EnviroNearby

Meade County, South Dakota air quality history

Daily Air Quality Index summaries from EPA monitors in Meade, South Dakota, 2001–2025.

97%
Good days in 2025
36
Median daily AQI, 2025
0
Days above 100 in 2025
351
Days with an AQI in 2025 (of 365)

In 2025, EPA reported a daily Air Quality Index (AQI) for Meade, South Dakota on 351 days. 342 of those days (97%) were in the Good range, and the median daily AQI was 36. That median is about the same as the typical monitored county in South Dakota (median 35.5 across 10 counties), and lower than the typical monitored U.S. county (40). The main pollutant was ozone on 339 days. Across the years with fuller monitoring, the share of Good days rose: an average of 82% in 2001–2003 versus 86% in 2023–2025.

Years with fewer than 120 monitored days (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%2001: Good 105 of 123 days2001: Moderate 18 of 123 days20012002: Good 107 of 126 days2002: Moderate 18 of 126 days2002: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 126 days2003: Good 92 of 120 days2003: Moderate 28 of 120 days20032004: Good 107 of 124 days2004: Moderate 17 of 124 days2005: Good 118 of 118 days20052006: Good 117 of 117 days2007: Good 336 of 336 days20072008: Good 319 of 347 days2008: Moderate 28 of 347 days2009: Good 351 of 361 days2009: Moderate 10 of 361 days20092010: Good 353 of 365 days2010: Moderate 12 of 365 days2011: Good 331 of 341 days2011: Moderate 10 of 341 days20112012: Good 307 of 366 days2012: Moderate 58 of 366 days2012: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 366 days2013: Good 320 of 349 days2013: Moderate 29 of 349 days20132014: Good 356 of 364 days2014: Moderate 8 of 364 days2015: Good 352 of 365 days2015: Moderate 13 of 365 days20152016: Good 354 of 366 days2016: Moderate 12 of 366 days2017: Good 361 of 365 days2017: Moderate 4 of 365 days20172018: Good 361 of 362 days2018: Moderate 1 of 362 days2019: Good 358 of 365 days2019: Moderate 7 of 365 days20192020: Good 342 of 364 days2020: Moderate 22 of 364 days2021: Good 308 of 365 days2021: Moderate 50 of 365 days2021: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 7 of 365 days20212022: Good 347 of 364 days2022: Moderate 17 of 364 days2023: Good 322 of 363 days2023: Moderate 40 of 363 days2023: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 1 of 363 days20232024: Good 266 of 366 days2024: Moderate 93 of 366 days2024: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 6 of 366 days2024: Unhealthy 1 of 366 days2025: Good 342 of 351 days2025: Moderate 9 of 351 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 year0501002001: 90th percentile AQI 522002: 90th percentile AQI 532003: 90th percentile AQI 562004: 90th percentile AQI 532005: 90th percentile AQI 232006: 90th percentile AQI 252007: 90th percentile AQI 432008: 90th percentile AQI 502009: 90th percentile AQI 452010: 90th percentile AQI 462011: 90th percentile AQI 462012: 90th percentile AQI 582013: 90th percentile AQI 502014: 90th percentile AQI 442015: 90th percentile AQI 462016: 90th percentile AQI 452017: 90th percentile AQI 372018: 90th percentile AQI 372019: 90th percentile AQI 442020: 90th percentile AQI 472021: 90th percentile AQI 642022: 90th percentile AQI 482023: 90th percentile AQI 512024: 90th percentile AQI 712025: 90th percentile AQI 462001: Median AQI 322002: Median AQI 302003: Median AQI 302004: Median AQI 312005: Median AQI 132006: Median AQI 122007: Median AQI 332008: Median AQI 392009: Median AQI 372010: Median AQI 372011: Median AQI 382012: Median AQI 412013: Median AQI 392014: Median AQI 362015: Median AQI 382016: Median AQI 352017: Median AQI 302018: Median AQI 292019: Median AQI 362020: Median AQI 382021: Median AQI 382022: Median AQI 392023: Median AQI 432024: Median AQI 452025: Median AQI 362001200320052007200920112013201520172019202120232025
  • 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
Ozone33997%
Coarse particles (PM10)123%

Year-by-year data

Annual AQI summary by year
YearDays with AQIGoodModerateUnhealthy for Sensitive GroupsUnhealthyVery UnhealthyHazardousMedian AQI90th pct.Max AQIMain pollutant
202535134290000364671Ozone
20243662669361004571154Ozone
20233633224010004351101Ozone
2022364347170000394871Ozone
20213653085070003864115Ozone
2020364342220000384784Ozone
201936535870000364480Ozone
201836236110000293753Ozone
201736536140000303771Ozone
2016366354120000354574Ozone
2015365352130000384664Ozone
201436435680000364461Ozone
2013349320290000395087Ozone
20123663075810004158105Ozone
2011341331100000384677Ozone
2010365353120000374667Ozone
2009361351100000374571Ozone
2008347319280000395077Ozone
200733633600000334350Ozone
200611711700000122545PM10
200511811800000132348PM10
2004124107170000315380PM2.5
200312092280000305674PM2.5
20021261071810003053101PM2.5
2001123105180000325277PM2.5

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 South Dakota with a similar median AQI in 2025

All monitored counties in South Dakota

Source: U.S. EPA AirData, “Annual AQI by County” files for 2001–2025 (EPA download page). EPA file dates: 2026-06-26. Imported into EnviroNearby November 5, 2026. How we use this data · Report a problem