Westchester Index

Community

Air Quality

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Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

What does this measure?

The percentage of days for which air quality was monitored and found to be good, indicating healthy air both for sensitive groups, such as people with asthma, and for the population as a whole. The Air Quality Index (AQI) summarizes levels of ground-level ozone, particulate matter (soot and other particles), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide into one measure.

Why is this important?

Exposure to these pollutants can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Continued exposure can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease.

How is Westchester County performing?

In 2023, 88% of days with air quality measurements in Westchester County were good air days, similar to the rate in 2022, and a 14 percentage point increase from 2010. The lowest point in the last two decades was only 66% good air days in 2007. Compared to similar counties, Westchester had the same percentage of good air days in 2022 as Nassau and Rockland Counties; Putnam had the highest at 95%.

Notes about the data

The availability of data depends on the location of EPA monitoring stations.

Days with Good Air Quality

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Westchester County	81%	71%	75%	81%	85%	75%	79%	66%	71%	77%	74%	73%	80%	82%	82%	79%	82%	90%	87%	90%	90%	89%	89%	88%
Nassau County	76%	74%	78%	83%	84%	83%	86%	63%	63%	72%	72%	67%	77%	80%	85%	85%	92%	94%	93%	95%	95%	93%	97%	88%
Putnam County	89%	81%	78%	85%	87%	84%	89%	85%	88%	95%	86%	94%	93%	96%	95%	93%	89%	94%	94%	96%	98%	95%	93%	95%
Rockland County										86%	76%	79%	81%	81%	85%	80%	83%	93%	88%	92%	93%	92%	92%	88%

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Notes: Data were not available for the state or for some counties because they do not have air quality monitoring stations.

Number of Days with Good Air Quality

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Westchester County	287	257	261	291	298	272	274	239	260	280	271	263	292	300	299	290	300	327	316	330	327	325	324	322
Nassau County	276	265	284	295	303	295	312	230	232	263	262	244	276	291	310	310	337	342	340	344	347	337	353	320
Putnam County	326	294	279	310	316	304	317	311	322	345	315	330	334	351	345	338	322	339	332	348	350	345	311	334
Rockland County										178	277	270	290	297	311	293	303	340	320	335	340	334	337	320

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Notes: Data were not available for the state or for some counties because they do not have air quality monitoring stations.

Community Indicators

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INDICATORS	TREND \| WESTCHESTER
Early Prenatal Care, by Mother's Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Infant Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels	0 Maintaining
Children Receiving Subsidized Child Care	0 Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Disengaged Youth, Ages 16 to 19	-1 Decreasing
Single-Parent Families, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Single Female-Headed Households	-1 Decreasing
Voter Registration Rate	1 Increasing
Voter Participation Rate	-1 Decreasing
Serious Crimes	-1 Decreasing
Reported Victims of Domestic Violence	-1 Decreasing
Arrest Rates, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Households With Internet Access, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Households without Vehicles	0 Maintaining
Means of Transportation to Work, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Air Quality	1 Increasing
Population Density	0 Maintaining
Water Quality of the Long Island Sound	10 Not Applicable*
Open Space in Westchester County	10 Not Applicable*
Change in Total Population	1 Increasing
Change in Population, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Change in Population, by Age	10 Not Applicable*
People with Disabilities	1 Increasing
Language Diversity	1 Increasing
People 65 or Older Living Alone	-1 Decreasing
Foreign-Born Population	1 Increasing
Change in Total Jobs	1 Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector	10 Not Applicable*
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Average Salary by Sector	10 Not Applicable*
Median Household Income, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Female to Male Earnings Ratio	0 Maintaining
Income in Relation to Poverty Level	10 Not Applicable*
Unemployment Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
People Living in Poverty	0 Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Seniors Living in Poverty	1 Increasing
Seniors Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Food Insecurity	-1 Decreasing
Households Receiving SNAP, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Public Assistance	0 Maintaining
People Receiving Supplemental Security Income	0 Maintaining
Homeownership Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Cost of Homeownership, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Overall Housing Cost Burden	-1 Decreasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Rent Burdened Households	-1 Decreasing
Homelessness, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Homelessness, by Sex	10 Not Applicable*
Per-Student Spending	0 Maintaining
Student Suspensions	-1 Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
College Admission Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
College Enrollment Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
People Without Health Insurance	-1 Decreasing
Mortality Rate, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Mortality Rate from Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Diabetes Mortality, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*
Suicide Rates, by Race/Ethnicity	10 Not Applicable*