EnviroNearby

Lincoln County, North Carolina air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Lincoln, North Carolina, 1982–2025.

90%
Good days in 2025
41
Median daily AQI, 2025
0
Days above 100 in 2025
242
Days with an AQI in 2025 (of 365)

In 2025, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Lincoln, North Carolina on 242 days. 217 of those days (90%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 41. That median is about the same as the typical monitored county in North Carolina (median 39 across 33 counties), and about the same as the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was ozone on 242 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 56% in 1983–1985 versus 88% in 2023–2025.

EPA did not report an AQI for every day of 2025 here (242 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.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (1982) 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%1982: Good 95 of 119 days1982: Moderate 21 of 119 days1982: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 119 days19821983: Good 93 of 169 days1983: Moderate 52 of 169 days1983: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 23 of 169 days1983: Unhealthy 1 of 169 days1984: Good 117 of 195 days1984: Moderate 62 of 195 days1984: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 16 of 195 days1985: Good 108 of 207 days1985: Moderate 75 of 207 days1985: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 22 of 207 days1985: Unhealthy 2 of 207 days1988: Good 84 of 214 days1988: Moderate 74 of 214 days1988: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 34 of 214 days1988: Unhealthy 21 of 214 days1988: Very Unhealthy 1 of 214 days1991: Good 134 of 212 days1991: Moderate 71 of 212 days1991: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 7 of 212 days19911992: Good 155 of 213 days1992: Moderate 47 of 213 days1992: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 11 of 213 days1993: Good 109 of 237 days1993: Moderate 73 of 237 days1993: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 46 of 237 days1993: Unhealthy 8 of 237 days1993: Very Unhealthy 1 of 237 days1994: Good 132 of 239 days1994: Moderate 72 of 239 days1994: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 29 of 239 days1994: Unhealthy 6 of 239 days1995: Good 136 of 238 days1995: Moderate 72 of 238 days1995: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 24 of 238 days1995: Unhealthy 6 of 238 days1996: Good 137 of 238 days1996: Moderate 74 of 238 days1996: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 25 of 238 days1996: Unhealthy 2 of 238 days19961997: Good 125 of 229 days1997: Moderate 81 of 229 days1997: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 20 of 229 days1997: Unhealthy 3 of 229 days1998: Good 96 of 213 days1998: Moderate 73 of 213 days1998: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 31 of 213 days1998: Unhealthy 13 of 213 days1999: Good 143 of 212 days1999: Moderate 50 of 212 days1999: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 15 of 212 days1999: Unhealthy 4 of 212 days2000: Good 100 of 212 days2000: Moderate 62 of 212 days2000: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 37 of 212 days2000: Unhealthy 13 of 212 days2001: Good 98 of 214 days2001: Moderate 76 of 214 days2001: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 32 of 214 days2001: Unhealthy 8 of 214 days20012002: Good 114 of 214 days2002: Moderate 57 of 214 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 23 of 214 days2002: Unhealthy 20 of 214 days2003: Good 115 of 211 days2003: Moderate 74 of 211 days2003: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 17 of 211 days2003: Unhealthy 5 of 211 days2004: Good 144 of 211 days2004: Moderate 56 of 211 days2004: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 11 of 211 days2005: Good 121 of 214 days2005: Moderate 67 of 214 days2005: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 23 of 214 days2005: Unhealthy 3 of 214 days2006: Good 108 of 213 days2006: Moderate 91 of 213 days2006: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 11 of 213 days2006: Unhealthy 3 of 213 days20062007: Good 87 of 214 days2007: Moderate 91 of 214 days2007: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 33 of 214 days2007: Unhealthy 3 of 214 days2008: Good 126 of 214 days2008: Moderate 74 of 214 days2008: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 11 of 214 days2008: Unhealthy 3 of 214 days2009: Good 172 of 214 days2009: Moderate 42 of 214 days2010: Good 130 of 212 days2010: Moderate 74 of 212 days2010: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 8 of 212 days2011: Good 126 of 213 days2011: Moderate 75 of 213 days2011: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 12 of 213 days20112012: Good 142 of 213 days2012: Moderate 64 of 213 days2012: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 6 of 213 days2012: Unhealthy 1 of 213 days2013: Good 194 of 214 days2013: Moderate 18 of 214 days2013: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 2 of 214 days2014: Good 181 of 212 days2014: Moderate 29 of 212 days2014: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 2 of 212 days2015: Good 158 of 208 days2015: Moderate 49 of 208 days2015: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 208 days2016: Good 173 of 211 days2016: Moderate 36 of 211 days2016: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 211 days2016: Unhealthy 1 of 211 days20162017: Good 207 of 238 days2017: Moderate 31 of 238 days2018: Good 184 of 225 days2018: Moderate 41 of 225 days2019: Good 178 of 243 days2019: Moderate 65 of 243 days2020: Good 241 of 243 days2020: Moderate 2 of 243 days2021: Good 205 of 243 days2021: Moderate 38 of 243 days20212022: Good 202 of 243 days2022: Moderate 40 of 243 days2022: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 243 days2023: Good 202 of 244 days2023: Moderate 42 of 244 days2024: Good 223 of 243 days2024: Moderate 20 of 243 days2025: Good 217 of 242 days2025: Moderate 25 of 242 days2025
  • 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 year0501001502001982: 90th percentile AQI 741983: 90th percentile AQI 1051984: 90th percentile AQI 971985: 90th percentile AQI 1011988: 90th percentile AQI 1511991: 90th percentile AQI 841992: 90th percentile AQI 771993: 90th percentile AQI 1221994: 90th percentile AQI 1151995: 90th percentile AQI 1121996: 90th percentile AQI 1051997: 90th percentile AQI 1011998: 90th percentile AQI 1291999: 90th percentile AQI 932000: 90th percentile AQI 1292001: 90th percentile AQI 1292002: 90th percentile AQI 1472003: 90th percentile AQI 1052004: 90th percentile AQI 842005: 90th percentile AQI 1012006: 90th percentile AQI 932007: 90th percentile AQI 1122008: 90th percentile AQI 932009: 90th percentile AQI 612010: 90th percentile AQI 842011: 90th percentile AQI 872012: 90th percentile AQI 742013: 90th percentile AQI 502014: 90th percentile AQI 612015: 90th percentile AQI 672016: 90th percentile AQI 612017: 90th percentile AQI 542018: 90th percentile AQI 582019: 90th percentile AQI 642020: 90th percentile AQI 452021: 90th percentile AQI 582022: 90th percentile AQI 582023: 90th percentile AQI 582024: 90th percentile AQI 492025: 90th percentile AQI 511982: Median AQI 411983: Median AQI 481984: Median AQI 451985: Median AQI 491988: Median AQI 671991: Median AQI 471992: Median AQI 431993: Median AQI 611994: Median AQI 481995: Median AQI 461996: Median AQI 471997: Median AQI 491998: Median AQI 541999: Median AQI 462000: Median AQI 542001: Median AQI 612002: Median AQI 502003: Median AQI 482004: Median AQI 442005: Median AQI 482006: Median AQI 502007: Median AQI 582008: Median AQI 472009: Median AQI 402010: Median AQI 462011: Median AQI 482012: Median AQI 462013: Median AQI 402014: Median AQI 422015: Median AQI 442016: Median AQI 442017: Median AQI 422018: Median AQI 412019: Median AQI 442020: Median AQI 352021: Median AQI 422022: Median AQI 432023: Median AQI 432024: Median AQI 402025: Median AQI 41198219911996200120062011201620212025
  • Median daily AQI
  • 90th-percentile daily AQI

