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2026 ranking · 278 US cities

The greenest US cities in 2026 Ranked by tree cover, measured from space

South Fulton, GA is the greenest large city in the United States, with 71.7% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center under tree canopy. Cary, NC (69.8%) and Overland Park, KS (69.6%) follow.

At the other end, El Paso, TX has the least tree cover of the 278 cities ranked, at 0.9% — 6 of the ten least green cities are in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico or Utah, where desert climate, not only planning, keeps canopy low.

cities ranked
278
tree cover in South Fulton, the greenest
71.7%
median tree cover
24.7%
below a healthy canopy
181 of 278

Every city of 100,000+ people, measured over the same 1.2 mi (2 km) around its center. Updated , from satellite images taken July 10, 2026 to October 24, 2026.

Greenest: South Fulton, GA · 71.7% tree cover

The 10 greenest US cities

  1. #1South Fulton, GAGeorgia71.7%
  2. #2Cary, NCNorth Carolina69.8%
  3. #3Overland Park, KSKansas69.6%
  4. #4Sandy Springs, GAGeorgia61.2%
  5. #5Lincoln, NENebraska60.4%
  6. #6Gainesville, FLFlorida59.5%
  7. #7Athens, GAGeorgia58.8%
  8. #8Independence, MOMissouri56.4%
  9. #9Ann Arbor, MIMichigan55.2%
  10. #10Lexington, KYKentucky52.7%

The 10 least green US cities

  1. #278El Paso, TXTexas0.9%
  2. #277Henderson, NVNevada1.3%
  3. #276Odessa, TXTexas1.4%
  4. #275Surprise, AZArizona1.9%
  5. #274Las Vegas, NVNevada2.2%
  6. #273Las Cruces, NMNew Mexico2.4%
  7. #272Phoenix, AZArizona2.5%
  8. #271Tempe, AZArizona4.0%
  9. #270Palmdale, CACalifornia4.1%
  10. #269El Cajon, CACalifornia4.1%

