Bad Air Days in Albemarle County, Virginia: under 1 a Year

under 1 bad air day a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 742 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (86% particle days).

When the bad days come in Albemarle

Most bad days here fall in June and April and July and November. Averaged over 2016 to 2025.

Is a purifier worth it here?

Bad air days are rare here. A standard furnace filter is enough; no purifier needed for outdoor air.
On the odd bad day, check AirNow and keep windows shut.

Better or worse than it was

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 4 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, under 1. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 6 bad days on 364 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-29	168	PM2.5
2023-06-08	166	PM2.5
2023-06-30	151	PM2.5
2016-04-19	122	Ozone
2023-06-28	117	PM2.5

Most days, not the worst ones

Across 3,472 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Albemarle County rated Good on 77% of them, more often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 22%. The median day sat at AQI 41; one day in ten went above 56.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)58%2,000 days
ozone42%1,472 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	363	294	69	0	0	38	77
2024	356	281	75	0	0	40	85
2023	364	254	104	6	3	44	168
2022	361	249	112	0	0	44	67
2021	360	261	99	0	0	41	97
2020	363	287	76	0	0	41	70
2019	282	251	31	0	0	41	67
2018	310	252	58	0	0	40	93
2017	347	277	70	0	0	40	80
2016	366	283	82	1	0	41	122
2015	365	271	94	0	0	41	77
2014	364	254	110	0	0	42	77
2013	364	266	98	0	0	40	76
2012	366	242	122	2	0	44	119
2011	364	213	150	1	0	46	105
2010	261	151	106	4	0	48	129

*2025 may be a partial year in EPA's file.

Virginia compared

How this is counted

A bad air day is a day the county's daily AQI from EPA AirData went above 100, the level where EPA tells children, older adults and people with asthma or heart disease to cut back outdoors. Monitors do not run every day, so yearly counts are scaled to 365 days. This is the record, not today's air: for that, check AirNow. More on the method in how the county numbers are made, on the AQI 100 line in what counts as a bad air day.