Pull up the map. Jacksonville’s air is Good most mornings. By mid-afternoon on a hot, still day, it’s a different story.
This page shows you the live Air Quality Index for Jacksonville and Duval County, fed by monitoring stations the City of Jacksonville Environmental Quality Division and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection run around the clock. The data flows directly from those stations into EPA’s AirNow system, then onto the map above — updated continuously for PM2.5, hourly for the 8-hour ozone average.
We track those numbers because we work inside the homes those numbers affect. Our team at CleanFlowAC.com services HVAC systems across Florida, and we’ve opened enough air handlers after a run of poor-air days to know: what happens outside shows up inside, often within hours. On Moderate and Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups days, the right filter setup makes a real difference to what your family breathes.
Check the live map for current conditions. Then read on for what the numbers mean, who’s most at risk, and what you can do about it today.
TL;DR Quick Answers
What is the AQI in Jacksonville FL right now? Check the live map at the top of this page — updated hourly from Duval County stations via the City of Jacksonville Environmental Quality Division and EPA AirNow. Most days land in the Good to Moderate range, with PM2.5 and ground-level ozone as the primary drivers on elevated days.
Is Jacksonville FL air quality good today? Generally, yes. Most days run Good to Moderate. The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report gave Jacksonville a ‘B’ for both ozone and short-term particle pollution. Use the live map above for current conditions.
What are PM2.5 levels in Jacksonville FL today? See the live map at the top of this page for current readings. EPA benchmarks: below 12 µg/m³ is Good, 12.1–35.4 is Moderate, and above 35.4 warrants protective action — especially for children and those with lung or heart conditions.
What should I do when Jacksonville AQI is unhealthy?
- Stay indoors and close windows
- Switch your HVAC to recirculate mode
- On Orange (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) days or higher, sensitive individuals should avoid outdoor activity between noon and early evening when ozone peaks
- Keep a clean high-MERV filter installed — it’s your most cost-effective indoor protection
Top Takeaways
• Check the live map above before outdoor activity, school drop-off, or exercise. Conditions in Jacksonville change hourly — especially between noon and early evening when ozone peaks.
• PM2.5 and ozone drive Jacksonville’s daily AQI. Both run continuously through Duval County’s monitoring stations and feed directly into AirNow.
• Sensitive groups — children, seniors, anyone with asthma, COPD, or heart disease — should take action at the orange (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) level. Waiting for red is waiting too long.
• On Moderate or higher AQI days, switch your HVAC to recirculate mode and check your filter. A loaded filter can’t move air properly — it doesn’t protect more by staying in place.
• Jacksonville’s 2025 State of the Air grades fell from ‘A’ to ‘B’ for both ozone and short-term PM2.5. The trend is gradual, but it’s real.
• Sign up for EPA’s EnviroFlash at airnow.gov. Daily Jacksonville AQI forecasts arrive in your inbox before the day starts — no map-checking required.
Table of Contents
What Is the AQI and How Does It Work in Jacksonville?
The Air Quality Index is the EPA’s tool for translating raw pollution data into a number any resident can act on. It runs from 0 to 500. Lower is better. Above 100, the air starts posing a real risk — first for sensitive groups, then for everyone.
The Six AQI Categories
- 0–50 | Good — Air quality is satisfactory. No risk for most people.
- 51–100 | Moderate — Acceptable overall. Unusually sensitive individuals may notice mild effects.
- 101–150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups — Children, seniors, and anyone with respiratory or heart conditions should cut back on outdoor activity.
- 151–200 | Unhealthy — Everyone may start to feel effects. Sensitive groups face serious risk.
- 201–300 | Very Unhealthy — Health alert. Everyone is at risk of more serious effects.
- 301–500 | Hazardous — Emergency conditions. The entire population is affected.
Six Pollutants. One Number.
Duval County’s monitoring network — run jointly by the City of Jacksonville and FDEP — tracks six pollutants and calculates a single daily AQI from whichever reads highest:
• PM2.5: Fine inhalable particles 2.5 micrometers and smaller. These get deep into the lungs. They’re the particles most directly tied to cardiovascular and respiratory harm.
• PM10: Coarser particles — dust, pollen — up to 10 micrometers.
• Ozone (O3): Ground-level ozone forms when sunlight hits nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from vehicles, industry, and port operations. Hot, still afternoons are when it peaks.
• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): Released by industrial combustion and power generation.
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): Primarily from vehicle exhaust and fuel combustion.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO): Generated by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.
Why Jacksonville’s Climate Changes the Risk
Jacksonville is Florida’s largest city — the 12th most populous in the country. That population means traffic volume, port activity, and non-road fuel combustion generating ozone precursors daily. Add warm temperatures and the relatively stagnant air that settles over Northeast Florida on summer afternoons, and ground-level ozone builds up fast.
