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

Okanogan County had the highest share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI) of 31 counties in 2023, at 2.5%. Whatcom County had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 0.8%. Source: EPA.

Highest2.5Okanogan County

Lowest0Whatcom County

Median0.831 counties

Map of counties, 2023

Under 0.5
0.5 to 0.8
0.8 to 1.1
1.1 to 1.6
1.6 and over
No data

%, 2023. 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, 2023

%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from EPA. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Counties	2023 (%)	Change on 2022
1	Okanogan County	2.5	+1.1 pts
2	Stevens County	2.2	0 pts
3	Asotin County	1.7	-0.3 pts
4	Franklin County	1.6	+0.7 pts
4	Grant County	1.6	+0.8 pts
4	King County	1.6	-3.6 pts
7	Chelan County	1.4	-4.9 pts
8	Benton County	1.1	+0.3 pts
8	Kittitas County	1.1	-0.3 pts
8	Spokane County	1.1	-0.5 pts
8	Walla Walla County	1.1	+0.3 pts
8	Yakima County	1.1	-0.5 pts
13	Adams County	0.8	-0.3 pts
13	Columbia County	0.8	-0.3 pts
13	Klickitat County	0.8	+0.8 pts
13	Pierce County	0.8	-2.2 pts
13	Snohomish County	0.8	-5.6 pts
18	Lewis County	0.6	-2.1 pts
19	Clark County	0.5	-0.9 pts
19	Garfield County	0.5	-0.8 pts
19	Whitman County	0.5	-0.6 pts
22	Clallam County	0.3	-0.2 pts
22	Kitsap County	0.3	-0.5 pts
22	Mason County	0.3	-0.5 pts
25	Cowlitz County	0	-0.6 pts
25	Grays Harbor County	0	-0.3 pts
25	Jefferson County	0	0 pts
25	Pacific County	0	n/a
25	Skagit County	0	-1.4 pts
25	Thurston County	0	-0.9 pts
25	Whatcom County	0	-2.6 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. 3 counties with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023) [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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023. 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/washington-counties?period=2023. 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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023. 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/washington-counties?period=2023.

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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://aqs.epa.gov/aqsweb/airdata/download_files.html#Annual, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/washington-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{environmental_counties_in_washington_by_2023,
  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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023}},
  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/washington-counties?period=2023. 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 Washington by share of days unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse (US EPA AQI), 2023
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/washington-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unhealthy-air-quality-days-share/washington-counties?period=2023.
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)?

Okanogan County, with 2.5% in 2023, according to EPA.

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

Whatcom County, with 0% in 2023.

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. 3 counties have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.