Out of 95 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 95 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 14/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 170 |
Top 95 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sevier | Tennessee | 29/100 | 8 | 8 |
| 2 | Scott | Tennessee | 28/100 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Campbell | Tennessee | 28/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 4 | Blount | Tennessee | 27/100 | 17 | 12 |
| 5 | Polk | Tennessee | 27/100 | 10 | 8 |
| 6 | Cocke | Tennessee | 27/100 | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | McMinn | Tennessee | 26/100 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | Claiborne | Tennessee | 26/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 9 | Monroe | Tennessee | 25/100 | 16 | 6 |
| 10 | Knox | Tennessee | 23/100 | 17 | 36 |
| 11 | Hardin | Tennessee | 23/100 | 6 | 5 |
| 12 | McNairy | Tennessee | 23/100 | 6 | 10 |
| 13 | Greene | Tennessee | 23/100 | 3 | 9 |
| 14 | Hamilton | Tennessee | 23/100 | 1 | 35 |
| 15 | Loudon | Tennessee | 23/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 | Hancock | Tennessee | 23/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Meigs | Tennessee | 22/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Jefferson | Tennessee | 22/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 19 | Hamblen | Tennessee | 22/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 20 | Bradley | Tennessee | 21/100 | 10 | 9 |
| 21 | Cumberland | Tennessee | 21/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 22 | Hardeman | Tennessee | 21/100 | 1 | 13 |
| 23 | Hawkins | Tennessee | 21/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 24 | Fentress | Tennessee | 20/100 | 6 | 7 |
| 25 | Anderson | Tennessee | 20/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 26 | Union | Tennessee | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 27 | Grainger | Tennessee | 19/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 | Unicoi | Tennessee | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 29 | Roane | Tennessee | 18/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 30 | Morgan | Tennessee | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Fayette | Tennessee | 18/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 32 | Marion | Tennessee | 17/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 33 | Washington | Tennessee | 16/100 | 2 | 12 |
| 34 | Carter | Tennessee | 16/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 35 | Henderson | Tennessee | 16/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 36 | Wayne | Tennessee | 15/100 | 6 | 6 |
| 37 | Sullivan | Tennessee | 15/100 | 4 | 14 |
| 38 | Rhea | Tennessee | 15/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 39 | Haywood | Tennessee | 15/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 40 | Chester | Tennessee | 15/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 41 | Johnson | Tennessee | 14/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 42 | Decatur | Tennessee | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 43 | Pickett | Tennessee | 14/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 44 | Overton | Tennessee | 13/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 45 | Lawrence | Tennessee | 13/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 46 | Sequatchie | Tennessee | 13/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 47 | Bledsoe | Tennessee | 13/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 48 | Shelby | Tennessee | 13/100 | 0 | 79 |
| 49 | Madison | Tennessee | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 50 | Stewart | Tennessee | 12/100 | 2 | 5 |
| 51 | Grundy | Tennessee | 12/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 52 | Lewis | Tennessee | 12/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 53 | Carroll | Tennessee | 12/100 | 0 | 14 |
| 54 | Montgomery | Tennessee | 11/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 55 | Houston | Tennessee | 11/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 56 | Perry | Tennessee | 11/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 57 | Franklin | Tennessee | 11/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 58 | Crockett | Tennessee | 11/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 59 | Tipton | Tennessee | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 60 | Lauderdale | Tennessee | 11/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 61 | Warren | Tennessee | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 62 | Coffee | Tennessee | 10/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 63 | Henry | Tennessee | 10/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 64 | Benton | Tennessee | 10/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 65 | Giles | Tennessee | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 66 | Van Buren | Tennessee | 9/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 67 | Hickman | Tennessee | 8/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 68 | Weakley | Tennessee | 8/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 69 | Gibson | Tennessee | 8/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 70 | Putnam | Tennessee | 8/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 71 | Dickson | Tennessee | 7/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 72 | Lincoln | Tennessee | 7/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 73 | Obion | Tennessee | 7/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 74 | Clay | Tennessee | 7/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 75 | White | Tennessee | 7/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 76 | Bedford | Tennessee | 6/100 | 3 | 8 |
| 77 | Rutherford | Tennessee | 6/100 | 3 | 13 |
| 78 | Cannon | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 79 | DeKalb | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 80 | Macon | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 81 | Humphreys | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 82 | Maury | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 83 | Moore | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 84 | Dyer | Tennessee | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 85 | Marshall | Tennessee | 5/100 | 3 | 6 |
| 86 | Williamson | Tennessee | 5/100 | 1 | 11 |
| 87 | Cheatham | Tennessee | 5/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 88 | Robertson | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 89 | Davidson | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 48 |
| 90 | Wilson | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 91 | Sumner | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 92 | Smith | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 93 | Trousdale | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 94 | Lake | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 95 | Jackson | Tennessee | 5/100 | 0 | 2 |
Methodology
County rankings for Tennessee 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.