This study investigated the adverse effect of surface ozone on the maize yield using a unique panel from 880 counties in China. To identify the impact of elevated surface ozone concentrations, we constructed an econometric model by controlling the impact of climate variables and related economic variables. This study also considered the potential spatial correlation in the measurement of the impact of surface ozone on maize yield. Results confirmed that the increase of ozone concentration decreased the maize yield. Moreover, maize was found to be the most sensitive to ozone at the end of the second month of the growing season. The average annual loss of maize caused by ozone pollution is about 4.234 million tons in 2013–2015, accounting for 1.9％ of the average output.