Full ranking: all 278 cities

Download the data (CSV)
Large US cities ranked by tree cover within 1.2 mi (2 km) of the city center, 2026
RankCityStateTree coverTrees neededPopulation
1South FultonGeorgia71.7%—112,003
2CaryNorth Carolina69.8%—182,659
3Overland ParkKansas69.6%—202,893
4Sandy SpringsGeorgia61.2%—105,505
5LincolnNebraska60.4%—300,619
6GainesvilleFlorida59.5%—148,720
7AthensGeorgia58.8%—128,691
8IndependenceMissouri56.4%—121,629
9Ann ArborMichigan55.2%—122,925
10LexingtonKentucky52.7%—329,437
11ChicoCalifornia52.5%—102,911
12WaterburyConnecticut52.3%—115,908
13TallahasseeFlorida51.7%—205,089
14NapervilleIllinois51.1%—153,124
15BellevueWashington49.1%—154,377
16DurhamNorth Carolina48.8%—301,870
17OlatheKansas48.4%—149,035
18League CityTexas47.9%—118,456
19GreshamOregon47.5%—111,507
20ElginIllinois46.9%—114,701
21TylerTexas46.6%—112,219
22YonkersNew York45.9%—211,040
23MontgomeryAlabama44.2%—195,818
24ClarksvilleTennessee43.9%—185,690
25FayettevilleNorth Carolina42.8%—209,496
26LafayetteLouisiana42.6%—122,280
27SalemOregon42.2%—180,406
28High PointNorth Carolina42.0%—118,601
29Cedar RapidsIowa42.0%—137,904
30ColumbiaMissouri41.6%—130,900
31MurfreesboroTennessee41.6%—168,387
32RochesterMinnesota41.5%—123,624
33GreensboroNorth Carolina41.5%—307,381
34Palm BayFlorida41.0%—142,023
35RaleighNorth Carolina40.8%—499,825
36St. PetersburgFlorida40.6%—267,102
37HillsboroOregon40.5%—110,337
38RockfordIllinois39.8%—147,486
39TuscaloosaAlabama39.6%—114,288
40Coral SpringsFlorida39.4%—140,808
41AuroraIllinois39.3%—180,710
42WilmingtonNorth Carolina39.1%—125,284
43LakelandFlorida38.2%—124,990
44Fort CollinsColorado38.2%—170,924
45South BendIndiana37.9%—103,713
46PasadenaTexas37.9%—149,617
47FargoNorth Dakota37.6%—136,285
48BoulderColorado37.5%—106,803
49AkronOhio37.4%—189,664
50Winston-SalemNorth Carolina37.1%—255,769
51EugeneOregon36.9%—178,786
52Little RockArkansas36.8%—204,774
53Sioux FallsSouth Dakota36.6%—209,289
54BoiseIdaho36.6%—237,963
55ColumbusGeorgia36.5%—201,830
56BeaumontTexas36.5%—112,893
57McKinneyTexas36.3%—227,526
58North CharlestonSouth Carolina36.2%—126,005
59VancouverWashington35.6%—198,992
60ClearwaterFlorida35.5%—116,811
61KentWashington35.5%—136,588
62JolietIllinois35.5%—151,837
63HuntsvilleAlabama34.9%—230,402
64Baton RougeLouisiana34.9%—220,907
65OrlandoFlorida34.9%—334,854
66ToledoOhio34.8%—265,638
67JacksonMississippi34.5%—141,449
68IrvingTexas34.3%—258,060
69PearlandTexas34.1%—129,620
70TopekaKansas33.8%—125,467
71College StationTexas33.7%—128,023
72ManchesterNew Hampshire33.7%—116,386
73SpringfieldIllinois33.3%—112,949
74Round RockTexas33.3%—135,359
75BrownsvilleTexas32.9%—191,967
76LansingMichigan32.8%—114,336
77AlbanyNew York32.5%—101,317
78Port Saint LucieFlorida32.4%—258,575
79RentonWashington32.1%—105,543
80SavannahGeorgia31.9%—148,808
81RochesterNew York31.9%—207,282
82ArlingtonTexas31.6%—403,672
83PeoriaIllinois31.3%—111,696
84ShreveportLouisiana31.3%—176,578
85MadisonWisconsin31.2%—285,300
86SpringfieldMassachusetts31.0%—154,888
87MobileAlabama30.9%—201,367
88Fort WayneIndiana30.9%—273,203
89ColumbiaSouth Carolina30.6%—144,788
90Des MoinesIowa30.6%—213,096
91LowellMassachusetts30.5%—120,418
92Broken ArrowOklahoma30.4%—122,756
93New HavenConnecticut30.3%—137,562
94Grand PrairieTexas30.3%—207,331
95Grand RapidsMichigan30.2%—200,117
96HartfordConnecticut30.0%—122,129
97CincinnatiOhio30.0%—314,915
98AlexandriaVirginia29.8%423159,102
99San MateoCalifornia29.6%1.3K103,006
100Virginia BeachVirginia29.5%906454,808
101AllentownPennsylvania29.4%1.9K127,138
102AnchorageAlaska29.4%1.2K289,600
103DavenportIowa29.3%1.8K100,938
104Fort LauderdaleFlorida29.0%3.1K190,641
105KnoxvilleTennessee28.6%4.1K198,722
106Green BayWisconsin28.4%4.7K106,311
107WacoTexas28.4%5.0K146,608
108SpringfieldMissouri28.4%5.0K170,596
109StamfordConnecticut28.3%5.3K139,134
110DentonTexas28.3%5.3K165,998
111MesquiteTexas28.3%5.3K150,140
112AustinTexas28.2%5.5K993,588
113NormanOklahoma28.0%6.3K131,010
114SyracuseNew York27.8%6.9K146,097
115IrvineCalifornia27.8%6.9K318,683
116Pompano BeachFlorida27.2%8.8K118,104
117CharlestonSouth Carolina27.0%4.3K157,665
118WorcesterMassachusetts27.0%9.4K211,286
119Saint PaulMinnesota27.0%8.9K307,465
120JacksonvilleFlorida27.0%8.3K1,009,833
121RichardsonTexas26.6%10.7K118,221
122CharlotteNorth Carolina26.6%10.7K943,476
123LakewoodColorado26.5%11.0K156,868
124SpokaneWashington26.5%10.9K230,609
125GarlandTexas26.5%11.0K250,431
126Colorado SpringsColorado26.4%11.3K493,554
127Santa RosaCalifornia26.3%11.6K177,524
128PittsburghPennsylvania26.2%10.1K307,668
129EvansvilleIndiana26.1%12.2K115,395
130PatersonNew Jersey26.1%12.2K160,463
131PasadenaCalifornia25.8%13.2K137,195
132TemeculaCalifornia25.7%13.5K112,431
133KilleenTexas25.7%13.5K160,616
134SacramentoCalifornia25.6%13.3K535,798
135ModestoCalifornia25.5%14.1K220,592
136McAllenTexas25.1%15.4K148,782
137LewisvilleTexas25.0%15.6K135,983
138WarrenMichigan25.0%15.6K137,686
139ProvidenceRhode Island24.7%15.7K194,706
140AtlantaGeorgia24.7%16.6K520,070
141RichmondVirginia23.1%21.6K233,655
142EverettWashington23.0%20.2K113,011
143GreeleyColorado22.8%22.4K114,363
144BillingsMontana22.8%22.6K121,483
145RosevilleCalifornia22.8%22.6K163,304
146CarrolltonTexas22.5%23.6K135,456
147Santa ClaritaCalifornia22.4%23.9K229,159
148ConcordCalifornia22.1%24.8K124,016
149RiversideCalifornia21.7%26.1K323,757
150PortlandOregon21.4%23.7K635,749
151Cape CoralFlorida21.2%21.9K233,025
152Elk GroveCalifornia21.1%27.9K182,797
153HonoluluHawaii20.9%24.0K—
154ArvadaColorado20.6%29.5K121,873
155TulsaOklahoma20.5%28.4K415,154
156Thousand OaksCalifornia20.4%30.2K124,229
157Fort WorthTexas20.1%31.1K1,008,106
158AbileneTexas19.9%31.7K130,501
159HaywardCalifornia19.8%32.0K158,440
160NorfolkVirginia19.8%25.4K231,105
161Wichita FallsTexas19.6%32.7K102,372
162ProvoUtah19.4%33.3K115,479
163TacomaWashington19.4%29.5K228,202
164SunnyvaleCalifornia19.3%33.6K156,792
165West Valley CityUtah19.2%33.9K138,144
166MinneapolisMinnesota19.2%32.2K428,579
167New BedfordMassachusetts19.1%26.0K101,318
168West Palm BeachFlorida19.0%24.8K127,744
169CentennialColorado18.8%35.2K108,853
170TampaFlorida18.7%30.5K414,547
171WashingtonDistrict of Columbia18.6%30.5K702,250
172WichitaKansas18.5%35.8K400,991
173West JordanUtah18.2%36.9K116,688
174Sterling HeightsMichigan17.9%38.0K134,342
175FriscoTexas17.7%38.6K235,208
176Pembroke PinesFlorida17.5%39.2K179,326
177RenoNevada17.2%40.2K281,714
178San JoseCalifornia17.1%40.5K997,368
179Daly CityCalifornia16.5%42.4K101,418
180ChattanoogaTennessee16.4%36.4K191,496
181Newport NewsVirginia16.2%28.2K183,056
182BuffaloNew York16.2%34.6K276,617
183StocktonCalifornia15.9%43.9K324,975
184ColumbusOhio15.9%43.2K933,263
185PuebloColorado15.7%44.8K111,166
186HoustonTexas15.6%44.9K2,390,125
187FremontCalifornia15.4%45.7K228,192
188OmahaNebraska15.2%45.6K489,265
189ElizabethNew Jersey15.1%46.7K140,413
190New YorkNew York14.9%24.5K8,478,072
191LaredoTexas14.8%47.6K261,260
192BurbankCalifornia14.7%48.1K103,533
193San AntonioTexas14.7%48.1K1,526,656
194San AngeloTexas14.5%48.7K100,159
195BirminghamAlabama14.5%48.7K196,357
196PlanoTexas14.5%48.7K293,286
197BridgeportConnecticut14.4%44.7K151,599
198Simi ValleyCalifornia14.2%49.6K125,778
199DaytonOhio14.2%48.1K136,346
200Salt Lake CityUtah14.2%49.6K217,783
201VallejoCalifornia13.8%43.8K123,475
202Kansas CityMissouri13.8%49.1K516,032
203AntiochCalifornia13.7%45.9K118,453
204SeattleWashington13.7%39.7K780,995
205AuroraColorado13.6%51.5K403,130
206MurrietaCalifornia13.5%51.8K112,539
207Santa AnaCalifornia13.4%52.1K316,184
208PomonaCalifornia13.3%52.5K147,966
209VisaliaCalifornia13.0%53.4K146,271
210Rancho CucamongaCalifornia12.9%53.7K176,675
211TucsonArizona12.8%54.0K554,013
212DenverColorado12.8%53.9K729,019
213HialeahFlorida12.6%54.3K235,388
214BostonMassachusetts12.3%38.3K673,458
215IndianapolisIndiana12.1%70.7K891,484
216FresnoCalifornia11.9%56.9K550,105
217West CovinaCalifornia11.8%57.2K106,920
218PhiladelphiaPennsylvania11.8%55.9K1,573,916
219VictorvilleCalifornia11.5%58.1K140,721
220FairfieldCalifornia11.4%57.6K122,646
221MiamiFlorida11.4%43.2K487,014
222LouisvilleKentucky11.4%45.5K640,796
223ClovisCalifornia11.0%59.5K127,993
224ClevelandOhio11.0%45.7K365,379
225DetroitMichigan11.0%45.7K645,705
226NashvilleTennessee11.0%56.7K704,963
227NewarkNew Jersey10.8%57.8K317,303
228InglewoodCalifornia10.7%60.6K102,774
229AnaheimCalifornia10.6%60.9K344,561
230DowneyCalifornia10.5%61.3K109,368
231ThorntonColorado10.3%61.7K146,689
232AlbuquerqueNew Mexico10.3%61.8K560,326
233New OrleansLouisiana10.2%56.9K362,701
234OceansideCalifornia10.1%41.1K170,941
235BaltimoreMaryland10.0%58.6K568,271
236Corpus ChristiTexas9.8%38.7K317,317
237MesaArizona9.8%63.5K517,151
238CoronaCalifornia9.1%65.7K161,540
239EscondidoCalifornia9.0%66.0K148,847
240Huntington BeachCalifornia9.0%46.1K193,151
241MilwaukeeWisconsin8.9%53.4K563,531
242LancasterCalifornia8.7%66.9K167,426
243El MonteCalifornia8.6%67.2K104,639
244TorranceCalifornia8.3%68.2K139,576
245DallasTexas8.3%68.2K1,326,087
246Oklahoma CityOklahoma8.2%68.4K712,919
247ChicagoIllinois8.2%82.9K2,721,308
248BakersfieldCalifornia8.1%68.8K417,468
249FontanaCalifornia7.6%70.4K218,455
250ScottsdaleArizona7.6%70.3K246,170
251St. LouisMissouri7.4%63.8K279,695
252Santa MariaCalifornia7.2%71.6K111,346
253San DiegoCalifornia7.0%49.6K1,404,452
254OaklandCalifornia6.7%64.0K443,554
255San BernardinoCalifornia6.4%74.1K224,775
256Moreno ValleyCalifornia6.3%74.5K213,919
257LubbockTexas6.3%74.5K272,086
258Long BeachCalifornia6.2%55.4K450,901
259ChandlerArizona5.8%76.0K281,231
260San FranciscoCalifornia5.8%76.0K827,526
261Chula VistaCalifornia5.7%76.1K278,546
262AmarilloTexas5.5%76.8K203,729
263SalinasCalifornia5.4%77.3K160,783
264RichmondCalifornia5.2%77.9K115,353
265GlendaleArizona5.2%77.9K258,143
266OxnardCalifornia5.1%78.2K200,616
267MidlandTexas4.7%79.5K143,687
268Los AngelesCalifornia4.5%80.0K3,878,704
269El CajonCalifornia4.1%81.4K103,291
270PalmdaleCalifornia4.1%81.4K162,536
271TempeArizona4.0%81.7K190,114
272PhoenixArizona2.5%86.4K1,673,164
273Las CrucesNew Mexico2.4%86.7K116,998
274Las VegasNevada2.2%87.3K678,922
275SurpriseArizona1.9%88.3K167,564
276OdessaTexas1.4%89.8K119,748
277HendersonNevada1.3%90.0K350,039
278El PasoTexas0.9%91.4K681,723

