SmogRank / World / North America / United States / North Carolina

Most polluted cities in North Carolina, United States

9 measured cities, last 24 hours; 1 above the WHO 24-hour guideline. Worst: Wake Forest at 17.5 µg/m³, #84 in the world.

Alabama: 8 measured citiesGeorgia: 14 measured citiesSouth Carolina: 4 measured citiesNorth Carolina: 15 measured citiesVirginia: 13 measured citiesKentucky: 11 measured citiesTennessee: 12 measured cities#9 Hickory: 8.5 µg/m³#8 Greenville: 9.5 µg/m³#7 Greensboro: 9.8 µg/m³#6 Asheville: 10.1 µg/m³#5 Morrisville: 10.8 µg/m³#4 Charlotte: 11.0 µg/m³#3 Clemmons: 12.1 µg/m³#2 Winston-Salem: 13.9 µg/m³#1 Wake Forest: 17.5 µg/m³
Each dot is a measured city, coloured by its PM2.5; tap a dot to open the city.
← Wake Forest 17.5 WHO 24-hour guideline
Every measured city in North Carolina, United States, one column each, worst on the left and cleanest on the right. Point at it to read a city; tap to open it.
  1. 1Wake Forestlow-cost sensors 251.2×
  2. 2Winston-Salem 200.9×
  3. 3Clemmons 180.8×
  4. 4Charlotte 160.7×
  5. 5Morrisville 160.7×
  6. 6Asheville 150.7×
  7. 7Greensboro 140.7×
  8. 8Greenville 140.6×
  9. 9Hickory 130.6×
Excellent0–50
Good51–100
Lightly polluted101–150
Moderately polluted151–200
Heavily polluted201–300
Severely polluted301+

China's Air Quality Index (HJ 633-2012), PM2.5 individual index. 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

North Carolina 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
Cary≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Wilmington≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
High Point≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Concord≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Gastonia≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Jacksonville≈ 8 µg/m³Excellent
Chapel Hill≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Rocky Mount≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Huntersville≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Burlington≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Wilson≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Kannapolis≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Apex≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Indian Trail≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Goldsboro≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Monroe≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Salisbury≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Holly Springs≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Matthews≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
New Bern≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Fort Bragg≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Sanford≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Cornelius≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Garner≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Thomasville≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Statesville≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Asheboro≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Mint Hill≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Fuquay-Varina≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Kernersville≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Lumberton≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Kinston≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Carrboro≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Havelock≈ 6 µg/m³Excellent
Shelby≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent
Boone≈ 3 µg/m³Excellent
Elizabeth City≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Leland≈ 5 µg/m³Excellent
Lenoir≈ 3 µg/m³Excellent
Morganton≈ 4 µg/m³Excellent

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SmogRank, most polluted cities in North Carolina, United States, PM2.5, last 24 hours to 2 Oct 2026, 05:00 UTC, smogrank.com/us/region/north-carolina.

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Updated 2026-10-02 05:07 UTC. Values are PM2.5 (fine particles), the median of each city's monitors, as the China AQI PM2.5 sub-index.