Bad Air Days in Monroe County, New York: 3 a Year

3 bad air days a year

About the middle of monitored US counties. Ranked 421 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

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

Which months to watch

Most bad days here fall in June and August and May. Averaged over 2016 to 2025.

What actually helps 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 10 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 3. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 8 bad days on 365 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-30	176	PM2.5
2023-06-07	173	PM2.5
2023-06-28	171	PM2.5
2023-06-29	167	PM2.5
2023-06-06	151	PM2.5

An ordinary day in Monroe

Across 3,653 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Monroe County rated Good on 71% of them, close to the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 29%. The median day sat at AQI 41; one day in ten went above 60.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)58%2,101 days
ozone42%1,545 days

Every recent year on file

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	271	87	7	0	39	135
2024	366	271	95	0	0	38	90
2023	365	237	120	8	5	42	176
2022	365	270	93	2	0	42	126
2021	365	239	126	0	0	43	100
2020	366	275	91	0	0	41	81
2019	365	272	93	0	0	40	90
2018	365	248	113	4	0	42	108
2017	365	246	116	3	0	43	112
2016	366	251	113	2	0	43	122
2015	365	236	129	0	0	43	93
2014	365	260	105	0	0	39	97
2013	365	253	112	0	0	42	84
2012	366	239	115	12	1	44	151
2011	345	255	89	1	0	38	112
2010	365	249	109	7	0	40	108

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

Nearby counties on file

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.