City report · California, United States
Bakersfield Air quality today
Air quality in Bakersfield currently reads AQI 82 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 82
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 25.9
- tree cover
- 8.1%
- trees in this area
- 25.4K
- more trees needed
- 68.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Bakersfield, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Bakersfield · AQI 82 (Moderate)
Bakersfield's tree count comes to 25,447 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 22 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 68,801 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Bakersfield today: AQI 82, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Bakersfield - Golden, 0.9 mi (1.4 km) away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
25.9
PM10
72.0
NO₂
38.4
O₃
0.0
SO₂
—
CO
458.2
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- Outdoor exercise
- 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
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bakersfield's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 49 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6.
Where Bakersfield stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Bakersfield: Critically low
8.1% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
25,447
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
68,801
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,514 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Bakersfield lost?
There was very little forest around Bakersfield in 2000, about 57 acres (23 hectares), and about 13 acres (5 hectares) of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
The worst year was 2005, when about 4 acres (2 hectares) of forest were lost.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Bakersfield?
- Towns and roadscleared for good28% · 4 acres (2 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · under 1 ha
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back17% · under 1 ha
Also: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 507 acres (205 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 630 acres (255 ha)
- Overall change
- +124 acres (50 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bakersfield grew from about 507 acres (205 hectares) to 630 acres (255 hectares), a net gain of about 124 acres (50 hectares) (+24%). New forest grew on about 130 acres (53 hectares), while 8 acres (3 hectares) were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
In the same region
Measured cities near Bakersfield
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Visalia109.2 km
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- Air quality
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- Valencia109.9 km
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- Air quality
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- Lancaster109.9 km
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- Air quality
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- Santa Clarita117.5 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
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- Palmdale120.6 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
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- Simi Valley124.6 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Bakersfield
What is the air quality (AQI) in Bakersfield right now?
The latest reading for Bakersfield shows an AQI of 82 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Bakersfield - Golden, 0.9 mi (1.4 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Bakersfield today?
At AQI 82 (Moderate): 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. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Bakersfield been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Bakersfield's daily AQI at 57 on average, from 49 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 73 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Bakersfield lost since 2001?
There was very little forest around Bakersfield in 2000, about 57 acres (23 hectares), and about 13 acres (5 hectares) of it has been lost since. Only fairly dense woodland counts as forest in these maps, so scattered street and garden trees don't show up here. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Bakersfield grew from about 507 acres (205 hectares) to 630 acres (255 hectares), a net gain of about 124 acres (50 hectares) (+24%). New forest grew on about 130 acres (53 hectares), while 8 acres (3 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Bakersfield?
Bakersfield has an estimated 25,447 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 8.1% tree cover, 22 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Bakersfield need?
Bakersfield needs roughly 68,801 more trees to close a 22-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,514 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Bakersfield's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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