Air quality in North Carolina

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.

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.
AQI thresholds — what 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' actually means for you
EPA's AQI uses six bands keyed to specific population groups. Here's what each band means at the personal-decision level — go outside, mask, stay home.

Air quality in North Carolina

What lands here

Source & refresh

Hurricanes (coastal), PFAS in Cape Fear

Read more on air quality

14 North Carolina ZIPs