Basildon vs Chelmsford
Tree cover and air quality for both, measured the same way: Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m detail over a 2 km radius from each city centre, and the live US EPA air quality index. Same radius and same index, so the two numbers compare directly.
Basildon has more tree cover — 48.9% against 48.0%.
Both are reading the same air quality index.
- Tree cover gap
- 0.9 points
- Basildon is ahead.
- Air quality gap
- 0 AQI
- Both reading the same.
- Trees between them
- 2.2K
- Basildon has more standing.
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Tree cover
Share of the 2 km radius under canopy.
48.9%
48.0%
Air quality index
US EPA index, live, with its band. Lower is better.
24 · Good
24 · Good
Trees standing
Estimated from the measured canopy area.
153K
151K
Trees still needed
To reach the same canopy target. Fewer is better.
0
0
CO₂ absorbed each year
By the trees already standing.
3.4M kg
3.3M kg
Air quality in detail
What each city is breathing
Concentrations in µg/m³, measured at the same moment as the index above. Lower is better in every row. Both are modelled, with no ground station close enough to either.
PM2.5
Fine particles, the pollutant that usually sets the index.
5.7 µg/m³
5.6 µg/m³
PM10
Coarser particles — dust, pollen, road grit.
9.4 µg/m³
7.9 µg/m³
Nitrogen dioxide
Mostly traffic and combustion.
15.2 µg/m³
6.9 µg/m³
Ozone
Forms in sunlight; peaks on hot, still afternoons.
39 µg/m³
39 µg/m³
The last week, day by day
A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon. The week says whether it was the weather or the place.
| Day | Basildon | Chelmsford |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Sept | 51 | 46 |
| 23 Sept | 45 | 46 |
| 24 Sept | 25 | 25 |
| 25 Sept | 38 | 43 |
| 26 Sept | 29 | 30 |
| 27 Sept | 38 | 37 |
| 28 Sept | 27 | 27 |
Reading these numbers
What is actually being measured
Tree cover
The share of ground under canopy inside a 2 km radius of each city centre, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It is a measurement of that circle, not of the whole municipality — which is exactly what makes the two comparable, since city boundaries are drawn to wildly different rules around the world. Basildon leads here at 48.9%.
Air quality index
The live US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations — ground stations where a city has them nearby, and a model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so this is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place: Basildon reads 24 (good) and Chelmsford reads 24 (good) right now.
Frequently asked
Basildon and Chelmsford, answered
Which has more trees, Basildon or Chelmsford?
Basildon, with roughly 153,009 trees inside its 2 km radius against 150,796. Tree cover tells a slightly different story from raw count: Basildon has the denser canopy at 48.9%.
Which has better air quality, Basildon or Chelmsford?
Both are reading 24 on the US EPA index at the moment. Air quality changes through the day, so this can separate within hours.
How many more trees does each city need?
Basildon needs about 0 more to reach its canopy target, and Chelmsford about 0. The target is the same share of ground for both, so the figures are directly comparable.
Are these two measured the same way?
Yes — that is the point of the page. Identical radius, identical satellite source at 10 m detail, and the same US EPA index for air. Nothing here is adjusted for population, city limits or climate, so the numbers describe the same-sized circle of ground in each place.
Keep going
Other comparisons nearby
Build your own
Compare Basildon with somewhere else
This place
Basildon
Want a different pair? Browse comparisons or measure any address.