EnviroNearby

Emmet County, Iowa air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Emmet, Iowa, 1996–2004.

67%
Good days in 2004
39
Median daily AQI, 2004
0
Days above 100 in 2004
119
Days with an AQI in 2004 (of 366)

In 2004, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Emmet, Iowa on 119 days. 80 of those days (67%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 39. That median is about the same as the typical monitored county in Iowa (median 38 across 17 counties), and lower than the typical monitored U.S. county (42). The main pollutant was fine particles (PM2.5) on 113 days.

EPA did not report an AQI for every day of 2004 here (119 of 366 days). Figures describe monitored days only; seasonal monitoring (for example, ozone measured only in warmer months) can make a county look cleaner or dirtier than a full-year record would.

The most recent year with data for this county is 2004; EPA's files for 2005–2025 contain no row for it, which usually means its monitors stopped reporting.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004…) are shown in the table but left out of comparisons and trend statements.

How the days broke down each year

Each bar is one year. The colored segments show the share of monitored days that fell in each AQI category.

Share of monitored days in each AQI category, by year0%25%50%75%100%1996: Good 40 of 41 days1996: Moderate 1 of 41 days19961997: Good 55 of 55 days19972000: Good 77 of 118 days2000: Moderate 41 of 118 days20002001: Good 74 of 119 days2001: Moderate 45 of 119 days20012002: Good 81 of 119 days2002: Moderate 38 of 119 days20022003: Good 65 of 118 days2003: Moderate 53 of 118 days20032004: Good 80 of 119 days2004: Moderate 39 of 119 days2004
  • Good
  • Moderate
  • Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
  • Unhealthy
  • Very Unhealthy
  • Hazardous

Typical and high-end AQI over time

The median is the middle day of the year. The 90th percentile is the level that only the highest 10% of days exceeded.

Median and 90th-percentile daily AQI, by year0501001996: 90th percentile AQI 301997: 90th percentile AQI 362000: 90th percentile AQI 682001: 90th percentile AQI 662002: 90th percentile AQI 612003: 90th percentile AQI 692004: 90th percentile AQI 661996: Median AQI 141997: Median AQI 162000: Median AQI 332001: Median AQI 392002: Median AQI 352003: Median AQI 412004: Median AQI 391996199720002001200220032004
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2004

On each monitored day, the AQI reflects whichever measured pollutant had the highest index. This counts how many days each pollutant set the AQI. A pollutant that was not measured here cannot appear.

PollutantDays as main pollutantShare of monitored days
Fine particles (PM2.5)11395%
Coarse particles (PM10)65%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
200411980390000396697PM2.5
200311865530000416984PM2.5
200211981380000356184PM2.5
200111974450000396683PM2.5
200011877410000336896PM2.5
1997555500000163641PM10
1996414010000143060PM10

What this data can and can’t tell you

It is a county-level summary. EPA reports one AQI per day for the county, based on the monitors operating there. Air at a particular street, school or home can differ, especially near roads, industry or wildfire smoke.

It is not a health assessment. The AQI is EPA’s scale for communicating daily air quality. A county’s history can’t tell you what the health risk is for any particular person. For daily conditions and health guidance, see AirNow.

Rules change over time. EPA has revised AQI breakpoints, most recently for fine particles in 2024, so some year-to-year change can reflect the scale rather than the air.

All monitored counties in Iowa

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 1996–2004 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem