Air quality comparison · United States, 203.8 mi (328 km) apart
New York vs Washington Air quality index (AQI) today
Washington has cleaner air than New York right now: AQI 64 (Moderate) against 84 (Moderate).
Both sit in the same EPA band, so the health advice is the same for each today. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 38 against 45, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days. Washington has lost more forest since 2001. Washington has more tree cover.
United States
AQI 84
Moderate
Cleaner right now
- PM2.5
- 6.5 µg/m³
- Main pollutant
- NO₂
- Source
- Ground station
- Reading
- Nov 11, 10:00 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.
New York84Washington64
Head to head
New York vs Washington at a glance
New York and Washington are level, each ahead on 3 of 6 measures. The better figure in each row is marked.
| New York | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Air quality nowUS AQI. Lower is better. | 84 | 64 (better) |
| PM2.5Fine particles, µg/m³. | 6.5 (better) | 16 |
| Past week's averageUS AQI, 7 days. | 45 | 38 (better) |
| Forest lost since 2001Within 10 km of the center. | 94 acres (38 ha) (better) | 291 acres (118 ha) |
| Tree coverWithin 1.2 mi (2 km) of the center. | 14.9% | 18.6% (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach a healthy canopy. | 24.5K (better) | 30.5K |
Air quality today
What is the air like in New York and Washington right now?
Washington has cleaner air than New York right now: AQI 64 (Moderate) against 84 (Moderate). NO₂ is setting the index in New York, and PM2.5 in Washington.
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.
New YorkWashington
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).
The past week
Which had cleaner air over the past 7 days?
Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 38 against 45, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 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
- New York3Washington4
- Average AQI
- New York45Washington38
- Worst day, AQI
- New York58Washington60
The daily numbers (7 days)
| Day | New York | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 5 | 53 | 35 |
| Nov 6 | 58 | 30 |
| Nov 7 | 50 | 27 |
| Nov 8 | 28 | 30 |
| Nov 9 | 36 | 27 |
| Nov 10 | 48 | 60 |
| Nov 11 | 43 | 57 |
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 New York and Washington today?
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. Both are in the same EPA band today (Moderate), so the advice is the same.
Exercise outdoors
Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier.
Windows
Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution.
Masks
Not needed for most people.
Air purifier
Worth running if you are sensitive.
Against everywhere else
How do New York and Washington compare with the rest of the world?
Right now New York's air is cleaner than 29% of the 5,420 places Airleaf tracks, and Washington's is cleaner than 44%. Within United States, that is 6% and 17% of its 308 measured places.
Cleaner air than…
- New York
- Beats 29%
- Washington
- Beats 44%
More tree cover than…
- New York
- Beats 34%
- 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, New York or Washington?
Washington has lost more: about 291 acres (118 ha) of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 94 acres (38 ha) around New York. 259 acres (105 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: 2023, with 28 acres (11 ha) lost.
Worst year: 2012, with 30 acres (12 ha) lost.
| New York | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Forest lost since 2001Cleared, burned or logged. | 94 acres (38 ha) (better) | 291 acres (118 ha) |
| Share of its forestOf what it had in 2000. | 3.6% | 1.4% (better) |
| Cleared for goodTurned into farms, mines or towns. | 83 acres (33 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 | Towns and roads (87%) | 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.
New York
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, New York or Washington?
Washington has more tree cover: 18.6% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 14.9% around New York, or about 49,727 trees against 24,154.
The dark mark is each place's canopy target: 30% of the land, raised where air quality is poor.
| New York | Washington | |
|---|---|---|
| Trees standingEstimated from the canopy area. | 24.2K | 49.7K (better) |
| Trees still neededTo reach the target. Fewer is better. | 24.5K (better) | 30.5K |
| CO₂ absorbed each yearBy the trees already standing. | 531K 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
New York vs Washington: your questions answered
Is Washington cleaner than New York?
On air quality, yes, right now: Washington reads AQI 64 against 84, a gap of 20 points on the US EPA index. This is a live reading rather than an annual average, so it can reverse within a day. Over the past 7 days, on modeled daily averages, Washington averaged AQI 38 against 45, and it was the cleaner of the two on 4 of those days.
Is it safe to exercise outdoors in New York and Washington today?
The advice is the same for both today. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion. New York reads AQI 84 and Washington reads AQI 64.
Which has lost more forest, New York or Washington?
Washington has lost more: about 291 acres (118 ha) of forest within 10 km of its center from 2001 to 2025, against 94 acres (38 ha) around New York. 259 acres (105 ha) of that was cleared for good, for farms, mines or towns.
Which has more trees, New York or Washington?
Washington has more tree cover: 18.6% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center against 14.9% around New York, or about 49,727 trees against 24,154. Both figures describe the same-sized circle of ground around each center, not the whole municipality.
How many more trees do New York and Washington need?
New York needs about 24,478 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 New York 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 New York 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 8, 2026 and Sep 9, 2026), and the forest figures are published yearly.
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