Main pollutant by day, 2025

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
Ozone242100%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
2025242217250000415187Ozone
2024243223200000404980Ozone
2023244202420000435897Ozone
20222432024010004358108Ozone
2021243205380000425897Ozone
202024324120000354571Ozone
2019243178650000446497Ozone
2018225184410000415890Ozone
2017238207310000425493Ozone
20162111733611004461156Ozone
20152081584910004467112Ozone
20142121812920004261108Ozone
20132141941820004050105Ozone
20122131426461004674154Ozone
201121312675120004887129Ozone
20102121307480004684143Ozone
2009214172420000406190Ozone
200821412674113004793179Ozone
200721487913330058112166Ozone
200621310891113005093177Ozone
2005214121672330048101156Ozone
200421114456110004484119Ozone
2003211115741750048105174Ozone
20022141145723200050147179Ozone
200121498763280061129174Ozone
20002121006237130054129197Ozone
199921214350154004693172Ozone
1998213967331130054129179Ozone
1997229125812030049101159Ozone
1996238137742520047105164Ozone
1995238136722460046112190Ozone
1994239132722960048115200Ozone
1993237109734681061122214Ozone
199221315547110004377126Ozone
19912121347170004784129Ozone
1988214847434211067151226Ozone
1985207108752220049101182Ozone
198419511762160004597143Ozone
198316993522310048105154Ozone
1982119952130004174126Ozone

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 2025

All monitored counties in North Carolina

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 1982–2025 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem