Bad Air Days in Van Buren County, Iowa: 1 a Year

1 bad air day a year

Fewer bad air days than most monitored US counties. Ranked 621 of 996 monitored counties, where 1 is worst.

What makes them bad: mostly particles: smoke and dust (69% particle days).

When the bad days come in Van Buren

Most bad days here fall in June and March and July. 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 5 bad days a year; in 2016 to 2025, 1. The air has improved. The worst recent year was 2023, with 7 bad days on 363 monitored days.

Date	AQI	Main pollutant
2023-06-28	176	PM2.5
2016-03-29	158	PM2.5
2023-06-27	158	PM2.5
2023-07-16	144	PM2.5
2023-06-20	143	Ozone

The air on a normal day

Across 3,636 monitored days from 2016 to 2025, the air in Van Buren 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 45; one day in ten went above 60.

The pollutant setting the AQI on an ordinary day here:

fine particles (PM2.5)70%2,559 days
ozone29%1,072 days

Year by year

Year	Days monitored	Good	Moderate	Over 100	Over 150	Median AQI	Highest AQI
2025*	364	236	126	2	0	44	129
2024	365	227	137	1	0	46	138
2023	363	208	148	7	2	46	176
2022	365	271	93	1	0	43	102
2021	362	223	139	0	0	44	94
2020	366	281	85	0	0	39	87
2019	361	266	95	0	0	42	97
2018	359	230	129	0	0	43	100
2017	365	206	159	0	0	47	84
2016	366	177	187	2	1	51	158
2015	365	217	147	1	1	47	155
2014	358	177	181	0	0	51	93
2013	363	204	159	0	0	48	97
2012	366	184	172	10	0	50	129
2011	315	169	146	0	0	48	89
2010	267	191	74	2	0	42	108

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

Iowa 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.