Most days land in the Good to Moderate range. But the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report found that Jacksonville’s ozone grade slipped from an ‘A’ to a ‘B’ compared to the prior year, and that residents face higher exposure to ozone smog and daily particle pollution than they did the year before. Families with young children, seniors, and anyone managing asthma or heart disease should treat that trend as a reason to stay informed — not to panic, but to pay attention.
How to Read the Live Map
Each pin on the map reflects the highest AQI value from the pollutants measured at that station over the past 24 hours. Click any pin to see which pollutant is driving the reading and the specific concentration values behind it.
PM2.5 data refreshes continuously. The ozone 8-hour average updates every hour. Tomorrow’s forecast comes from FDEP — they typically publish it by 4:00 PM ET.
What to Do When the AQI Rises
When Jacksonville’s AQI moves into Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups territory, here’s what our team recommends:
1. Check the map before any sustained outdoor activity — a morning jog, yard work, kids’ sports.
2. Dial back workout duration or intensity if the AQI is above 100.
3. Close windows and switch your HVAC to recirculate mode. This cuts off the fresh-air intake so you’re not actively pulling outdoor air in.
4. Check your air filter. A filter that’s already loaded can’t move air freely — it protects less, not more, on a high-particle day.
5. If your system can handle it, a MERV 11 or higher filter gives you meaningfully better PM2.5 protection during extended Moderate or USG periods.
6. Sign up for EnviroFlash at airnow.gov. It sends Jacksonville’s daily AQI forecast to your inbox before the day starts.
“Fine particulate matter loads fast during multi-day Moderate stretches — faster than most homeowners expect — and the families inside rarely connect the coughing or poor sleep to the AQI reading they scrolled past that morning. The outdoor number and the indoor experience aren’t separate events; they’re the same event, separated by a few hours and a duct system.” – Our Certified HVAC Team at CleanFlowAC.com
Essential Resources
Useful air quality data comes from agencies that actually operate monitoring infrastructure. These are the sources our team turns to when we need to know what Jacksonville’s air looks like — and why.
1. EPA AirNow: Real-Time Air Quality Map and Health Guidance
AirNow is the EPA’s primary monitoring platform. It aggregates real-time AQI readings, daily forecasts, wildfire smoke maps, and health guidance from government stations nationwide. Jacksonville’s Environmental Quality Division feeds directly into this system.
2. City of Jacksonville: Ambient Air Monitoring Activity
The City of Jacksonville’s own monitoring page. Current AQI and historic data for Duval County stations, with direct links to AirNow readings and pollutant-specific local data. The most direct local government source for Jacksonville air quality.
3. FDEP: Air Quality Today (Florida Spatial Air Quality System)
https://floridadep.gov/air/air-monitoring/content/air-quality-today
FDEP’s real-time statewide AQI map. For Jacksonville, this covers both ozone and PM2.5 readings from Duval County stations, using 24-hour block averages for PM2.5 and 31-hour rolling windows for the 8-hour ozone average.
4. FDEP: Duval County Air Monitoring Detail
https://floridadep.gov/air/air-monitoring/content/duval-county-air-monitoring
Lists every active and historic monitoring station in Duval County — what each one measures, where it sits, and its federal AQS identification number. Useful if you want to know which parts of Jacksonville have active coverage.
5. American Lung Association: State of the Air
https://www.lung.org/research/sota
The Lung Association grades every monitored U.S. county on ozone and particle pollution each year. Jacksonville’s grades, trends, and health implications for sensitive populations are documented here with full national context.
6. Wikipedia: Air Quality Index
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_quality_index
A thorough reference on the AQI system’s development, how different countries calculate and report air quality, and the science behind each pollutant threshold. Good background reading for anyone who wants more than the color scale.
Supporting Statistics
These data points come from active .gov and .org sources. They put the live map readings in context and explain why Jacksonville’s air quality deserves regular attention — not just on smoky days.
Stat 1: Jacksonville’s Air Quality Grades Dropped Between 2024 and 2025
The American Lung Association’s 26th annual State of the Air report found that Jacksonville’s ground-level ozone grade fell from ‘A’ to ‘B,’ with 0.3 unhealthy ozone days per year on the most recent three-year average. Short-term PM2.5 followed the same track, also declining from ‘A’ to ‘B.’ The report ties the national worsening trend to extreme heat events and increased wildfire smoke.
