Bad Air Days in Jackson County, South Dakota: 2 a Year

2 bad air days a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 505 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (60% particle days).

When the bad days come in Jackson

Most bad days here fall in July and September. 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 1 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 2. Not much has changed. The worst recent year was 2023, with 8 bad days on 365 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2021-07-30	233	PM2.5
2023-05-18	233	PM2.5
2023-09-06	174	PM2.5
2023-09-05	164	PM2.5
2021-07-31	154	PM2.5

The air on a normal day

Across 3,651 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Jackson County rated Good on 84% of them, more often than the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 15%. The median day sat at AQI 40; one day in ten went above 56.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

ozone77%2,827 days
fine particles (PM2.5)22%809 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	287	78	0	0	43	85
2024	366	269	90	7	0	44	129
2023	365	277	80	8	5	43	233
2022	365	311	54	0	0	40	97
2021	365	309	54	2	2	35	233
2020	366	324	42	0	0	39	90
2019	365	343	22	0	0	38	63
2018	365	305	59	1	0	42	123
2017	365	307	56	2	0	41	135
2016	364	344	20	0	0	37	97
2015	364	320	42	2	0	38	142
2014	358	325	33	0	0	40	87
2013	364	304	60	0	0	37	93
2012	366	315	51	0	0	37	93
2011	363	350	13	0	0	35	69
2010	365	328	37	0	0	37	74

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

Elsewhere in South Dakota

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.