Trees needed: roughly how many more mature trees would bring the measured area to its healthy-canopy target. Population: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates; Honolulu is a consolidated city-county with no separate city estimate.

Greenest states, by their large cities

The average tree cover of each state's ranked cities — a measure of where its people live, not of the state's forests. States with a single large city are left out.

  1. 1.Georgia(6 cities)47.5%
  2. 2.North Carolina(9 cities)43.2%
  3. 3.Kansas(4 cities)42.6%
  4. 4.Nebraska(2 cities)37.8%
  5. 5.Oregon(5 cities)37.7%
  6. 6.Illinois(8 cities)35.7%
  7. 7.Iowa(3 cities)34.0%
  8. 8.Alabama(5 cities)32.8%
  9. 9.Kentucky(2 cities)32.0%
  10. 10.South Carolina(3 cities)31.3%
  11. 11.Connecticut(5 cities)31.1%
  12. 12.Florida(18 cities)30.9%
  13. 13.Louisiana(4 cities)29.8%
  14. 14.Missouri(5 cities)29.5%
  15. 15.Washington(8 cities)29.4%
  16. 16.Minnesota(3 cities)29.2%
  17. 17.Michigan(6 cities)28.7%
  18. 18.Tennessee(5 cities)28.3%
  19. 19.New York(6 cities)28.2%
  20. 20.Indiana(4 cities)26.7%
  21. 21.Massachusetts(5 cities)24.0%
  22. 22.Ohio(6 cities)23.9%
  23. 23.Virginia(5 cities)23.7%
  24. 24.Texas(38 cities)23.4%
  25. 25.Wisconsin(3 cities)22.8%
  26. 26.Pennsylvania(3 cities)22.5%
  27. 27.Colorado(11 cities)22.1%
  28. 28.Oklahoma(4 cities)21.8%
  29. 29.Utah(4 cities)17.8%
  30. 30.New Jersey(3 cities)17.3%
  31. 31.California(60 cities)14.1%
  32. 32.Nevada(3 cities)6.9%
  33. 33.New Mexico(2 cities)6.3%
  34. 34.Arizona(8 cities)6.2%

How this ranking was made

  • Same area for every city: a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around the city's central coordinates. This measures each city's core, not everything inside its municipal boundary — a sprawling suburban city can rank higher than its downtown alone would.
  • Satellite, not a census: the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 imagery at 10 m resolution, using the clearest recent scene. Vegetation is separated from pavement by how strongly it reflects near-infrared light (NDVI), and counts as tree canopy where ESA's WorldCover map or Meta and WRI's 1 m canopy-height map shows trees, so lawns and fields don't. The figures are estimates, not a tree-by-tree count.
  • Which cities: incorporated cities of 100,000+ residents (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates), plus Honolulu. Boroughs, neighborhoods and unincorporated areas are excluded.
  • Healthy canopy: around 30% cover, raised where air quality is poor — the benchmark behind "trees needed" and "below a healthy canopy".

Full methodology and data sources

Using this ranking?

The ranking and its data are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 — quote it, chart it or republish it, as long as you credit Airleaf and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Airleaf, "Greenest US Cities 2026: Tree Cover Ranking", https://airleaf.io/rankings/greenest-us-cities (accessed November 11, 2026).

Questions about the ranking

What is the greenest city in the US?

South Fulton, GA is the greenest large city in the United States, with 71.7% of the land within 1.2 mi (2 km) of its center under tree canopy. Cary, NC (69.8%) and Overland Park, KS (69.6%) follow.

Which large US city has the fewest trees?

At the other end, El Paso, TX has the least tree cover of the 278 cities ranked, at 0.9% — 6 of the ten least green cities are in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico or Utah, where desert climate, not only planning, keeps canopy low.

How is tree cover measured for this ranking?

Each city is measured from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at 10 m resolution over the same area: a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius (about 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km²)) around the city's central coordinates. Live vegetation reflects near-infrared light strongly and absorbs red light, so the ratio between those bands (NDVI) separates it from pavement, rooftops and bare ground; a green pixel counts as tree canopy where ESA's WorldCover map or Meta and WRI's 1 m canopy-height map shows trees, so lawns, parks' grass and crop fields don't, while street trees too small for a 10 m pixel do. Because every city is measured over an identical area, the figures compare like for like.

Which cities are included?

Every incorporated US city with at least 100,000 residents in the US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 population estimates, plus Honolulu, a consolidated city-county the Census does not estimate separately. Boroughs, neighborhoods and unincorporated areas are left out, so New York is ranked as one city.

How often is the ranking updated?

Continuously. Each city is re-measured as clearer satellite passes arrive — roughly monthly — and the ranking recalculates on its own. The dates of the imagery behind the current figures are shown on this page.

Your own street

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