Out of 90 counties with wildfire data, these are the counties with the highest smoke exposure risk.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Counties ranked | 90 |
| Avg smoke risk (top 100) | 16/100 |
| Total county fires 5yr (top 100) | 336 |
Top 90 Counties
| Rank | County | State | Smoke Risk | County Fires (5yr) | ZIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dawes | Nebraska | 31/100 | 41 | 3 |
| 2 | Cherry | Nebraska | 30/100 | 16 | 8 |
| 3 | Sheridan | Nebraska | 29/100 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Thomas | Nebraska | 28/100 | 16 | 3 |
| 5 | Scotts Bluff | Nebraska | 26/100 | 3 | 9 |
| 6 | Grant | Nebraska | 26/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 7 | Brown | Nebraska | 26/100 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Hooker | Nebraska | 25/100 | 7 | 2 |
| 9 | Rock | Nebraska | 25/100 | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | Keith | Nebraska | 25/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Sioux | Nebraska | 24/100 | 18 | 1 |
| 12 | Blaine | Nebraska | 24/100 | 7 | 3 |
| 13 | Lincoln | Nebraska | 24/100 | 3 | 9 |
| 14 | Garfield | Nebraska | 24/100 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Logan | Nebraska | 24/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Gosper | Nebraska | 23/100 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Red Willow | Nebraska | 23/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 18 | Box Butte | Nebraska | 22/100 | 41 | 4 |
| 19 | Frontier | Nebraska | 22/100 | 3 | 6 |
| 20 | Morrill | Nebraska | 22/100 | 3 | 5 |
| 21 | Jefferson | Nebraska | 22/100 | 1 | 8 |
| 22 | Knox | Nebraska | 21/100 | 3 | 8 |
| 23 | Furnas | Nebraska | 21/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 24 | Holt | Nebraska | 20/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 25 | Cheyenne | Nebraska | 20/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 26 | Custer | Nebraska | 19/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 27 | Hitchcock | Nebraska | 19/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 | Kimball | Nebraska | 19/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 29 | Cass | Nebraska | 18/100 | 1 | 14 |
| 30 | Otoe | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 31 | Boyd | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 32 | Keya Paha | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 33 | Dawson | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 34 | Webster | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 35 | Deuel | Nebraska | 18/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Gage | Nebraska | 17/100 | 5 | 12 |
| 37 | Garden | Nebraska | 17/100 | 3 | 4 |
| 38 | Nuckolls | Nebraska | 17/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 39 | Hayes | Nebraska | 17/100 | 0 | 1 |
| 40 | Perkins | Nebraska | 17/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 41 | Douglas | Nebraska | 16/100 | 2 | 51 |
| 42 | Sarpy | Nebraska | 16/100 | 1 | 12 |
| 43 | Wheeler | Nebraska | 16/100 | 0 | 2 |
| 44 | Harlan | Nebraska | 16/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 45 | Dundy | Nebraska | 16/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 46 | Chase | Nebraska | 16/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 47 | Phelps | Nebraska | 15/100 | 1 | 5 |
| 48 | Thayer | Nebraska | 15/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 49 | Nemaha | Nebraska | 15/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 50 | Pawnee | Nebraska | 15/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 51 | Valley | Nebraska | 15/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 52 | Saline | Nebraska | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 53 | Franklin | Nebraska | 14/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 54 | Skagit | Nebraska | 13/100 | 37 | 1 |
| 55 | Washington | Nebraska | 13/100 | 2 | 6 |
| 56 | Lancaster | Nebraska | 13/100 | 0 | 42 |
| 57 | Johnson | Nebraska | 13/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 58 | Richardson | Nebraska | 13/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 59 | Clay | Nebraska | 12/100 | 2 | 11 |
| 60 | Cedar | Nebraska | 12/100 | 1 | 9 |
| 61 | Seward | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 10 |
| 62 | Fillmore | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 63 | Boone | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 64 | Antelope | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 65 | Pierce | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 66 | Sherman | Nebraska | 12/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 67 | Saunders | Nebraska | 11/100 | 0 | 17 |
| 68 | Greeley | Nebraska | 11/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 69 | Buffalo | Nebraska | 11/100 | 0 | 12 |
| 70 | Kearney | Nebraska | 11/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 71 | Adams | Nebraska | 11/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 72 | Dodge | Nebraska | 10/100 | 0 | 13 |
| 73 | Madison | Nebraska | 10/100 | 0 | 7 |
| 74 | Thurston | Nebraska | 9/100 | 36 | 2 |
| 75 | Dixon | Nebraska | 9/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 76 | York | Nebraska | 9/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 77 | Stanton | Nebraska | 9/100 | 0 | 3 |
| 78 | Cuming | Nebraska | 8/100 | 36 | 5 |
| 79 | Dakota | Nebraska | 8/100 | 36 | 7 |
| 80 | Burt | Nebraska | 8/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 81 | Howard | Nebraska | 8/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 82 | Butler | Nebraska | 7/100 | 0 | 9 |
| 83 | Colfax | Nebraska | 7/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 84 | Wayne | Nebraska | 7/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 85 | Hall | Nebraska | 7/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 86 | Hamilton | Nebraska | 7/100 | 0 | 6 |
| 87 | Platte | Nebraska | 6/100 | 0 | 8 |
| 88 | Nance | Nebraska | 6/100 | 0 | 4 |
| 89 | Polk | Nebraska | 6/100 | 0 | 5 |
| 90 | Merrick | Nebraska | 6/100 | 0 | 7 |
Methodology
County rankings for Nebraska 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.