Out of 118 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 118 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 16/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 348 |
Top 100 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laurel | Kentucky | 37/100 | 9 | 9 |
| 2 | Knox | Kentucky | 36/100 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Clay | Kentucky | 33/100 | 37 | 7 |
| 4 | Owsley | Kentucky | 33/100 | 10 | 5 |
| 5 | Perry | Kentucky | 32/100 | 37 | 10 |
| 6 | Whitley | Kentucky | 32/100 | 13 | 8 |
| 7 | Harlan | Kentucky | 31/100 | 25 | 40 |
| 8 | Bell | Kentucky | 30/100 | 13 | 11 |
| 9 | Leslie | Kentucky | 29/100 | 37 | 11 |
| 10 | Knott | Kentucky | 29/100 | 25 | 32 |
| 11 | Breathitt | Kentucky | 29/100 | 7 | 7 |
| 12 | McCreary | Kentucky | 28/100 | 21 | 7 |
| 13 | Rockcastle | Kentucky | 28/100 | 9 | 8 |
| 14 | Estill | Kentucky | 27/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 15 | Boyd | Kentucky | 27/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 16 | Wolfe | Kentucky | 26/100 | 7 | 4 |
| 17 | Floyd | Kentucky | 26/100 | 2 | 39 |
| 18 | Pike | Kentucky | 26/100 | 0 | 41 |
| 19 | Madison | Kentucky | 25/100 | 9 | 8 |
| 20 | Lee | Kentucky | 25/100 | 2 | 3 |
| 21 | Greenup | Kentucky | 25/100 | 1 | 6 |
| 22 | Letcher | Kentucky | 25/100 | 0 | 20 |
| 23 | Pulaski | Kentucky | 22/100 | 4 | 13 |
| 24 | Powell | Kentucky | 22/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Lyon | Kentucky | 21/100 | 3 | 3 |
| 26 | Magoffin | Kentucky | 21/100 | 2 | 4 |
| 27 | Lawrence | Kentucky | 20/100 | 5 | 3 |
| 28 | Johnson | Kentucky | 20/100 | 4 | 17 |
| 29 | Carter | Kentucky | 20/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 30 | Caldwell | Kentucky | 20/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Menifee | Kentucky | 19/100 | 7 | 4 |
| 32 | Morgan | Kentucky | 19/100 | 3 | 6 |
| 33 | Marshall | Kentucky | 19/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 34 | Livingston | Kentucky | 19/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 35 | Wayne | Kentucky | 19/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 | Elliott | Kentucky | 18/100 | 4 | 6 |
| 37 | Lincoln | Kentucky | 18/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 38 | Rowan | Kentucky | 17/100 | 6 | 3 |
| 39 | McCracken | Kentucky | 17/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 40 | Martin | Kentucky | 16/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 41 | Trigg | Kentucky | 16/100 | 4 | 1 |
| 42 | Garrard | Kentucky | 16/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 43 | Lewis | Kentucky | 16/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 44 | Crittenden | Kentucky | 15/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 45 | Union | Kentucky | 15/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 46 | Bath | Kentucky | 14/100 | 6 | 7 |
| 47 | Clinton | Kentucky | 14/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 48 | Calloway | Kentucky | 14/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 49 | Casey | Kentucky | 14/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 50 | Washington | Kentucky | 13/100 | 8 | 5 |
| 51 | Montgomery | Kentucky | 13/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 52 | Fleming | Kentucky | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 53 | Carlisle | Kentucky | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 54 | Ballard | Kentucky | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 55 | Graves | Kentucky | 13/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 56 | Christian | Kentucky | 12/100 | 4 | 8 |
| 57 | Clark | Kentucky | 12/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 58 | Webster | Kentucky | 12/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 59 | Russell | Kentucky | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 60 | Hopkins | Kentucky | 11/100 | 1 | 15 |
| 61 | Mercer | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 62 | Boyle | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 63 | Jessamine | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 64 | Cumberland | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 65 | Taylor | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 66 | Adair | Kentucky | 11/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 67 | Muhlenberg | Kentucky | 10/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 68 | Bourbon | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 69 | Anderson | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 70 | Woodford | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 71 | Fayette | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 38 |
| 72 | Hickman | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 73 | Todd | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 74 | Henderson | Kentucky | 10/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 75 | Nicholas | Kentucky | 9/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 76 | Fulton | Kentucky | 9/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 77 | McLean | Kentucky | 9/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 78 | Scott | Kentucky | 8/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 79 | Monroe | Kentucky | 7/100 | 2 | 8 |
| 80 | Marion | Kentucky | 7/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 81 | Logan | Kentucky | 7/100 | 1 | 7 |
| 82 | Metcalfe | Kentucky | 7/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 83 | Allen | Kentucky | 6/100 | 2 | 3 |
| 84 | Barren | Kentucky | 6/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 85 | Hart | Kentucky | 6/100 | 2 | 10 |
| 86 | Larue | Kentucky | 6/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 87 | Nelson | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 88 | Henry | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 89 | Jefferson | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 78 |
| 90 | Breckinridge | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 18 |
| 91 | Grayson | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 92 | Hardin | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 93 | Mason | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 94 | Warren | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 95 | Butler | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 11 |
| 96 | Edmonson | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 97 | Daviess | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 98 | Ohio | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 99 | Green | Kentucky | 6/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 100 | Shelby | Kentucky | 5/100 | 0 | 6 |
Methodology
County rankings for Kentucky 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.