EnviroNearby

Rowan County, North Carolina air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Rowan, North Carolina, 1992–2025.

74%
Good days in 2025
43
Median daily AQI, 2025
0
Days above 100 in 2025
365
Days with an AQI in 2025 (of 365)

In 2025, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Rowan, North Carolina on 365 days. 269 of those days (74%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 43. That median is higher than the typical monitored county in North Carolina (median 39 across 33 counties), and higher than the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was ozone on 194 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 49% in 1994–1996 versus 67% in 2023–2025.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (1992, 1993) 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%1992: Good 4 of 4 days19921993: Good 68 of 114 days1993: Moderate 23 of 114 days1993: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 17 of 114 days1993: Unhealthy 5 of 114 days1993: Very Unhealthy 1 of 114 days1994: Good 111 of 210 days1994: Moderate 66 of 210 days1994: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 22 of 210 days1994: Unhealthy 9 of 210 days1994: Very Unhealthy 2 of 210 days1995: Good 111 of 229 days1995: Moderate 76 of 229 days1995: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 30 of 229 days1995: Unhealthy 11 of 229 days1995: Very Unhealthy 1 of 229 days1996: Good 105 of 227 days1996: Moderate 57 of 227 days1996: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 51 of 227 days1996: Unhealthy 12 of 227 days1996: Very Unhealthy 2 of 227 days1997: Good 112 of 239 days1997: Moderate 74 of 239 days1997: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 38 of 239 days1997: Unhealthy 14 of 239 days1997: Very Unhealthy 1 of 239 days19971998: Good 84 of 214 days1998: Moderate 67 of 214 days1998: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 36 of 214 days1998: Unhealthy 23 of 214 days1998: Very Unhealthy 4 of 214 days1999: Good 70 of 214 days1999: Moderate 58 of 214 days1999: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 51 of 214 days1999: Unhealthy 28 of 214 days1999: Very Unhealthy 7 of 214 days2000: Good 96 of 214 days2000: Moderate 65 of 214 days2000: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 40 of 214 days2000: Unhealthy 13 of 214 days2001: Good 80 of 214 days2001: Moderate 69 of 214 days2001: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 46 of 214 days2001: Unhealthy 18 of 214 days2001: Very Unhealthy 1 of 214 days2002: Good 80 of 214 days2002: Moderate 71 of 214 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 34 of 214 days2002: Unhealthy 23 of 214 days2002: Very Unhealthy 6 of 214 days20022003: Good 105 of 214 days2003: Moderate 75 of 214 days2003: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 27 of 214 days2003: Unhealthy 5 of 214 days2003: Very Unhealthy 2 of 214 days2004: Good 126 of 213 days2004: Moderate 64 of 213 days2004: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 21 of 213 days2004: Unhealthy 2 of 213 days2005: Good 125 of 303 days2005: Moderate 129 of 303 days2005: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 39 of 303 days2005: Unhealthy 10 of 303 days2006: Good 170 of 365 days2006: Moderate 155 of 365 days2006: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 31 of 365 days2006: Unhealthy 9 of 365 days2007: Good 78 of 365 days2007: Moderate 216 of 365 days2007: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 57 of 365 days2007: Unhealthy 14 of 365 days20072008: Good 92 of 366 days2008: Moderate 243 of 366 days2008: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 28 of 366 days2008: Unhealthy 3 of 366 days2009: Good 150 of 365 days2009: Moderate 207 of 365 days2009: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 8 of 365 days2010: Good 119 of 365 days2010: Moderate 225 of 365 days2010: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 20 of 365 days2010: Unhealthy 1 of 365 days2011: Good 132 of 365 days2011: Moderate 209 of 365 days2011: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 23 of 365 days2011: Unhealthy 