Smoke: keep one room clean
Shut the windows and run an air purifier sized for the room.
Wildfire smoke guide →Air quality in Oklahoma, county by county
19 Oklahoma counties have enough EPA monitor data to count bad-air days. Weighted by population, they averaged about 7 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 Oklahoma county, weighted by population, about 1 smoky day (fine particles over 35.4 µg/m³, mostly wildfire smoke) and about 2 high-ozone days a year at its worst spot (2018 to 2022). See every county on the map.
Every Oklahoma county with monitors
Most bad-air days first. 12 have a full report. Compare with the worst and the cleanest counties in the US.
| County | Bad-air days a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulsa CountyTulsaOzone | 10.0 | |
| Love CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 8.0 | |
| Ottawa CountyMiamiSummer smoke | 7.8 | |
| Oklahoma CountyOklahoma CityOzone | 7.0 | |
| Carter CountyArdmoreOzone | 6.8 | |
| Washington CountyBartlesvilleSummer smoke | 5.7 | |
| McClain CountyNewcastleOzoneparticles not measured | 5.2 | |
| Cleveland CountyNormanOzone | 4.6 | |
| Canadian CountyOklahoma CityOzoneparticles not measured | 4.4 | |
| Osage CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 4.0 | |
| Pittsburg CountyMcAlesterOzone and particles | 4.0 | |
| Comanche CountyLawtonOzone | 3.8 | |
| Kay CountyPonca CitySmokeozone not measured | 3.4 | |
| Adair CountyWinter particles | 2.2 | |
| Dewey CountyOzone | 2.2 | |
| Creek CountySapulpaOzoneparticles not measured | 2.0 | |
| Sequoyah CountySummer smoke | 1.2 | |
| Mayes CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.8 | |
| Kiowa CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.7 | |
| No Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma
Which county in Oklahoma has the worst air?
Among Oklahoma counties with EPA monitors, Tulsa County had the most bad-air days from 2021 to 2025: about 10 bad-air days a year with an AQI over 100. That's about 1 day in 36.
How often is the air bad in Oklahoma?
Weighted by population, Oklahoma counties with monitors averaged about 7 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 55.
Which county in Oklahoma has the cleanest air?
Of the 19 counties with enough monitor data, Kiowa County had the fewest: 0.7 a year from 2021 to 2025. Counties without monitors aren't ranked.
Where can I check today's air quality in Oklahoma?
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.