EnviroNearby

Jackson County, North Carolina air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Jackson, North Carolina, 1999–2021.

74%
Good days in 2018
43
Median daily AQI, 2018
1
Days above 100 in 2018
237
Days with an AQI in 2018 (of 365)

In 2018, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Jackson, North Carolina on 237 days. 175 of those days (74%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 43. That median is about the same as the typical monitored county in North Carolina (median 42 across 35 counties), and about the same as the typical monitored U.S. county (41). The main pollutant was ozone on 146 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 34% in 1999–2001 versus 69% in 2016–2018.

EPA did not report an AQI for every day of 2018 here (237 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 2021; EPA's files for 2022–2025 contain no row for it, which usually means its monitors stopped reporting.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (2008, 2019, 2020, 2021) 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%1999: Good 59 of 170 days1999: Moderate 59 of 170 days1999: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 48 of 170 days1999: Unhealthy 4 of 170 days19992000: Good 67 of 223 days2000: Moderate 117 of 223 days2000: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 36 of 223 days2000: Unhealthy 3 of 223 days2001: Good 86 of 239 days2001: Moderate 115 of 239 days2001: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 35 of 239 days2001: Unhealthy 3 of 239 days20012002: Good 69 of 216 days2002: Moderate 117 of 216 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 26 of 216 days2002: Unhealthy 4 of 216 days2003: Good 100 of 259 days2003: Moderate 135 of 259 days2003: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 23 of 259 days2003: Unhealthy 1 of 259 days20032004: Good 145 of 251 days2004: Moderate 103 of 251 days2004: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 251 days2005: Good 47 of 126 days2005: Moderate 76 of 126 days2005: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 126 days20052006: Good 92 of 256 days2006: Moderate 136 of 256 days2006: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 28 of 256 days2007: Good 79 of 249 days2007: Moderate 152 of 249 days2007: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 18 of 249 days20072008: Good 43 of 104 days2008: Moderate 61 of 104 days2009: Good 191 of 257 days2009: Moderate 66 of 257 days20092010: Good 126 of 256 days2010: Moderate 127 of 256 days2010: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 256 days2011: Good 145 of 265 days2011: Moderate 116 of 265 days2011: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 4 of 265 days20112012: Good 149 of 253 days2012: Moderate 100 of 253 days2012: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 4 of 253 days2013: Good 182 of 253 days2013: Moderate 70 of 253 days2013: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 253 days20132014: Good 186 of 264 days2014: Moderate 77 of 264 days2014: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 264 days2015: Good 185 of 257 days2015: Moderate 72 of 257 days20152016: Good 168 of 271 days2016: Moderate 94 of 271 days2016: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 7 of 271 days2016: Unhealthy 2 of 271 days2017: Good 183 of 256 days2017: Moderate 73 of 256 days20172018: Good 175 of 237 days2018: Moderate 61 of 237 days2018: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 237 days2019: Good 85 of 103 days2019: Moderate 18 of 103 days20192020: Good 96 of 111 days2020: Moderate 15 of 111 days2021: Good 75 of 100 days2021: Moderate 25 of 100 days2021
  • 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 year0501001501999: 90th percentile AQI 1332000: 90th percentile AQI 1122001: 90th percentile AQI 1122002: 90th percentile AQI 1122003: 90th percentile AQI 1002004: 90th percentile AQI 732005: 90th percentile AQI 772006: 90th percentile AQI 1012007: 90th percentile AQI 972008: 90th percentile AQI 682009: 90th percentile AQI 602010: 90th percentile AQI 772011: 90th percentile AQI 742012: 90th percentile AQI 742013: 90th percentile AQI 592014: 90th percentile AQI 672015: 90th percentile AQI 622016: 90th percentile AQI 712017: 90th percentile AQI 642018: 90th percentile AQI 672019: 90th percentile AQI 542020: 90th percentile AQI 522021: 90th percentile AQI 561999: Median AQI 742000: Median AQI 672001: Median AQI 582002: Median AQI 582003: Median AQI 562004: Median AQI 472005: Median AQI 552006: Median AQI 582007: Median AQI 592008: Median AQI 532009: Median AQI 442010: Median AQI 512011: Median AQI 492012: Median AQI 482013: Median AQI 462014: Median AQI 442015: Median AQI 442016: Median AQI 482017: Median AQI 452018: Median AQI 432019: Median AQI 342020: Median AQI 322021: Median AQI 38199920012003200520072009201120132015201720192021
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2018

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
Ozone14662%
Fine particles (PM2.5)9138%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
202110075250000385673PM2.5
202011196150000325271PM2.5
201910385180000345466PM2.5
20182371756110004367108Ozone
20172561837300004564100Ozone
20162711689472004871155Ozone
20152571857200004462100Ozone
20142641867710004467119Ozone
20132531827010004659119Ozone
201225314910040004874143Ozone
201126514511640004974126Ozone
201025612612730005177136Ozone
2009257191660000446087Ozone
200810443610000536893PM2.5
200724979152180005997147Ozone
2006256921362800058101150Ozone
2005126477630005577108PM2.5
200425114510330004773115Ozone
20032591001352310056100166Ozone
2002216691172640058112169Ozone
2001239861153530058112169Ozone
2000223671173630067112174Ozone
199917059594840074133159Ozone

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 North Carolina with a similar median AQI in 2018

All monitored counties in North Carolina

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 1999–2021 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem