Smoke: keep one room clean
Shut the windows and run an air purifier sized for the room.
Wildfire smoke guide →Air quality in Georgia, county by county
26 Georgia counties have enough EPA monitor data to count bad-air days. Weighted by population, they averaged about 2 days a year from 2021 to 2025 when the air was unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse.
CDC's model, which estimates every county from monitors and satellites, gives the average Georgia county, weighted by population, almost no smoky days (fine particles over 35.4 µg/m³, mostly wildfire smoke) and about 1 high-ozone day a year at its worst spot (2018 to 2022). See every county on the map.
Every Georgia county with monitors
Most bad-air days first. 17 have a full report. Compare with the worst and the cleanest counties in the US.
| County | Bad-air days a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton CountyAtlantaOzone | 5.4 | |
| Dougherty CountyAlbanyWinter particlesozone not measured | 3.8 | |
| Muscogee CountyWinter particles | 3.8 | |
| DeKalb CountyStonecrestOzone | 3.4 | |
| Henry CountyStockbridgeOzone | 3.4 | |
| Douglas CountyDouglasvilleOzoneparticles not measured | 2.8 | |
| Pike CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 2.4 | |
| Gwinnett CountyPeachtree CornersOzone | 2.0 | |
| Richmond CountyWinter particles | 2.0 | |
| Washington CountyWinter particlesozone not measured | 2.0 | |
| Bibb CountyWinter particles | 1.8 | |
| Walker CountyWinter particlesozone not measured | 1.8 | |
| Houston CountyWarner RobinsSmokeozone not measured | 1.4 | |
| Clarke CountyWinter particles | 1.2 | |
| Lowndes CountyValdostaSmokeozone not measured | 1.2 | |
| Murray CountyOzone | 1.2 | |
| Rockdale CountyConyersOzoneparticles not measured | 1.2 | |
| Chatham CountySavannahWinter particles | 0.8 | |
| Cobb CountyMabletonOzone and particles | 0.8 | |
| Dawson CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.8 | |
| Floyd CountyRomeSmokeozone not measured | 0.6 | |
| Hall CountyGainesvilleSmokeozone not measured | 0.6 | |
| Glynn CountyBrunswickRarely bad | 0.2 | |
| Chattooga CountySummervilleRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| Columbia CountyGrovetownRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| Sumter CountyAmericusRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| No Georgia county with a monitor matches “”. Counties without a monitor aren't listed; a neighbor's numbers are a fair guide, or find it on the map. | ||
Counties without a monitor aren't listed. Air doesn't stop at the county line, so a neighbor's numbers are a fair guide.
What helps on a bad-air day
Check AirNow for today's reading and tomorrow's forecast, then match the step to the pollutant.
Upgrade the furnace filter
MERV 13 catches far more smoke than thin fiberglass filters.
Furnace filters →Questions people ask about air quality in Georgia
Which county in Georgia has the worst air?
Among Georgia counties with EPA monitors, Fulton County had the most bad-air days from 2021 to 2025: about 5 bad-air days a year with an AQI over 100. That's about 1 day in 68.
How often is the air bad in Georgia?
Weighted by population, Georgia counties with monitors averaged about 2 bad-air days a year from 2021 to 2025 with an AQI over 100, when children, older adults and people with asthma should cut back outdoors.
Which county in Georgia has the cleanest air?
3 of the 26 counties with enough monitor data had no bad-air days at all from 2021 to 2025, including Columbia County, Sumter County and Chattooga County. Counties without monitors aren't ranked.
Where can I check today's air quality in Georgia?
AirNow, run by the EPA and its partners, shows current readings and forecasts by ZIP code, and its fire and smoke map adds smoke plumes and low-cost sensors.
Sources: EPA AirData county AQI summaries, 2021 to 2025; CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Network modeled PM2.5 and ozone, 2018 to 2022. Updated November 8, 2026.