Air quality · North Carolina
Air quality in North Carolina
Across the 15 North Carolina ZIPs with EPA county air-quality data, the median day ranges from Good to Moderate (median AQI 40–51). No day in those counties reached Unhealthy in 2025. This is a 2025 county annual summary, not a live reading.
Last verified 2026-09-24 · methodology
Air quality by ZIP code in North Carolina
EPA's 2025 annual summary for each ZIP's county. Median AQI is the typical day; lower is cleaner.
| ZIP | Median AQI | Good days | Unhealthy or worse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28202CharlotteMecklenburg County | 51 Moderate | 176 of 365 | 0 |
| 27601RaleighWake County | 43 Good | 250 of 365 | 0 |
| 27514Chapel HillOrange County | No data | ||
| 28403WilmingtonNew Hanover County | 41 Good | 281 of 365 | 0 |
| 28801AshevilleBuncombe County | 40 Good | 268 of 365 | 0 |
| 27401GreensboroGuilford County | 41 Good | 274 of 365 | 0 |
| 28207Charlotte (Myers Park)Mecklenburg County | 51 Moderate | 176 of 365 | 0 |
| 27517PittsboroChatham County | No data | ||
| 27402GreensboroGuilford County | 41 Good | 274 of 365 | 0 |
| 28704Arden (NC, Asheville S)Buncombe County | 40 Good | 268 of 365 | 0 |
| 27511Cary (NC)Wake County | 43 Good | 250 of 365 | 0 |
| 27709Research Triangle ParkDurham County | 42 Good | 262 of 365 | 0 |
| 28804Asheville (North)Buncombe County | 40 Good | 268 of 365 | 0 |
| 28078Huntersville (NC)Mecklenburg County | 51 Moderate | 176 of 365 | 0 |
| 28277Charlotte (Ballantyne)Mecklenburg County | 51 Moderate | 176 of 365 | 0 |
| 27607Raleigh (West)Wake County | 43 Good | 250 of 365 | 0 |
| 28036Davidson (NC)Mecklenburg County | 51 Moderate | 176 of 365 | 0 |
County-level figures from EPA Air Quality System (AQS), annual county summary, joined to each ZIP by county. None of them is a measurement at a specific address.
What lands here
Pages show the 2025 median AQI category (Good, Moderate, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, Hazardous) for the ZIP's county, plus the year's max/90th-percentile AQI and day-count breakdown by category.
Source & refresh
EPA Air Quality System (AQS), annual county summary. Refreshed annual (epa aqs publication). Primary source →
North Carolina top concern
Hurricanes (coastal), PFAS in Cape Fear
North Carolina's Outer Banks + coastal counties carry extensive FEMA VE/AE coverage. Wilmington + Cape Fear basin has documented PFAS contamination flagged in EPA SDWIS. Wildfire risk in western Appalachian counties.
See North Carolina state page for the full state-level rollup across all 12 dimensions.
Read more on air quality
Editorial deep-dives explaining the source data, its limits, and how to read it.
EPA AQI categories explained — what 0–50 Good through 301–500 Hazardous mean
Plain-English guide to the six EPA Air Quality Index categories: 0–50 Good, 51–100 Moderate, 101–150 Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151–200 Unhealthy, 201–300 Very Unhealthy, 301–500 Hazardous — what each level means and who is at risk.
AQI explained — what 50, 100, 150 actually mean for your lungs
Plain-English guide to the EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) and the 6 categories from Good to Hazardous. When to take precautions and which pollutants matter.
Wildfire Hazard Potential — what the USFS scale means and how to defend your home
Plain-English guide to the USDA Forest Service's Wildfire Hazard Potential 1–5 scale, how to read your community's risk, and concrete home-defense measures.
AirNow + wildfire smoke — when AQI is a real-time tool
How EPA AirNow handles real-time wildfire smoke, what the colors mean during fire season, and where AirNow leaves gaps you should know about.