Out of 83 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 83 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 18/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 403 |
Top 83 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boone,Newton,Searcy | Arkansas | 35/100 | 29 | 1 |
| 2 | Scott | Arkansas | 35/100 | 28 | 4 |
| 3 | Polk | Arkansas | 34/100 | 38 | 7 |
| 4 | Benton | Arkansas | 33/100 | 11 | 22 |
| 5 | Marion | Arkansas | 33/100 | 4 | 7 |
| 6 | Sebastian | Arkansas | 33/100 | 2 | 20 |
| 7 | Baxter | Arkansas | 32/100 | 29 | 15 |
| 8 | Boone | Arkansas | 32/100 | 4 | 9 |
| 9 | Washington | Arkansas | 32/100 | 3 | 24 |
| 10 | Carroll | Arkansas | 32/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 11 | Searcy | Arkansas | 31/100 | 29 | 5 |
| 12 | Newton,Pope | Arkansas | 31/100 | 29 | 2 |
| 13 | Newton | Arkansas | 31/100 | 17 | 13 |
| 14 | Crawford | Arkansas | 31/100 | 3 | 12 |
| 15 | Montgomery | Arkansas | 30/100 | 34 | 8 |
| 16 | Logan | Arkansas | 30/100 | 4 | 9 |
| 17 | Fulton | Arkansas | 29/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Izard | Arkansas | 28/100 | 2 | 17 |
| 19 | Yell | Arkansas | 27/100 | 28 | 12 |
| 20 | Madison | Arkansas | 27/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 21 | Stone | Arkansas | 27/100 | 2 | 5 |
| 22 | Franklin | Arkansas | 27/100 | 2 | 5 |
| 23 | Johnson | Arkansas | 27/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 24 | Garland | Arkansas | 26/100 | 20 | 12 |
| 25 | Cleburne,Searcy,Stone,Van Buren | Arkansas | 26/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 | Pope | Arkansas | 25/100 | 17 | 10 |
| 27 | Pike | Arkansas | 24/100 | 34 | 7 |
| 28 | Sevier | Arkansas | 24/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 29 | Perry | Arkansas | 23/100 | 11 | 4 |
| 30 | Conway | Arkansas | 23/100 | 3 | 9 |
| 31 | Randolph | Arkansas | 22/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 32 | Sharp | Arkansas | 22/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 33 | Howard | Arkansas | 20/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 34 | Little River | Arkansas | 19/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 35 | Van Buren | Arkansas | 18/100 | 3 | 9 |
| 36 | Saline | Arkansas | 18/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 37 | Clark | Arkansas | 18/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 38 | Hot Spring | Arkansas | 18/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 | Cleburne | Arkansas | 18/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 40 | Clay | Arkansas | 16/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 41 | Faulkner | Arkansas | 15/100 | 1 | 13 |
| 42 | Pulaski | Arkansas | 15/100 | 0 | 39 |
| 43 | Grant | Arkansas | 15/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 44 | Lawrence | Arkansas | 15/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 45 | Cleburne,Faulkner,Van Buren | Arkansas | 14/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 46 | Hempstead | Arkansas | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 47 | Independence | Arkansas | 14/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 48 | Miller | Arkansas | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 49 | Perry,Pulaski | Arkansas | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 50 | White | Arkansas | 12/100 | 1 | 15 |
| 51 | Nevada | Arkansas | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 52 | Greene | Arkansas | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 53 | Dallas | Arkansas | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 54 | Lafayette | Arkansas | 11/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 55 | Lonoke | Arkansas | 11/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 56 | Grant,Jefferson | Arkansas | 11/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 57 | Craighead,Greene,Poinsett | Arkansas | 11/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 58 | Jefferson | Arkansas | 9/100 | 1 | 17 |
| 59 | Prairie,White | Arkansas | 9/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 60 | Ouachita | Arkansas | 9/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 61 | Calhoun | Arkansas | 8/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 62 | Jackson | Arkansas | 8/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 63 | Chicot | Arkansas | 8/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 64 | Columbia | Arkansas | 8/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 65 | Crittenden | Arkansas | 8/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 66 | Craighead | Arkansas | 8/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 67 | Ashley | Arkansas | 7/100 | 2 | 7 |
| 68 | Bradley | Arkansas | 7/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 69 | Cleveland | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 70 | Drew | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 71 | Union | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 72 | Woodruff | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 73 | Prairie | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 74 | Lee | Arkansas | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 75 | Desha | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 76 | Lincoln | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 77 | Arkansas | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 78 | Monroe | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 79 | Phillips | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 80 | Mississippi | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 19 |
| 81 | St. Francis | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 82 | Cross | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 83 | Poinsett | Arkansas | 5/100 | 0 | 8 |
Methodology
County rankings for Arkansas based on average smoke risk score and fire frequency.
Data sources: National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), EPA AirNow. Last updated: 2026-06-04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is wildfire smoke risk calculated?
Smoke risk scores (0-100) combine multiple factors: proximity to recent wildfires, county fire frequency over the past 5 years, historical smoke days, and geographic position relative to typical fire corridors. Higher scores indicate greater smoke exposure risk during fire season.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Use a HEPA air purifier indoors, wear N95 or KN95 masks outdoors during smoke events, seal windows and doors, and monitor AirNow.gov for real-time air quality. Create a clean room in your home with the purifier running and windows sealed.