US Counties With the Lowest Fine Particulate Matter

3,059 US counties ranked by fine particulate matter, from lowest to highest. First are Carlton County, MN (1.3), Gallatin County, MT (2.3) and Cook County, MN (2.6). The middle one of the 3,059 has 7.6.

What this measures

The average amount of fine particle pollution in the air, in micrograms per cubic metre. These are bits of soot small enough to get into the blood. It is an estimate from a statistical model, since most counties have no air monitor. Source: County Health Rankings.

For most measures, a national ranking mostly sorts places by income and by how urban they are. Each county’s own page compares it with the 50 counties most like it instead, which is often the fairer view.

The 100 lowest counties

Rank	County	micrograms per cubic metre
1	Carlton County, MN	1.3
2	Gallatin County, MT	2.3
3	Cook County, MN	2.6
4	Hancock County, ME	2.8
5	Sublette County, WY	3.1
6	Essex County, NY	3.2
7	Kauai County, HI	3.3
8	Custer County, SD	3.3
9	Apache County, AZ	3.3
10	Hillsborough County, NH	3.4
11	Hawaii County, HI	3.5
12	McKenzie County, ND	3.5
13	Billings County, ND	3.6
14	Dunn County, ND	3.6
15	Sweetwater County, WY	3.6
16	Honolulu County, HI	3.9
17	Maui County, HI	3.9
18	Washington County, RI	4
19	Hughes County, SD	4
20	Belknap County, NH	4.1
21	New Hanover County, NC	4.1
22	Golden Valley County, ND	4.1
23	Johnson County, WY	4.1
24	Becker County, MN	4.2
25	Crow Wing County, MN	4.2
26	Jackson County, SD	4.2
27	La Paz County, AZ	4.2
28	Washington County, ME	4.3
29	Richland County, MT	4.3
30	Slope County, ND	4.3
31	Fall River County, SD	4.3
32	Hot Springs County, WY	4.3
33	Mineral County, CO	4.3
34	Dorchester County, MD	4.4
35	Keweenaw County, MI	4.4
36	Cass County, MN	4.4
37	Wibaux County, MT	4.4
38	Grafton County, NH	4.4
39	Brookings County, SD	4.4
40	Laramie County, WY	4.4
41	Hinsdale County, CO	4.4
42	Meagher County, MT	4.5
43	Santa Fe County, NM	4.5
44	Stark County, ND	4.5
45	Converse County, WY	4.5
46	Niobrara County, WY	4.5
47	Park County, WY	4.5
48	Platte County, WY	4.5
49	Dolores County, CO	4.5
50	Lake County, CO	4.5
51	San Juan County, CO	4.5
52	Penobscot County, ME	4.6
53	Garrett County, MD	4.6
54	Kent County, MD	4.6
55	Aitkin County, MN	4.6
56	Judith Basin County, MT	4.6
57	Adams County, ND	4.6
58	Hettinger County, ND	4.6
59	Ward County, ND	4.6
60	Kent County, RI	4.6
61	Jones County, SD	4.6
62	Mellette County, SD	4.6
63	Stanley County, SD	4.6
64	Daggett County, UT	4.6
65	Carbon County, WY	4.6
66	Saguache County, CO	4.6
67	Piscataquis County, ME	4.7
68	Bay County, MI	4.7
69	Fergus County, MT	4.7
70	Sweet Grass County, MT	4.7
71	Wheatland County, MT	4.7
72	Bowman County, ND	4.7
73	Bennett County, SD	4.7
74	Haakon County, SD	4.7
75	Sully County, SD	4.7
76	Piute County, UT	4.7
77	Washakie County, WY	4.7
78	Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK	4.7
79	Chaffee County, CO	4.7
80	Costilla County, CO	4.7
81	Huerfano County, CO	4.7
82	Pitkin County, CO	4.7
83	Baraga County, MI	4.8
84	Schoolcraft County, MI	4.8
85	Itasca County, MN	4.8
86	Dawson County, MT	4.8
87	Dawes County, NE	4.8
88	Sioux County, NE	4.8
89	Grant County, ND	4.8
90	Oliver County, ND	4.8
91	Perkins County, SD	4.8
92	Ziebach County, SD	4.8
93	Garfield County, UT	4.8
94	Teton County, WY	4.8
95	Weston County, WY	4.8
96	Juneau City and Borough, AK	4.8
97	Gunnison County, CO	4.8
98	San Miguel County, CO	4.8
99	Clark County, ID	4.9
100	Custer County, ID	4.9

Every state, lowest first

Each state’s own published figure, not an average of its counties.

Rank	State	micrograms per cubic metre
1	Hawaii	3.7
2	Wyoming	4.75
3	Maine	5.25
4	Alaska	5.3
5	New Mexico	5.4
6	South Dakota	5.4
7	New Hampshire	5.45
8	North Dakota	5.5
9	Montana	5.6
10	Colorado	5.65
11	Vermont	5.8
12	Utah	5.9
13	Minnesota	6
14	Nebraska	6
15	Rhode Island	6
16	Arizona	6
17	Maryland	6.3
18	Michigan	6.7
19	North Carolina	6.7
20	Virginia	6.7
21	West Virginia	6.7
22	Massachusetts	6.75
23	New York	6.9
24	Tennessee	7
25	Idaho	7.2
26	Delaware	7.3
27	Kansas	7.3
28	Iowa	7.4
29	Missouri	7.5
30	Wisconsin	7.65
31	District of Columbia	7.8
32	Pennsylvania	7.8
33	South Carolina	7.8
34	Connecticut	7.8
35	Ohio	7.85
36	Florida	7.9
37	Kentucky	8
38	New Jersey	8.1
39	Texas	8.1
40	Nevada	8.15
41	Louisiana	8.3
42	Arkansas	8.3
43	Indiana	8.55
44	Alabama	8.6
45	Illinois	8.65
46	Mississippi	8.7
47	Georgia	8.8
48	Oklahoma	8.9
49	Washington	10.3
50	Oregon	12.1
51	California	12.6

More on fine particulate matter

A ranking describes places, not the people in them, and a high or low place does not by itself say why. All US rankings.