Breathing in North Dakota is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 795 thousand people across 53 districts in North Dakota. The average PM2.5 level is 8 µg/m³—1.6× higher than the WHO guideline.

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Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Overview

Air Pollution in North Dakota

North Dakota faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 795 thousand across 53 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 8µg/m³. That's 1.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 133 cigarettes in a year.

Trends

Air Quality Trend

Annual PM2.5 levels from 2014 to 2023. The WHO guideline for safe air is 5 µg/m³.

Health Impact

Life Expectancy Impact

If North Dakota met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.28 years longer.

That's 223K years of life stolen from 795 thousand people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.

Lives cut short. Breathing kills.

Most Polluted

Districts with Highest Pollution

The top 10 most polluted districts in North Dakota. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Rolette
    0.4 years lost
  • 2.Divide
    0.4 years lost
  • 3.Cavalier
    0.4 years lost
  • 4.Bottineau
    0.4 years lost
  • 5.Burke
    0.4 years lost
  • 6.Renville
    0.4 years lost
  • 7.Pembina
    0.4 years lost
  • 8.Williams
    0.4 years lost
  • 9.Towner
    0.3 years lost
  • 10.Ward
    0.3 years lost
Exposure

Population Exposure by Pollution Level

Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.

< 5 µg/m³
0%
0
5-10 µg/m³
100%
795K
10-15 µg/m³
0%
0
15-25 µg/m³
0%
0
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0
Districts

All 53 Districts in North Dakota

Complete air quality data for every district in North Dakota, sorted by population.

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Cass201K
8.3
0.3 years
Burleigh106K
7.4
0.2 years
Grand Forks77K
8.3
0.3 years
Ward71K
8.4
0.3 years
Williams41K
8.7
0.4 years
Stark35K
7.5
0.2 years
Morton31K
7.5
0.2 years
Stutsman22K
7.2
0.2 years
Richland17K
7.8
0.3 years
McKenzie14K
7.8
0.3 years
Rolette13K
9.4
0.4 years
Ramsey12K
8.1
0.3 years
Barnes11K
6.7
0.2 years
Walsh10K
8.3
0.3 years
McLean9K
7.7
0.3 years
Mountrail9K
8.2
0.3 years
Mercer9K
7.7
0.3 years
Traill8K
7.6
0.3 years
Pembina7K
8.8
0.4 years
Bottineau6K
9.2
0.4 years
Benson5K
7.4
0.2 years
Ransom5K
7.0
0.2 years
Dickey5K
7.2
0.2 years
Sargent4K
7.4
0.2 years
Sioux4K
7.1
0.2 years
Pierce4K
8.1
0.3 years
McHenry4K
7.8
0.3 years
Wells4K
7.4
0.2 years
Lamoure3K
6.8
0.2 years
Foster3K
7.0
0.2 years
Dunn3K
7.4
0.2 years
Cavalier3K
9.2
0.4 years
Nelson3K
7.8
0.3 years
Bowman3K
6.6
0.2 years
Emmons3K
7.0
0.2 years
McIntosh2K
7.3
0.2 years
Adams2K
6.7
0.2 years
Griggs2K
7.0
0.2 years
Hettinger2K
7.5
0.2 years
Renville2K
8.8
0.4 years
Eddy2K
7.1
0.2 years
Kidder2K
7.2
0.2 years
Towner2K
8.5
0.3 years
Grant2K
7.2
0.2 years
Logan2K
7.3
0.2 years
Burke2K
9.1
0.4 years
Divide2K
9.2
0.4 years
Golden Valley2K
7.3
0.2 years
Oliver1K
7.3
0.2 years
Steele1K
7.0
0.2 years
Sheridan994
7.6
0.3 years
Billings772
7.3
0.2 years
Slope421
7.2
0.2 years

Showing 53 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.