SmogRank / World / North America / United States / Kentucky

Most polluted cities in Kentucky, United States

11 measured cities, last 30 days; 0 above the WHO 24-hour guideline. Worst: Louisville at 8.8 µg/m³, #810 in the world.

Ohio: 27 measured citiesNorth Carolina: 15 measured citiesVirginia: 13 measured citiesMissouri: 10 measured citiesIllinois: 33 measured citiesKentucky: 11 measured citiesArkansas: 4 measured citiesTennessee: 12 measured citiesWest Virginia: 3 measured citiesIndiana: 21 measured cities#10 Ashland: 6.3 µg/m³#11 Fort Thomas: 6.3 µg/m³#9 Nicholasville: 6.5 µg/m³#8 Lexington-Fayette: 6.6 µg/m³#7 Paducah: 6.9 µg/m³#6 Jeffersontown: 7.2 µg/m³#5 Elizabethtown: 7.3 µg/m³#4 Owensboro: 7.6 µg/m³#3 Saint Matthews: 7.8 µg/m³#1 Louisville: 8.8 µg/m³#2 Valley Station: 8.8 µg/m³
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5; tap a dot to open the city.
← Louisville 8.8 µg/m³ 15 µg/m³ WHO 24-hour guideline0
Every measured city in Kentucky, United States, one column each, worst on the left and cleanest on the right; height is PM2.5 in µg/m³. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.
  1. 1Louisville 49▼282
  2. 2Valley Station 49▼270
  3. 3Saint Matthews 43▼290
  4. 4Owensboro 42▼273
  5. 5Elizabethtown 41▼244
  6. 6Jeffersontown 40▼302
  7. 7Paducah 38▼286
  8. 8Lexington-Fayette 37▼304
  9. 9Nicholasville 36▼267
  10. 10Ashland 35▼289
  11. 11Fort Thomas 35▼288
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales

Estimated: cities without a monitor

Kentucky cities we can't measure, with model estimates for the last 7 days. Listed by population, not ranked: estimates aren't precise enough to rank. Model estimates from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), adjusted to measured cities nearby where there are any. Adjusted, a single day lands within ×1.5 of what a monitor would read about two times in three; unadjusted, it can be off by half or double. Treat them as a guide, not a measurement.

City7-day estimateBand
Lexington≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Meads≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Bowling Green≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Covington≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Richmond≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Georgetown≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Florence≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Hopkinsville≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Henderson≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Frankfort≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Independence≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Radcliff≈ 7 µg/m³Good
Newburg≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Madisonville≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Murray≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Erlanger≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Winchester≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Fern Creek≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Okolona≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Danville≈ 4 µg/m³Good
Burlington≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Shively≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Newport≈ 6 µg/m³Good
Shelbyville≈ 5 µg/m³Good
Highview≈ 6 µg/m³Good

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SmogRank, most polluted cities in Kentucky, United States, PM2.5, last 30 days to 2 Oct 2026, 08:00 UTC, smogrank.com/us/region/kentucky?w=30d.

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Updated 2026-10-02 08:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the US AQI PM2.5 sub-index.