Source: American Lung Association — State of the Air 2025 — https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/sota-jacksonville-2025
Stat 2: A PM2.5 Particle Is About 30 Times Smaller Than a Human Hair
The EPA puts PM2.5 at 2.5 micrometers and smaller in diameter. A single human hair runs about 70 micrometers across — roughly 30 times larger than the largest PM2.5 particle. That size gap is why these particles bypass the nose and throat’s defenses and settle deep in the lungs, where they can enter the bloodstream. It’s also why PM2.5 carries the strongest association with cardiovascular and respiratory harm.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Particulate Matter (PM) Basics — https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics
Stat 3: More Than Half of Florida’s Counties Have No Verified AQI Data
FDEP’s air monitoring FAQ confirms that Florida’s monitoring network covers 35 of the state’s 67 counties. The other 32 have no verified AQI data on file with the federal government. Duval County is among the monitored counties — which means Jacksonville residents have access to real data that their counterparts in much of Florida simply don’t.
Source: Florida Department of Environmental Protection — Air Monitoring FAQs — https://floridadep.gov/air/air-monitoring/content/air-monitoring-frequently-asked-questions
Final Thoughts
Jacksonville’s air is generally fine. Green or yellow on most days. That’s the honest baseline.
But fine and safe aren’t the same thing, and they’re definitely not permanent. The homeowners we see who handle poor-air stretches the best aren’t the ones running the most sophisticated systems. They’re the ones who checked the map, switched the HVAC to recirculate, and changed the filter before the week got bad. That’s it. Thirty seconds and a filter swap.
The 2025 State of the Air report confirms what we’ve been watching on the ground for several years now. Jacksonville’s air trended in the wrong direction between 2024 and 2025. Port traffic and vehicle emissions aren’t shrinking. Warm temperatures that accelerate ozone formation are a structural feature of Northeast Florida’s climate, not a fluke. Regional wildfire smoke is showing up more frequently. None of those factors are moving the other way.
Our view is practical, not alarmist. Glancing at the live AQI takes less than thirty seconds. Recirculate mode and a clean filter cost almost nothing. Those two actions keep a real volume of fine particulate matter out of the air your family breathes at home — while they sleep, while kids do homework, during the hours that add up.
You can’t control what’s in the outdoor air. You can control what gets inside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the air quality index in Jacksonville, Florida today?
A: The live AQI map at the top of this page shows Jacksonville’s current reading, updated continuously from Duval County monitoring stations run by the City of Jacksonville Environmental Quality Division, FDEP, and EPA AirNow. AQI 0–50 is Good. AQI 51–100 is Moderate. Above 100, the air poses real health risk — first for sensitive groups, then for everyone.
Q: What pollutants are monitored in Jacksonville, FL?
A: Duval County’s network tracks PM2.5, PM10, ground-level ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). PM2.5 and ozone are the two most likely to push the daily AQI above 100. Both feed continuously into AirNow and FDEP’s real-time SAQS map.
Q: Is Jacksonville FL air quality bad right now?
A: Most days, Jacksonville logs a Good to Moderate AQI. That said, the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report found Jacksonville’s ozone and particle pollution grades both dropped from ‘A’ to ‘B’ compared to the prior year. Check the live map above for today’s reading. Conditions shift hourly, particularly on warm afternoons when ozone tends to build.
Q: What does a Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups AQI mean for Jacksonville residents?
A: Moderate (51–100) means acceptable air quality overall, but unusually sensitive individuals may notice effects. Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (101–150) means children, older adults, and anyone with respiratory or heart conditions should reduce outdoor time. Indoors, run your HVAC on recirculate and check your filter. A high-MERV filter is the most practical step you can take on those days.
Q: Where can I find tomorrow’s Duval County AQI forecast?
A: FDEP publishes daily AQI forecasts for Duval County in partnership with EPA AirNow, typically by 4:00 PM ET for the following day. Check airnow.gov or sign up for EPA’s EnviroFlash to get it by email. FDEP also maintains 8-hour ozone and PM2.5 tracking reports at floridadep.gov.
Q: How does outdoor air quality in Jacksonville affect indoor air?
A: On elevated AQI days, outdoor pollutants enter homes through HVAC fresh-air intakes, gaps around doors and windows, and infiltration through ductwork. Jacksonville’s warm, humid climate can concentrate indoor particulates and create conditions for mold in ductwork when systems aren’t well maintained. Switching to recirculate mode cuts the fresh-air intake. A correctly rated air filter handles what’s already circulating inside.
Q: What air filter should I use on high AQI days in Jacksonville?
A: For most residential systems, a MERV 8 filter covers everyday larger particles. On Moderate or USG days, a MERV 11 or MERV 13 gives meaningfully better protection against PM2.5 — provided your system’s airflow can support it. Our team at CleanFlowAC.com can help you find the right filter for your specific setup without compromising airflow.
Your Filters Work Until They Don’t
Your Jacksonville AQI Was Up. What Did Your Filter Catch?
When the AQI rises, outdoor particles don’t wait at the door. They come in through your HVAC intake, your ductwork, the gaps you can’t see. We help Florida homeowners pick the right filter for their system based on what’s actually in the air here — not a generic recommendation off a national chart.