no value for 1990 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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990) [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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990. 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/virginia-counties?period=1990. 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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990. 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/virginia-counties?period=1990.

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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/virginia-counties?period=1990 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{environmental_counties_in_virginia_by_1990,
  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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990}},
  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/virginia-counties?period=1990. 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 Virginia by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 1990
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/virginia-counties?period=1990
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/virginia-counties?period=1990.
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 Virginia 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)?

Suffolk city, with 15.7% in 1990, according to EPA.

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

York County, with 0% in 1990.

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. 18 counties have no value for 1990 and are not ranked.

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

Counties in Virginia: more rankings