Air Quality in Jackson, Mississippi — Live

Live readings from PurpleAir sensors across Jackson — with free alerts when ozone or particle pollution spikes.

Live Jackson AQI from nearby PurpleAir sensors loads when this page opens in a browser, along with a live sensor map covering Jackson and Ridgeland, Madison, Clinton, Flowood.

Most of the year, Jackson's air isn't dramatic - there's no wildfire smoke rolling in the way there is out West. The problem here is steadier and easier to miss: ground-level ozone that builds on hot, still summer afternoons over the Pearl River basin, and fine particle pollution from the diesel trucks and cars that run straight through downtown on I-55 and I-20. The American Lung Association has given the Jackson metro area a failing grade for year-round particle pollution in its recent State of the Air reports, and ozone has been sliding too.

Canairy watches the sensors around your home, your kids' school, and everywhere else you care about, and tells you in plain English when the air changes enough to matter.

Jackson keeps failing the particle-pollution grade

The American Lung Association's 2025 State of the Air report gave the Jackson metro area a failing F for year-round particle pollution, ranking it 54th worst out of 204 metro areas nationwide, even as its ozone grade held at a B, down from an A the year before. ALA Mississippi advocacy director Ashley Lyerly pointed to traffic as the main driver: "People are using their vehicles, which are causing vehicle emissions, diesel trucks and other cars."

That traffic runs right through the middle of the city. Interstates 55 and 20 - two of the busiest freight corridors in the state - cross directly through downtown Jackson rather than skirting around it, so diesel exhaust from through-traffic settles over the same streets and neighborhoods residents live and work in, not some industrial edge of town.

The 2026 report found ozone slipping too, as data centers arrive

The Lung Association's 2026 State of the Air report, built on 2022-2024 federal monitoring data, showed further decline: the Jackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven metro area's ozone ranking fell to 143rd out of 226 areas and its short-term particle pollution ranking fell to 154th out of 224, both slightly worse than the year before. ALA Mississippi advocacy director Calandra Davis said air quality "is beginning to worsen" and warned the next report "may reveal that the air quality, once again, has worsened."

Part of that is new demand for electricity. Amazon has been expanding data-center operations in neighboring Madison County, and the gas turbines built to power facilities like that - on top of existing TVA power plants serving the region - emit nitrogen oxides, a precursor to both ozone and particle pollution. It's a newer contributor layered on top of the traffic pollution Jackson has dealt with for decades.

Why summer is when Jackson's numbers turn

Jackson sits in the Pearl River's floodplain with a humid subtropical climate - long, hot, often windless summers that are close to a recipe for ozone. Sunlight cooks vehicle exhaust and other emissions into ground-level ozone fastest on hot, still, sunny afternoons, and Jackson's summers reliably supply all three: heat that regularly tops 95 degrees, thick humidity, and long stretches with barely any wind to clear the air.

Winter tends to be calmer for ozone, though the same interstate traffic keeps producing fine particles year-round regardless of season. That's why the useful question in Jackson isn't "is there a fire nearby" the way it is out West - it's closer to "how hot and still is it today," since that's what decides whether the ozone number climbs toward the unhealthy range.

Jackson air quality FAQ

What is the air quality in Jackson right now?

This page shows the current AQI for Jackson, calculated from PurpleAir sensors across the city and updated continuously. The map below shows every live sensor, so you can check the reading closest to your own neighborhood.

Why does Jackson, Mississippi have a failing grade for particle pollution?

The American Lung Association's State of the Air report has repeatedly given the Jackson metro area an F for year-round particle pollution, and its advocacy director has pointed to vehicle emissions - cars and diesel trucks - as the main driver. Interstates 55 and 20 both run directly through downtown Jackson, so through-traffic exhaust settles over the same neighborhoods people live in rather than an industrial area on the edge of town.

Why does Jackson's air get worse in summer?

Ground-level ozone forms fastest when heat, sunlight, and still air combine with vehicle exhaust, and Jackson's humid subtropical summers - hot, muggy, and often windless - supply all three. Ozone numbers here tend to climb on the hottest, stillest afternoons and settle back down once a front moves through.

What AQI level is unhealthy?

Under the US EPA scale, AQI 0-50 is Good and 51-100 is Moderate. From 101 the air is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups - kids, older adults, and people with asthma or heart conditions - and above 150 it's Unhealthy for everyone. Canairy translates these numbers into a plain-English verdict, like whether to close the windows or move a workout indoors.

Where does Canairy's Jackson data come from?

Readings come from PurpleAir's network of laser particle sensors across Jackson and surrounding towns, cross-referenced with government monitors and the Google Air Quality API. You can see every sensor behind your numbers on the live map - there's no black box.

Is Canairy free?

Yes. The Canairy app is free to download and includes live air quality for all your saved places, plain-English verdicts, and free push alerts when the air crosses your threshold. A paid plan adds extras like SMS text alerts.

Get Canairy free on Google Play.