Out of 106 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 106 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 21/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 168 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chautauqua | Kansas | 39/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Elk | Kansas | 39/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Reno | Kansas | 35/100 | 3 | 14 |
| 4 | Morris | Kansas | 35/100 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | Lyon | Kansas | 34/100 | 7 | 7 |
| 6 | Chase | Kansas | 32/100 | 18 | 5 |
| 7 | Greenwood | Kansas | 32/100 | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Wabaunsee | Kansas | 32/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 9 | Cowley | Kansas | 32/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 10 | Butler | Kansas | 30/100 | 1 | 16 |
| 11 | Coffey | Kansas | 29/100 | 15 | 4 |
| 12 | Dickinson | Kansas | 29/100 | 4 | 11 |
| 13 | Geary | Kansas | 29/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Montgomery | Kansas | 29/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 15 | Shawnee | Kansas | 28/100 | 2 | 39 |
| 16 | Marion | Kansas | 27/100 | 4 | 10 |
| 17 | Riley | Kansas | 27/100 | 3 | 8 |
| 18 | Pottawatomie | Kansas | 27/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 19 | Jackson | Kansas | 26/100 | 44 | 8 |
| 20 | Rice | Kansas | 26/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 21 | Osage | Kansas | 26/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 22 | Harvey | Kansas | 25/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 23 | Sedgwick | Kansas | 24/100 | 1 | 50 |
| 24 | Graham | Kansas | 24/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 25 | Douglas | Kansas | 24/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 26 | Comanche | Kansas | 24/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Morton | Kansas | 23/100 | 2 | 3 |
| 28 | Stafford | Kansas | 23/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 29 | Phillips | Kansas | 23/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 30 | McPherson | Kansas | 23/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 31 | Norton | Kansas | 23/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 32 | Rooks | Kansas | 23/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 33 | Edwards | Kansas | 22/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 34 | Washington | Kansas | 22/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 35 | Jewell | Kansas | 22/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 36 | Russell | Kansas | 22/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 37 | Hodgeman | Kansas | 22/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 38 | Clay | Kansas | 22/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 39 | Republic | Kansas | 21/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 40 | Ellis | Kansas | 21/100 | 2 | 7 |
| 41 | Leavenworth | Kansas | 21/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 42 | Ness | Kansas | 21/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 43 | Clark | Kansas | 21/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 44 | Meade | Kansas | 21/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 45 | Woodson | Kansas | 21/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 46 | Smith | Kansas | 21/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 47 | Osborne | Kansas | 21/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 48 | Hamilton | Kansas | 21/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 49 | Pawnee | Kansas | 20/100 | 3 | 3 |
| 50 | Jefferson | Kansas | 20/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 51 | Trego | Kansas | 20/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 52 | Wichita | Kansas | 20/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 53 | Marshall | Kansas | 20/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 54 | Cloud | Kansas | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 55 | Saline | Kansas | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 56 | Barton | Kansas | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 57 | Seward | Kansas | 20/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 58 | Rush | Kansas | 19/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 59 | Ford | Kansas | 19/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 60 | Anderson | Kansas | 18/100 | 15 | 7 |
| 61 | Kearny | Kansas | 18/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 62 | Atchison | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 63 | St. Louis | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 64 | Nemaha | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 65 | Wilson | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 66 | Barber | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 67 | Mitchell | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 68 | Ellsworth | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 69 | Decatur | Kansas | 18/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 70 | Wyandotte | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 16 |
| 71 | Sumner | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 72 | Pratt | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 73 | Kiowa | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 74 | Labette | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 75 | Ottawa | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 76 | Stanton | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 77 | Grant | Kansas | 17/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 78 | Johnson | Kansas | 16/100 | 0 | 47 |
| 79 | Franklin | Kansas | 16/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 80 | Harper | Kansas | 16/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 81 | Kingman | Kansas | 16/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 82 | Scott | Kansas | 16/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 83 | Brown | Kansas | 15/100 | 3 | 7 |
| 84 | Lincoln | Kansas | 14/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 85 | Lane | Kansas | 14/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 86 | Miami | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 87 | Neosho | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 88 | Allen | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 89 | Cheyenne | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 90 | Gove | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 91 | Finney | Kansas | 13/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 92 | Doniphan | Kansas | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 93 | Cherokee | Kansas | 12/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 94 | Sheridan | Kansas | 12/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 95 | Wallace | Kansas | 12/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 96 | Stevens | Kansas | 12/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 97 | Linn | Kansas | 11/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 98 | Bourbon | Kansas | 11/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 99 | Rawlins | Kansas | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 100 | Logan | Kansas | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
Methodology
County rankings for Kansas 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.