Bad Air Days in Elkhart County, Indiana: 3 a Year

3 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 362 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: a mix of particles and ozone (58% particle days).

The bad-air season here

Most bad days here fall in June 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.

The worst days on file

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 18 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 3. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2016, with 8 bad days on 358 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-27	193	PM2.5
2023-06-28	171	PM2.5
2025-11-14	171	PM2.5
2020-07-04	161	PM2.5
2020-07-05	155	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,639 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Elkhart County rated Good on 64% of them, less often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 36%. The median day sat at AQI 44; one day in ten went above 63.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)61%2,218 days
ozone39%1,421 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	364	222	136	6	1	43	171
2024	366	227	138	1	0	45	145
2023	365	228	130	7	2	44	193
2022	362	242	117	3	0	43	127
2021	365	214	151	0	0	45	87
2020	366	254	110	2	2	42	161
2019	365	251	114	0	0	41	83
2018	363	228	132	3	0	44	105
2017	365	248	116	1	0	42	105
2016	358	197	153	8	0	48	131
2015	357	175	179	3	0	51	124
2014	360	82	268	10	0	58	126
2013	350	131	216	3	0	54	126
2012	362	138	212	12	1	54	206
2011	353	122	225	6	0	56	147
2010	268	158	108	2	0	47	110

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

Elsewhere in Indiana

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, and on why a purifier does not touch ozone in smoke vs ozone.