Air Quality Rankings for Virginia 2026

Virginia has 32 cities with EPA air quality data. Alexandria City, Virginia has the cleanest air with a 5-year average AQI of 6. Fairfax, Virginia has the highest AQI at 47.

#	City	5yr Avg AQI	Current AQI	Worst Pollutant	Trend	Grade
1	Alexandria City, Virginia	6	6	PM10	Improving	A
2	Hopewell City, Virginia	7	7	PM10	Improving	A
3	Winchester City, Virginia	7	6	PM10	Improving	A
4	Carroll, Virginia	8	9	PM10	Stable	A
5	Norfolk City, Virginia	18	18	NO2	Improving	A
6	Lynchburg City, Virginia	31	34	PM2.5	Improving	B
7	Prince Edward, Virginia	33	34	Ozone	Stable	B
8	Salem City, Virginia	34	36	PM2.5	Improving	B
9	Bristol City, Virginia	35	39	PM2.5	Improving	B
10	Rockbridge, Virginia	35	37	Ozone	Improving	B
11	Virginia Beach City, Virginia	35	41	PM2.5	Stable	B
12	Charles, Virginia	35	40	Ozone	Stable	B
13	Fauquier, Virginia	35	39	Ozone	Stable	B
14	Prince William, Virginia	35	37	Ozone	Worsening	C
15	Rockingham, Virginia	36	37	Ozone	Stable	B
16	Stafford, Virginia	36	37	Ozone	Improving	B
17	Caroline, Virginia	37	40	Ozone	Improving	B
18	Loudoun, Virginia	37	39	Ozone	Stable	B
19	Arlington, Virginia	37	38	Ozone	Improving	B
20	Chesterfield, Virginia	38	41	Ozone	Stable	B
21	Giles, Virginia	38	39	Ozone	Stable	B
22	Hanover, Virginia	38	40	Ozone	Stable	B
23	Suffolk City, Virginia	38	40	Ozone	Stable	B
24	Wythe, Virginia	39	40	Ozone	Stable	B
25	Madison, Virginia	40	42	Ozone	Improving	B
26	Hampton City, Virginia	41	43	PM2.5	Stable	C
27	Richmond City, Virginia	42	45	PM2.5	Worsening	C
28	Roanoke, Virginia	42	43	PM2.5	Stable	B
29	Albemarle, Virginia	42	44	PM2.5	Stable	C
30	Frederick, Virginia	42	44	PM2.5	Stable	C
31	Henrico, Virginia	43	46	PM2.5	Stable	C
32	Fairfax, Virginia	47	46	PM2.5	Stable	C

Air quality data for Virginia 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

Alexandria City, Virginia has the best air quality in Virginia with a 5-year average AQI of 6 and a grade of A.

Virginia has 32 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 Virginia →