Out of 41 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 41 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 11/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 2,105 |
Top 41 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairbanks North Star | Alaska | 30/100 | 111 | 15 |
| 2 | Denali | Alaska | 28/100 | 36 | 1 |
| 3 | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | Alaska | 27/100 | 126 | 2 |
| 4 | Southeast Fairbanks | Alaska | 24/100 | 126 | 6 |
| 5 | Denali Borough | Alaska | 24/100 | 36 | 4 |
| 6 | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | Alaska | 22/100 | 424 | 6 |
| 7 | Yukon-Koyukuk | Alaska | 21/100 | 424 | 25 |
| 8 | Northwest Arctic | Alaska | 20/100 | 92 | 11 |
| 9 | Kusilvak | Alaska | 18/100 | 14 | 11 |
| 10 | Bethel | Alaska | 16/100 | 39 | 23 |
| 11 | Dillingham | Alaska | 16/100 | 18 | 6 |
| 12 | Dillingham Census Area | Alaska | 16/100 | 18 | 3 |
| 13 | Anchorage Municipality | Alaska | 15/100 | 129 | 4 |
| 14 | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | Alaska | 15/100 | 129 | 2 |
| 15 | Bristol Bay | Alaska | 15/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Bristol Bay Borough | Alaska | 15/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Matanuska-Susitna | Alaska | 12/100 | 129 | 9 |
| 18 | Lake and Peninsula Borough | Alaska | 12/100 | 13 | 6 |
| 19 | Kenai Peninsula | Alaska | 11/100 | 42 | 9 |
| 20 | Kenai Peninsula Borough | Alaska | 11/100 | 42 | 4 |
| 21 | Bethel Census Area | Alaska | 11/100 | 39 | 4 |
| 22 | Lake and Peninsula | Alaska | 10/100 | 13 | 5 |
| 23 | Anchorage | Alaska | 10/100 | 10 | 29 |
| 24 | Copper River | Alaska | 10/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 25 | Wade Hampton Census Area | Alaska | 10/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Valdez-Cordova Census Area | Alaska | 9/100 | 10 | 4 |
| 27 | Nome | Alaska | 7/100 | 7 | 14 |
| 28 | Aleutians West | Alaska | 6/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 29 | Yakutat City and | Alaska | 5/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 | Chugach | Alaska | 5/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | North Slope | Alaska | 4/100 | 15 | 5 |
| 32 | Kodiak Island | Alaska | 4/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 33 | Ketchikan Gateway Borough | Alaska | 3/100 | 10 | 3 |
| 34 | North Slope Borough | Alaska | 2/100 | 15 | 3 |
| 35 | Northwest Arctic Borough | Alaska | 0/100 | 15 | 1 |
| 36 | Juneau City and | Alaska | 0/100 | 5 | 6 |
| 37 | Juneau City and Borough | Alaska | 0/100 | 5 | 2 |
| 38 | Prince of Wales-Hyder | Alaska | 0/100 | 5 | 7 |
| 39 | Aleutians East | Alaska | 0/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 40 | Aleutians West Census Area | Alaska | 0/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 41 | Haines | Alaska | 0/100 | 1 | 1 |
Methodology
County rankings for Alaska 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.