Out of 100 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 100 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 7/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 162 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clay | Iowa | 21/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | Dickinson | Iowa | 20/100 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Buena Vista | Iowa | 19/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Palo Alto | Iowa | 19/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Mills | Iowa | 18/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 6 | Fremont | Iowa | 18/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 7 | Lyon | Iowa | 16/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 8 | Emmet | Iowa | 15/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Pocahontas | Iowa | 15/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Cherokee | Iowa | 15/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 11 | O'Brien | Iowa | 15/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 12 | Woodbury | Iowa | 14/100 | 0 | 25 |
| 13 | Osceola | Iowa | 14/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Plymouth | Iowa | 13/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 15 | Pottawattamie | Iowa | 13/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 16 | Page | Iowa | 13/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 17 | Montgomery | Iowa | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 18 | Sioux | Iowa | 12/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 19 | Harrison | Iowa | 11/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 20 | Worth | Iowa | 11/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 21 | Kossuth | Iowa | 11/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 22 | Sac | Iowa | 11/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 23 | Winnebago | Iowa | 11/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 24 | Humboldt | Iowa | 11/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 25 | Calhoun | Iowa | 11/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 26 | Ida | Iowa | 11/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 27 | Adams | Iowa | 10/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 | Cass | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 29 | Decatur | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 30 | Ringgold | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 31 | Webster | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 32 | Mitchell | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 33 | Taylor | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 34 | Crawford | Iowa | 9/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 35 | Shelby | Iowa | 8/100 | 2 | 11 |
| 36 | Polk | Iowa | 8/100 | 1 | 79 |
| 37 | Allamakee | Iowa | 8/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 38 | Clarke | Iowa | 8/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 39 | Cerro Gordo | Iowa | 8/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 40 | Hancock | Iowa | 8/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 41 | Monona | Iowa | 8/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 42 | Clayton | Iowa | 7/100 | 1 | 19 |
| 43 | Carroll | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 44 | Wright | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 45 | Madison | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 46 | Floyd | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 47 | Chickasaw | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 48 | Butler | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 49 | Fayette | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 50 | Bremer | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 51 | Union | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 52 | Winneshiek | Iowa | 7/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 53 | Dubuque | Iowa | 6/100 | 1 | 18 |
| 54 | Guthrie | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 55 | Dallas | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 56 | Hardin | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 57 | Story | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 58 | Audubon | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 59 | Greene | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 60 | Hamilton | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 61 | Boone | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 62 | Franklin | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 63 | Adair | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 64 | Howard | Iowa | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 65 | Warren | Iowa | 5/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 66 | Marshall | Iowa | 4/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 67 | Wayne | Iowa | 4/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 68 | Grundy | Iowa | 3/100 | 44 | 10 |
| 69 | Lucas | Iowa | 3/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 70 | Black Hawk | Iowa | 3/100 | 0 | 15 |
| 71 | Delaware | Iowa | 3/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 72 | Washington | Iowa | 3/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 73 | Henry | Iowa | 3/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 74 | Tama | Iowa | 2/100 | 44 | 11 |
| 75 | Benton | Iowa | 2/100 | 44 | 16 |
| 76 | Iowa | Iowa | 2/100 | 10 | 13 |
| 77 | Louisa | Iowa | 2/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 78 | Jasper | Iowa | 2/100 | 1 | 14 |
| 79 | Marion | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 80 | Poweshiek | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 81 | Keokuk | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 82 | Monroe | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 83 | Buchanan | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 84 | Jackson | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 85 | Linn | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 33 |
| 86 | Johnson | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 87 | Jefferson | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 88 | Appanoose | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 89 | Des Moines | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 90 | Lee | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 91 | Muscatine | Iowa | 2/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 92 | Mahaska | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 93 | Clinton | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 94 | Jones | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 95 | Cedar | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 96 | Wapello | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 97 | Van Buren | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 98 | Davis | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 99 | Jefferson,Keokuk,Wapello,Washington | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 100 | Scott | Iowa | 1/100 | 0 | 22 |
Methodology
County rankings for Iowa 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.