Air Quality Rankings for North Carolina 2026

North Carolina has 37 cities with EPA air quality data. Hyde, North Carolina has the cleanest air with a 5-year average AQI of 23. Lee, North Carolina has the highest AQI at 52.

#	City	5yr Avg AQI	Current AQI	Worst Pollutant	Trend	Grade
1	Hyde, North Carolina	23	26	PM2.5	Improving	B
2	Mitchell, North Carolina	30	33	PM2.5	Improving	B
3	Macon, North Carolina	31	34	Ozone	Stable	B
4	Jackson, North Carolina	35	38	Ozone	Improving	A
5	Martin, North Carolina	35	36	Ozone	Improving	B
6	Northampton, North Carolina	35	37	PM2.5	Improving	B
7	Carteret, North Carolina	36	38	Ozone	Stable	B
8	Caswell, North Carolina	37	36	Ozone	Improving	B
9	Lenoir, North Carolina	37	39	Ozone	Improving	B
10	Alexander, North Carolina	38	38	Ozone	Improving	B
11	Edgecombe, North Carolina	38	41	PM2.5	Improving	B
12	Avery, North Carolina	39	39	Ozone	Stable	B
13	Pitt, North Carolina	39	42	PM2.5	Improving	B
14	Caldwell, North Carolina	39	40	Ozone	Stable	B
15	New Hanover, North Carolina	39	44	PM2.5	Worsening	C
16	Buncombe, North Carolina	40	43	PM2.5	Improving	B
17	Person, North Carolina	40	41	Ozone	Stable	B
18	Union, North Carolina	40	43	Ozone	Improving	B
19	Granville, North Carolina	41	43	Ozone	Stable	B
20	Swain, North Carolina	41	41	PM2.5	Improving	B
21	Lincoln, North Carolina	41	43	Ozone	Stable	B
22	Rockingham, North Carolina	41	43	Ozone	Stable	B
23	Graham, North Carolina	43	46	Ozone	Stable	C
24	Johnston, North Carolina	43	44	PM2.5	Stable	C
25	Haywood, North Carolina	43	45	Ozone	Stable	B
26	Montgomery, North Carolina	44	48	PM2.5	Stable	C
27	Catawba, North Carolina	44	43	PM2.5	Improving	B
28	Cumberland, North Carolina	44	48	PM2.5	Stable	B
29	Yancey, North Carolina	44	45	Ozone	Stable	C
30	Guilford, North Carolina	45	50	PM2.5	Stable	C
31	Rowan, North Carolina	45	47	PM2.5	Stable	C
32	Davidson, North Carolina	46	47	PM2.5	Improving	B
33	Wake, North Carolina	48	49	PM2.5	Improving	B
34	Forsyth, North Carolina	49	52	PM2.5	Stable	C
35	Durham, North Carolina	49	52	PM2.5	Worsening	C
36	Mecklenburg, North Carolina	50	51	PM2.5	Improving	C
37	Lee, North Carolina	52	52	PM2.5	Stable	C

Air quality data for North Carolina is sourced from the EPA Air Quality System (AQS), which monitors outdoor air quality at thousands of stations nationwide.
— EPA Air Quality System

Frequently Asked Questions

Hyde, North Carolina has the best air quality in North Carolina with a 5-year average AQI of 23 and a grade of B.

North Carolina has 37 cities with EPA air quality monitoring data in our database, covering multiple years of AQI measurements.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures five major pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Lower AQI values indicate cleaner air — 0-50 is "Good," while 150+ is "Unhealthy."

Sources: EPA Air Quality System (AQS)

Cities ranked by 5-year average AQI (lower is better). Grades factor in average AQI, trend direction, unhealthy days, and dominant pollutant.

Cleanest Cities Nationwide →All Air Quality in North Carolina →