Air quality comparison · United States, 2294.1 mi (3692 km) apart
Los Angeles vs Washington Air quality index (AQI) today
Los Angeles has cleaner air than Washington right now: AQI 39 (Good) against 64 (Moderate).
That puts them in different EPA bands, so the health advice differs today. But over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 35 against 55, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. Los Angeles has lost more forest since 2001. Washington has more tree cover.
United States
AQI 39
Good
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 7.1 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 07:00 local
United States
AQI 64
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 16 µg/m³1.1× WHO guideline
- Main pollutant
- PM2.5
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 10:00 local
Updated . Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf.
Los Angeles39Washington64
Head to head
Los Angeles vs Washington at a glance
Washington is ahead on 4 of 6 measures, and Los Angeles on 2. The better figure in each row is marked.
| Los Angeles | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 39 (better) | 64 |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 7.1 (better) | 16 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 6 days. | 55 | 35 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 304 acres (123 ha) | 291 acres (118 ha) (better) |
| Tree coverWithin 1.2 mi (2 km) of the center. | 4.5% | 18.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 80.0K | 30.5K (better) |
Air quality today
What is the air like in Los Angeles and Washington right now?
Los Angeles has cleaner air than Washington right now: AQI 39 (Good) against 64 (Moderate). PM2.5 is setting the index in both.
Washington's PM2.5 is about 1.1× the WHO's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³.
Both readings come from nearby ground stations.
Los AngelesWashington
Concentrations at the same moment as the index above, for the pollutants both places report. Lower is better. The dark marks on the PM2.5 and PM10 rows show the WHO's 24-hour guidelines (15 and 45 µg/m³).
Los Angeles: Ground station · Roybal LC (8544), 0.9 mi (1.5 km) away · median of 51 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Clarity, swamphag, P8Burns, Erkki, BirdNest, Frank Harper.
Washington: Ground station · King Greenleaf Rec C, 1.9 mi (3 km) away · median of 7 stations. Data: OpenAQ · AirNow.
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 6 days?
But over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 35 against 55, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days. A single reading can catch a city on a bad afternoon; the week says whether it was the weather or the place.
- Cleaner days
- Los Angeles0Washington6
- Average AQI
- Los Angeles55Washington35
- Worst day, AQI
- Los Angeles70Washington60
The daily numbers (6 days)
| Day | Los Angeles | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 57 | 35 |
| Nov 6 | 47 | 30 |
| Nov 7 | 46 | 27 |
| Nov 8 | 52 | 30 |
| Nov 9 | 60 | 27 |
| Nov 10 | 70 | 60 |
Daily averages from the CAMS atmospheric model for both places, so the week compares like with like. They can differ from today's reading at the top of the page wherever that comes from a ground station.
What it means today
Is it safe to go outside in Los Angeles and Washington today?
Los Angeles (AQI 39, Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Washington (AQI 64, Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Exercise outdoors
- Los Angeles
- A good day to be active outside.
- Washington
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
- Los Angeles
- Open them to air the house.
- Washington
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
- Los Angeles
- Not needed.
- Washington
- Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
- Los Angeles
- Not needed.
- Washington
- Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do Los Angeles and Washington compare with the rest of the world?
Right now Los Angeles's air is cleaner than 70% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Washington's is cleaner than 44%. Within United States, that is 51% and 17% of its 308 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- Los Angeles
- Beats 70%
- Washington
- Beats 44%
More tree cover than…
- Los Angeles
- Beats 9%
- Washington
- Beats 43%
Includes model estimates as well as station readings, so it can differ from our most polluted and cleanest air rankings, which use station readings only.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
Which has lost more forest, Los Angeles or Washington?
Los Angeles has lost more: about 304 acres (123 ha) of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 291 acres (118 ha) around Washington. 9 acres (4 ha) of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Measured within 10 km of each center, from the yearly satellite maps of forest loss: a wider circle than the one for tree cover, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Worst year: 2007, with 289 acres (117 ha) lost.
Worst year: 2012, with 30 acres (12 ha) lost.
| Los Angeles | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 304 acres (123 ha) | 291 acres (118 ha) (better) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 53% | 1.4% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 9 acres (4 ha) (better) | 259 acres (105 ha) |
| Recent trend2021–2025 against the five years before. | Too little to call | Too little to call |
| Main known cause | Wildfires (96%) | Towns and roads (89%) |
Satellite timelapses
Watch both change, year by year
A clear satellite photo a year of the land around each city. Press play, turn on the forest cleared since the first year, or drag the before and after.
Los Angeles
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Washington
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Trees
Which has more trees, Los Angeles or Washington?
Washington has more tree cover: 18.6% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 4.5% around Los Angeles, or about 49,727 trees against 14,123.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| Los Angeles | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 14.1K | 49.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 80.0K | 30.5K (better) |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 311K kg | 1.1M kg (better) |
Tree cover on the satellite image
The same 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around each center, with the tree cover the satellite found marked on it.
Reading these numbers
How this comparison is made
Air quality index
The US EPA index, computed from current pollutant concentrations: ground stations where a place has them nearby, and the CAMS atmospheric model everywhere else. It moves hour to hour, so it is a snapshot rather than a verdict on either place. The guideline marks are from the WHO's 2021 air quality guidelines.
Trees and forest
Tree cover is the share of ground under canopy within 1.2 mi (2 km) of each center, read from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail. It measures that circle, not the whole municipality, which is what makes the two comparable. Forest loss comes from the University of Maryland's Global Forest Change maps.
More on the method on the About Airleaf page.
Frequently asked
Los Angeles vs Washington: your questions answered
Is Los Angeles cleaner than Washington?
On air quality, yes, right now: Los Angeles reads AQI 39 against 64, a gap of 25 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. But over the past 6 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 35 against 55, and it was the cleaner of the two on 6 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in Los Angeles and Washington today?
In Los Angeles, at AQI 39: Air quality is satisfactory for everyone. In Washington, at AQI 64: Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Which has lost more forest, Los Angeles or Washington?
Los Angeles has lost more: about 304 acres (123 ha) of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 291 acres (118 ha) around Washington. 9 acres (4 ha) of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, Los Angeles or Washington?
Washington has more tree cover: 18.6% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 4.5% around Los Angeles, or about 49,727 trees against 14,123. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do Los Angeles and Washington need?
Los Angeles needs about 80,030 more to reach its canopy target of 30%, and Washington about 30,478 to reach 30%. The target starts at 30% of the land and rises where air quality is poor.
Are Los Angeles and Washington measured the same way?
The method is the same: the US EPA index for air, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m detail over an identical radius for trees. Both readings come from nearby ground stations. Nothing is adjusted for population, city limits or climate.
How often does the Los Angeles vs Washington comparison update?
The air readings refresh about once an hour, and each reading's local time is shown at the top of the page. Tree cover comes from the latest clear satellite image of each area (Sep 14, 2026 and Sep 9, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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