Investigate the problem

Meaningful air quality action starts with understanding the problem. This section features handpicked resources and tools to help your city assess air quality trends, identify top pollution sources and understand who is most exposed and at risk.

Map air quality in your city

Understanding when, where and what type of air pollution is impacting your community allows you to better target interventions and maximize health benefits.

Identify and prioritize pollution sources

To develop air quality solutions that effectively mitigate pollution, it’s critical to know which sources emit which pollutants, where and how much.

Learn how air pollution affects health

Use these resources to better understand air pollution’s local health and economic effects in your city, and how these are shaped by localized factors.

Find out who is most at risk

Understanding which neighborhoods and groups are most vulnerable to health risks from air pollution enables your city to target clean air interventions that maximize health and economic benefits.

Featured

Air quality, pollution source and health data resources

AnalysisMapTool

Air Tracker

Mapping tool showing air monitoring locations and the locations that contribute to air quality for a set of large cities in the U.S.

AnalysisMapModelTool

U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index

The U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index map is an interactive tool that ranks more than 70,000 U.S. census tracts using 184 indicators to show which communities face the greatest challenges from climate change. It visualizes “overall climate vulnerability” as well as underlying drivers in domains such as health, social and economic conditions, environment, infrastructure, and climate impacts (e.g., extreme events and climate disaster costs). Users can search for any location, compare tracts within a state or EPA region, and drill down to see which specific factors—like housing quality, exposure to pollution, or health burdens—are contributing to vulnerability, helping communities and decision‑makers target climate resilience investments where they are needed most.

Model

MOVES

EPA's MOtor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) is a state-of-the-science emission modeling system that estimates emissions for mobile sources at the national, county, and project level for criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and air toxics, available under EPA's Open Source Software policy.

AnalysisTechnology

Air Sensor Toolbox

Air sensor monitors that are lower in cost, portable and generally easier to operate than regulatory-grade monitors are widely used in the United States to understand air quality conditions. This website provides the latest science on the performance, operation and use of air sensor monitoring systems for technology developers, air quality managers, participatory scientists and the public. The EPA is involved in the advancement of air sensor technology, including performance evaluations of sensor devices and best practices for effectively using sensors. The information can help the public learn more about air quality in their communities.

AnalysisDatabase

National Environmental Health Tracking Network

"The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) brings together health data and environmental data from national, state, and city sources and provides supporting information to make the data easier to understand. The Tracking Network has data and information on environments and hazards, health effects, and population health."

Database

Air Data

Air quality monitoring data