Air quality in Kansas, county by county

10 Kansas counties have enough EPA monitor data to count bad-air days. Weighted by population, they averaged about 4 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 Kansas county, weighted by population, about 1 smoky day (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 Kansas county with monitors

Most bad-air days first. 7 have a full report. Compare with the worst and the cleanest counties in the US.

CountyBad-air days a yearMain cause
Wyandotte CountyOzone 6.8 Ozone
Trego CountyOzone and particles 3.8 Ozone and particles
Johnson CountyOverland ParkOzone and particles 3.6 Ozone and particles
Sedgwick CountyWichitaOzone and particles 3.6 Ozone and particles
Sumner CountyOzone and particles 3.6 Ozone and particles
Shawnee CountyTopekaOzone and particles 3.4 Ozone and particles
Leavenworth CountyLeavenworthOzoneparticles not measured 2.4 Ozoneparticles not measured
Neosho CountySummer smoke 2.2 Summer smoke
Sherman CountyDustozone not measured 1.4 Dustozone not measured
Ford CountyDustozone not measured 0.8 Dustozone not measured

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.

Ozone: exercise in the morning

Ozone peaks on hot, sunny afternoons.

Ozone guide →

Upgrade the furnace filter

MERV 13 catches far more smoke than thin fiberglass filters.

Furnace filters →

Questions people ask about air quality in Kansas

Which county in Kansas has the worst air?

Among Kansas counties with EPA monitors, Wyandotte County had the most bad-air days from 2021 to 2025: about 7 bad-air days a year with an AQI over 100. That's about 1 day in 54.

How often is the air bad in Kansas?

Weighted by population, Kansas counties with monitors averaged about 4 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 Kansas has the cleanest air?

Of the 10 counties with enough monitor data, Ford County had the fewest: 0.8 a year from 2021 to 2025. Counties without monitors aren't ranked.

Where can I check today's air quality in Kansas?

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.