EnviroNearby

Laurel County, Kentucky air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Laurel, Kentucky, 2002–2006.

50%
Good days in 2006
51
Median daily AQI, 2006
0
Days above 100 in 2006
12
Days with an AQI in 2006 (of 365)

In 2006, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Laurel, Kentucky on 12 days. 6 of those days (50%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 51. That median is higher than the typical monitored county in Kentucky (median 44 across 29 counties), and higher than the typical monitored U.S. county (44). The main pollutant was fine particles (PM2.5) on 12 days.

EPA did not report an AQI for every day of 2006 here (12 of 365 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 2006; EPA's files for 2007–2025 contain no row for it, which usually means its monitors stopped reporting.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) 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%2002: Good 15 of 60 days2002: Moderate 44 of 60 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 60 days20022003: Good 11 of 61 days2003: Moderate 49 of 61 days2003: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 61 days20032004: Good 15 of 65 days2004: Moderate 50 of 65 days20042005: Good 14 of 71 days2005: Moderate 55 of 71 days2005: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 71 days2005: Unhealthy 1 of 71 days20052006: Good 6 of 12 days2006: Moderate 6 of 12 days2006
  • 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 year0501002002: 90th percentile AQI 792003: 90th percentile AQI 802004: 90th percentile AQI 762005: 90th percentile AQI 832006: 90th percentile AQI 692002: Median AQI 572003: Median AQI 572004: Median AQI 582005: Median AQI 592006: Median AQI 5120022003200420052006
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2006

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)12100%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
200612660000516974PM2.5
200571145511005983153PM2.5
20046515500000587697PM2.5
200361114910005780113PM2.5
200260154410005779118PM2.5

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.

Counties in Kentucky with a similar median AQI in 2006

All monitored counties in Kentucky

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 2002–2006 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem