Smoke: keep one room clean
Shut the windows and run an air purifier sized for the room.
Wildfire smoke guide →Air quality in Virginia, county by county
25 Virginia 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 Virginia county, weighted by population, almost no smoky days (fine particles over 35.4 µg/m³, mostly wildfire smoke) and almost no high-ozone days a year at its worst spot (2018 to 2022). See every county on the map.
Every Virginia county with monitors
Most bad-air days first. 19 have a full report. Compare with the worst and the cleanest counties in the US.
| County | Bad-air days a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfax CountyMcLeanOzone | 3.6 | |
| Arlington CountyArlingtonOzone | 2.8 | |
| Frederick CountySummer smoke | 2.0 | |
| Loudoun CountyLeesburgOzone | 1.6 | |
| Henrico CountyOzone and particles | 1.4 | |
| Albemarle CountySummer smoke | 1.2 | |
| Madison CountyOzone and particles | 1.2 | |
| Richmond CitySmokeozone not measured | 1.0 | |
| Roanoke CountySummer smoke | 1.0 | |
| Charles City CountyOzone and particles | 0.8 | |
| Prince William CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.8 | |
| Hampton CityOzone | 0.6 | |
| Rockingham CountySummer smoke | 0.6 | |
| Stafford CountyOzoneparticles not measured | 0.6 | |
| Suffolk CityOzoneparticles not measured | 0.6 | |
| Caroline CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.4 | |
| Chesterfield CountyRarely bad | 0.4 | |
| Fauquier CountyWarrentonRarely badparticles not measured | 0.4 | |
| Rockbridge CountyRarely bad | 0.4 | |
| Virginia Beach CityRarely badozone not measured | 0.3 | |
| Giles CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Hanover CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.2 | |
| Norfolk CityRarely badozone not measured | 0.0 | |
| Prince Edward CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| Wythe CountyRarely badparticles not measured | 0.0 | |
| No Virginia 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 Virginia
Which county in Virginia has the worst air?
Among Virginia counties with EPA monitors, Fairfax County had the most bad-air days from 2021 to 2025: about 4 bad-air days a year with an AQI over 100.
How often is the air bad in Virginia?
Weighted by population, Virginia 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 Virginia has the cleanest air?
3 of the 25 counties with enough monitor data had no bad-air days at all from 2021 to 2025, including Norfolk City, Wythe County and Prince Edward County. Counties without monitors aren't ranked.
Where can I check today's air quality in Virginia?
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.