Essex, New York Air Quality
Essex County, New York (NY)
→ Stableover 10 years
How Essex, New York Air Quality Compares
Essex, New York's median AQI of 42is 2% worse than the national average of 41. The area averages 3 unhealthy air days per year. The primary pollutant of concern is Ground-Level Ozone.
10-Year AQI Trend
The solid line shows the median AQI each year. The dashed line shows the 90th percentile (worst 10% of days).
Air Quality Day Breakdown
Number of days per year in each EPA AQI category. Green = Good (AQI 0-50), Yellow = Moderate (51-100), Orange = Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101-150), Red = Unhealthy or worse (151+).
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Median AQI | 90th Pct | Max AQI | Good Days | Moderate | Unhealthy+ | Pollutant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 42 | 60 | 161 | 296 | 59 | 10 | Ozone |
| 2022 | 41 | 48 | 115 | 342 | 21 | 2 | Ozone |
| 2021 | 40 | 58 | 101 | 310 | 54 | 1 | Ozone |
| 2020 | 39 | 48 | 80 | 344 | 21 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2019 | 42 | 51 | 80 | 327 | 37 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2018 | 41 | 54 | 108 | 317 | 46 | 2 | Ozone |
| 2017 | 40 | 61 | 90 | 308 | 57 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2016 | 39 | 50 | 112 | 330 | 34 | 2 | Ozone |
| 2015 | 40 | 52 | 100 | 323 | 42 | 0 | Ozone |
| 2014 | 39 | 49 | 101 | 343 | 21 | 1 | Ozone |
What This Means for Essex County Residents
Essex, New York has received an Air Quality Grade of C (63/100) based on a decade of monitoring data from the EPA's air quality monitoring program. The current median AQI of 42 falls in the "Good" range.
The primary pollutant affecting this area is Ground-Level Ozone. Over the past 5 years, this area has averaged 3 unhealthy air quality days per year, days when sensitive groups (children, elderly, those with respiratory conditions) should limit outdoor activity. The American Lung Association's State of the Air report provides additional context on long-term health risks from air pollution exposure.
Related Cities in New York
Frequently Asked Questions
Essex, New York has a current median AQI of 42, which falls in the "Good" range. The area has received an Air Quality Grade of C (63/100) based on 10 years of EPA monitoring data.
Air quality in Essex, New York is stable over the past decade. The median AQI has changed by +3 points from 2014 to 2023.
Essex, New York averages 3 unhealthy air quality days per year over the past 5 years. On these days, sensitive groups including children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions should limit outdoor activity.
The primary pollutant affecting Essex, New York is Ground-Level Ozone. This is the dominant contributor to elevated AQI readings in the Essex County area.
Essex, New York averages 3 unhealthy air days per year. This is relatively low, making it a reasonable choice for asthma sufferers. The primary pollutant is Ground-Level Ozone, which is a known asthma trigger.
With a median AQI of 42 (Good), outdoor exercise in Essex, New York is generally safe year-round. Essex, New York averages 3 days per year when athletes should move workouts indoors.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. air quality and pollution monitoring dataset. The detail above comes directly from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS); the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. counties and states.
Every number on this page links back to the EPA Air Quality System (AQS); the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. counties and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.