1 of 365 days2012: Good 149 of 366 days2012: Moderate 205 of 366 days2012: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 10 of 366 days2012: Unhealthy 1 of 366 days2012: Very Unhealthy 1 of 366 days20122013: Good 208 of 365 days2013: Moderate 156 of 365 days2013: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 365 days2014: Good 190 of 365 days2014: Moderate 175 of 365 days2015: Good 166 of 358 days2015: Moderate 191 of 358 days2015: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 358 days2016: Good 313 of 360 days2016: Moderate 47 of 360 days2017: Good 331 of 355 days2017: Moderate 24 of 355 days20172018: Good 322 of 336 days2018: Moderate 14 of 336 days2019: Good 276 of 365 days2019: Moderate 89 of 365 days2020: Good 253 of 365 days2020: Moderate 112 of 365 days2021: Good 244 of 364 days2021: Moderate 120 of 364 days2022: Good 230 of 364 days2022: Moderate 134 of 364 days20222023: Good 210 of 363 days2023: Moderate 150 of 363 days2023: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 3 of 363 days2024: Good 252 of 364 days2024: Moderate 112 of 364 days2025: Good 269 of 365 days2025: Moderate 96 of 365 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 year0501001502001992: 90th percentile AQI 191993: 90th percentile AQI 1261994: 90th percentile AQI 1191995: 90th percentile AQI 1331996: 90th percentile AQI 1361997: 90th percentile AQI 1361998: 90th percentile AQI 1591999: 90th percentile AQI 1642000: 90th percentile AQI 1332001: 90th percentile AQI 1502002: 90th percentile AQI 1642003: 90th percentile AQI 1152004: 90th percentile AQI 1012005: 90th percentile AQI 1222006: 90th percentile AQI 1052007: 90th percentile AQI 1292008: 90th percentile AQI 972009: 90th percentile AQI 742010: 90th percentile AQI 932011: 90th percentile AQI 872012: 90th percentile AQI 772013: 90th percentile AQI 622014: 90th percentile AQI 642015: 90th percentile AQI 672016: 90th percentile AQI 582017: 90th percentile AQI 492018: 90th percentile AQI 482019: 90th percentile AQI 672020: 90th percentile AQI 572021: 90th percentile AQI 632022: 90th percentile AQI 592023: 90th percentile AQI 662024: 90th percentile AQI 592025: 90th percentile AQI 571992: Median AQI 161993: Median AQI 431994: Median AQI 491995: Median AQI 511996: Median AQI 581997: Median AQI 541998: Median AQI 641999: Median AQI 802000: Median AQI 582001: Median AQI 712002: Median AQI 642003: Median AQI 512004: Median AQI 472005: Median AQI 582006: Median AQI 532007: Median AQI 642008: Median AQI 582009: Median AQI 532010: Median AQI 562011: Median AQI 552012: Median AQI 522013: Median AQI 472014: Median AQI 502015: Median AQI 522016: Median AQI 372017: Median AQI 382018: Median AQI 352019: Median AQI 442020: Median AQI 432021: Median AQI 442022: Median AQI 462023: Median AQI 472024: Median AQI 442025: Median AQI 4319921997200220072012201720222025
  • 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
Ozone19453%
Fine particles (PM2.5)17147%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
2025365269960000435788Ozone
20243642521120000445997Ozone
202336321015030004766122PM2.5
20223642301340000465987PM2.5
20213642441200000446387PM2.5
20203652531120000435790PM2.5
20193652768900004467100Ozone
2018336322140000354874Ozone
2017355331240000384980Ozone
2016360313470000375897Ozone
201535816619110005267122PM2.5
20143651901750000506493PM2.5
201336520815610004762108PM2.5
2012366149205101105277206PM2.5
2011365132209231005587159PM2.5
2010365119225201005693169PM2.5
200936515020780005374129PM2.5
200836692243283005897174PM2.5
20073657821657140064129200PM2.5
20063651701553190053105182Ozone
200530312512939100058122177Ozone
2004213126642120047101177Ozone
2003214105752752051115212Ozone
2002214807134236064164214Ozone
2001214806946181071150218Ozone
2000214966540130058133200Ozone
1999214705851287080164227Ozone
1998214846736234064159206Ozone
19972391127438141054136212Ozone
19962271055751122058136205Ozone
19952291117630111051133205Ozone
1994210111662292049119202Ozone
199311468231751043126222Ozone
19924400000161919PM10

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 1992–2025 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem