Bad Air Days in Richmond County, New York: 5 a Year

5 bad air days a year

More bad air days than three quarters of monitored counties. Ranked 243 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly ozone: summer smog (15% particle days).

Which months to watch

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

Is a purifier worth it here?

Ozone drives many bad days here. Purifiers and filters do not remove ozone, so do not buy one for that. Ozone peaks on hot afternoons: exercise outside in the morning.

The record for Richmond

In 2000 to 2009 this county averaged 25 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 5. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2016, with 10 bad days on 366 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-07	227	PM2.5
2023-06-08	167	PM2.5
2023-06-06	160	PM2.5
2023-06-30	159	PM2.5
2023-07-04	159	PM2.5

An ordinary day in Richmond

Across 3,647 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Richmond County rated Good on 72% of them, close to the 72% typical of monitored counties, and Moderate on 27%. The median day sat at AQI 41; one day in ten went above 61.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)55%2,011 days
ozone45%1,636 days

Richmond County by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	365	270	92	3	0	41	129
2024	366	280	83	3	0	38	140
2023	364	255	101	8	5	42	227
2022	365	278	86	1	0	40	105
2021	364	264	94	6	0	42	149
2020	364	280	82	2	0	39	108
2019	365	275	90	0	0	41	97
2018	363	229	128	6	0	42	136
2017	365	252	106	7	0	44	136
2016	366	234	122	10	1	45	151
2015	365	179	176	10	0	51	150
2014	365	197	162	6	1	48	187
2013	365	206	155	4	1	47	151
2012	361	178	169	14	0	51	147
2011	365	161	187	17	4	52	169
2010	365	204	139	22	3	48	208

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

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