Air Quality Index (PM2.5 AQI)

The data reports daily maximum air quality index (AQI) levels, which are calculated using measurements of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5). It includes measurements for the 47 counties in North Carolina that have at least one active sensor. Because air quality varies significantly by location and sensors are usually located around areas that may experience air quality issues, this data is not representative of each county’s overall air quality. AQI values are a normalized index from 0-500 with ranges that represent different levels of air quality, with lower numbers indicating better quality and higher numbers representing worse air quality. The processed data was obtained as a .csv file containing the daily maximum AQI value for each sensor in North Carolina from 2017 to the present. Air quality sensors usually have a representative radius of approximately 1-5 kilometers.