Smoke: keep one room clean
Shut the windows and run an air purifier sized for the room.
Wildfire smoke guide →Air quality in New York, county by county
27 New York 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 New York county, weighted by population, almost no smoky days (fine particles over 35.4 µg/m³, mostly wildfire smoke) and about 5 high-ozone days a year at its worst spot (2018 to 2022). See every county on the map.
Every New York county with monitors
Most bad-air days first. 24 have a full report. Compare with the worst and the cleanest counties in the US.
| County | Bad-air days a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolk CountyLindenhurstOzone | 8.6 | |
| Queens CountyNew York CityOzone | 6.6 | |
| Bronx CountyNew York CityOzone | 5.6 | |
| New York CountyManhattanOzone | 5.2 | |
| Westchester CountyYonkersOzone | 5.0 | |
| Erie CountyBuffaloOzone and particles | 4.6 | |
| Rockland CountySpring ValleyOzone | 4.4 | |
| Richmond CountyNew York CityOzone | 4.2 | |
| Essex CountyOzone and particles | 3.6 | |
| Monroe CountyRochesterOzone and particles | 3.4 | |
| Albany CountyAlbanySummer smoke | 3.0 | |
| Onondaga CountySyracuseSummer smoke | 2.6 | |
| Chautauqua CountyJamestownOzone | 2.4 | |
| Steuben CountyCorningSummer smoke | 2.4 | |
| Putnam CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 2.2 | |
| Dutchess CountyPoughkeepsieOzoneparticles not measured | 2.0 | |
| Orange CountyKiryas JoelSummer smoke | 1.6 | |
| Oneida CountyUticaSmokeozone not measured | 1.4 | |
| Kings CountyBrooklynSmokeozone not measured | 1.2 | |
| Nassau CountyHempsteadSmokeozone not measured | 1.0 | |
| Niagara CountyNiagara FallsOzoneparticles not measured | 0.8 | |
| Wayne CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.8 | |
| Jefferson CountyWatertownRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Oswego CountyOswegoRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Saratoga CountySaratoga SpringsRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Tompkins CountyIthacaRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Hamilton CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| No New York 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 New York
Which county in New York has the worst air?
Among New York counties with EPA monitors, Suffolk County had the most bad-air days from 2021 to 2025: about 9 bad-air days a year with an AQI over 100. That's about 1 day in 42.
How often is the air bad in New York?
Weighted by population, New York 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. That's about 1 day in 91.
Which county in New York has the cleanest air?
Of the 27 counties with enough monitor data, Hamilton County had the fewest, with no bad-air days at all from 2021 to 2025. Counties without monitors aren't ranked.
Where can I check today's air quality in New York?
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.