Out of 159 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 159 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 18/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 116 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatham | Georgia | 41/100 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Glynn | Georgia | 40/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Rabun | Georgia | 30/100 | 18 | 9 |
| 4 | Union | Georgia | 30/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | McIntosh | Georgia | 29/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Towns | Georgia | 28/100 | 4 | 1 |
| 7 | Camden | Georgia | 27/100 | 11 | 7 |
| 8 | White | Georgia | 26/100 | 5 | 4 |
| 9 | Habersham | Georgia | 26/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 10 | Stephens | Georgia | 25/100 | 8 | 4 |
| 11 | Lumpkin | Georgia | 25/100 | 5 | 2 |
| 12 | Murray | Georgia | 25/100 | 4 | 1 |
| 13 | Dawson | Georgia | 25/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 14 | Whitfield | Georgia | 25/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 | Decatur | Georgia | 25/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 16 | Hart | Georgia | 25/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 17 | Franklin | Georgia | 25/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 18 | Fannin | Georgia | 24/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 19 | Walker | Georgia | 24/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 20 | Catoosa | Georgia | 24/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 21 | Chattooga | Georgia | 23/100 | 3 | 3 |
| 22 | Polk | Georgia | 23/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 23 | Dade | Georgia | 23/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 24 | Gordon | Georgia | 22/100 | 4 | 12 |
| 25 | Floyd | Georgia | 22/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 26 | Elbert | Georgia | 22/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 27 | Ware | Georgia | 21/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 28 | Banks | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 29 | Madison | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 30 | Columbia | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 31 | Richmond | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 32 | Monroe | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 33 | Grady | Georgia | 21/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 34 | Bibb | Georgia | 20/100 | 9 | 26 |
| 35 | Jones | Georgia | 20/100 | 9 | 2 |
| 36 | Liberty | Georgia | 20/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 37 | Charlton | Georgia | 20/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 | Haralson | Georgia | 20/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 39 | Gilmer | Georgia | 20/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 40 | Pickens | Georgia | 19/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 41 | Hall | Georgia | 19/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 42 | Clinch | Georgia | 18/100 | 1 | 4 |
| 43 | McDuffie | Georgia | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 44 | Thomas | Georgia | 18/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 45 | Seminole | Georgia | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 46 | Bartow | Georgia | 17/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 47 | Carroll | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 48 | Lamar | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 49 | Butts | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 50 | Jackson | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 51 | Lincoln | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 | Peach | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 53 | Putnam | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 54 | Baldwin | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 55 | Brantley | Georgia | 17/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 56 | Upson | Georgia | 16/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 57 | Clarke | Georgia | 16/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 58 | Crawford | Georgia | 16/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 59 | Effingham | Georgia | 16/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 60 | Echols | Georgia | 16/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 61 | Jasper | Georgia | 15/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 62 | Cherokee | Georgia | 15/100 | 2 | 14 |
| 63 | Pierce | Georgia | 15/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 64 | Wayne | Georgia | 15/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 65 | Oglethorpe | Georgia | 15/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 66 | Lowndes | Georgia | 15/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 67 | Twiggs | Georgia | 14/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 68 | Newton | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 69 | Forsyth | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 70 | Paulding | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 71 | Heard | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 72 | Troup | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 73 | Jefferson | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 74 | Evans | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 75 | Bryan | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 76 | Screven | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 77 | Houston | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 78 | Muscogee | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 79 | Long | Georgia | 14/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 80 | Bulloch | Georgia | 13/100 | 2 | 17 |
| 81 | Barrow | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 82 | Walton | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 83 | Coweta | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 84 | Burke | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 85 | Jenkins | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 86 | Warren | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 87 | Brooks | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 88 | Miller | Georgia | 13/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 89 | Laurens | Georgia | 12/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 90 | Macon | Georgia | 12/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 91 | Lanier | Georgia | 12/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 92 | Gwinnett | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 32 |
| 93 | Rockdale | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 94 | Douglas | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 95 | Pike | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 96 | Spalding | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 97 | Meriwether | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 98 | Henry | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 99 | Morgan | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 100 | Greene | Georgia | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
Methodology
County rankings for Georgia 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.