Cleanest Air in England
English upper-tier local authorities ranked by the lowest combined DEFRA maximum annual-mean PM2.5 + NO2 (2024).
Where is the cleanest air in England?
Rutland has the cleanest air of England's upper-tier local authorities in the Gera Healthy-Place dataset, with a maximum modelled annual-mean of just 8 μg/m³ PM2.5 and 8 μg/m³ NO2 (DEFRA 2024). The included-area mean is 9.4 μg/m³ PM2.5 and 26.8 μg/m³ NO2; the WHO 2021 guideline annual means are 5 and 10 μg/m³.
| Rank | Local authority | Max PM2.5 | Max NO2 | Combined | GHPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rutland | 8 μg/m³ | 8 μg/m³ | 16 μg/m³ | 92.9 / 100 |
| 2 | Northumberland | 7 μg/m³ | 16 μg/m³ | 23 μg/m³ | 75.4 / 100 |
| 3 | Redcar and Cleveland | 7 μg/m³ | 16 μg/m³ | 23 μg/m³ | 70.8 / 100 |
| 4 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 9 μg/m³ | 15 μg/m³ | 24 μg/m³ | 78.2 / 100 |
| 5 | Dorset | 7 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 25 μg/m³ | 79.1 / 100 |
| 6 | Isle of Wight | 7 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 25 μg/m³ | 67.9 / 100 |
| 7 | Torbay | 7 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 25 μg/m³ | 64.2 / 100 |
| 8 | Cornwall | 8 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 26 μg/m³ | 73.4 / 100 |
| 9 | Telford and Wrekin | 8 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 26 μg/m³ | 69.4 / 100 |
| 10 | Shropshire | 7 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 73.6 / 100 |
| 11 | North Lincolnshire | 9 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 70.8 / 100 |
| 12 | Central Bedfordshire | 8 μg/m³ | 19 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 70.7 / 100 |
| 13 | Darlington | 7 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 69.1 / 100 |
| 14 | Milton Keynes | 9 μg/m³ | 18 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 66.4 / 100 |
| 15 | Hartlepool | 8 μg/m³ | 19 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 64.2 / 100 |
| 16 | Blackburn with Darwen | 8 μg/m³ | 19 μg/m³ | 27 μg/m³ | 59.6 / 100 |
| 17 | Cheshire East | 8 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 75.3 / 100 |
| 18 | Swindon | 8 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 73.9 / 100 |
| 19 | North Somerset | 7 μg/m³ | 21 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 71.2 / 100 |
| 20 | Cambridgeshire | 8 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 68.9 / 100 |
| 21 | East Sussex | 8 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 68.5 / 100 |
| 22 | Blackpool | 8 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 28 μg/m³ | 44.9 / 100 |
| 23 | Harrow | 9 μg/m³ | 20 μg/m³ | 29 μg/m³ | 78.3 / 100 |
| 24 | Wiltshire | 8 μg/m³ | 21 μg/m³ | 29 μg/m³ | 75.3 / 100 |
| 25 | York | 8 μg/m³ | 21 μg/m³ | 29 μg/m³ | 65.2 / 100 |
Explore further
Cleanest air in England: FAQs
- Which area in England has the cleanest air?
- Rutland records the lowest combined maximum annual-mean PM2.5 + NO2 (8 + 8 μg/m³) of the ranked English upper-tier local authorities, from DEFRA UK-AIR 2024 compliance data.
- How is "cleanest air" measured here?
- Areas are ranked by the lowest sum of their maximum modelled annual-mean PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations (μg/m³) from DEFRA UK-AIR Local Authority data for 2024. DEFRA reports the maximum across each authority for limit-value compliance. The WHO 2021 guideline annual means are 5 μg/m³ (PM2.5) and 10 μg/m³ (NO2).
Air quality and your health
Cleaner air helps, but if you have asthma, COPD or other respiratory concerns a GeraClinic UK-registered clinician can assess you by secure video, often the same day.
Contains public sector information published by Gera Systems and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (source data). Source: Gera Healthy-Place Index — composite of DEFRA + ONS + CQC open data (Air 2024 calendar year; life expectancy 2017-19; GP ratings 2026-06-01, published 19 June 2026).