City report · Colorado, United States
Colorado Springs Air quality today
Air quality in Colorado Springs currently reads AQI 39 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 39
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.7
- tree cover
- 26.4%
- trees in this area
- 82.9K
- more trees needed
- 11.3K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Colorado Springs, CO, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Colorado Springs · AQI 39 (Good)
Colorado Springs's tree count comes to 82,855 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 11,298 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Colorado Springs today: AQI 39, Good
Main pollutant: Ozone · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Colorado College, 1.1 mi (1.7 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
3.7
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
84.4
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- Outdoor exercise
- A good day to be active outside
- Windows
- Open them to air the house
- Mask
- Not needed
- Air purifier
- Not needed
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Colorado Springs's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 20 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 55 on Nov 5.
Where Colorado Springs stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Colorado Springs: Below target
26.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
82,855
Target trees
94,153
More trees needed
11,298
CO₂ if planted / yr
248.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Colorado Springs lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Colorado Springs has lost about 433 acres (175 hectares) of forest (about 330 football fields): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 22 acres (9 hectares) (5%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 433 acres (175 ha)about 330 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 5.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 22 acres (9 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2015, when about 259 acres (105 hectares) of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 259 acres (105 ha) | 259 acres (105 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) | 11 acres (4 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 | 6 acres (3 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 69 acres (28 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Colorado Springs?
- Loggingcan grow back52% · 226 acres (92 ha)
- Wildfirescan grow back39% · 169 acres (68 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good4.7% · 20 acres (8 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, mining and energy, 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
- 16,800 acres (6,810 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 18,000 acres (7,290 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,180 acres (479 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Colorado Springs grew from about 16,800 acres (6,810 hectares) to 18,000 acres (7,290 hectares), a net gain of about 1,180 acres (479 hectares) (+7%). New forest grew on about 1,330 acres (540 hectares), while 150 acres (61 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 Colorado Springs
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pueblo67.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 32
- Centennial83.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 34
- Lakewood99.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 32
- Aurora99.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 23
- Denver101.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 29
- Arvada110.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 32
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Frequently asked
Questions about Colorado Springs
What is the air quality (AQI) in Colorado Springs right now?
The latest reading for Colorado Springs shows an AQI of 39 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Colorado College, 1.1 mi (1.7 km) away). The main pollutant is Ozone. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Colorado Springs today?
At AQI 39 (Good): a good day to be active outside. Windows: open them to air the house. Masks: not needed. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Colorado Springs been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Colorado Springs's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 20 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 55 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Colorado Springs lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Colorado Springs has lost about 433 acres (175 hectares) of forest (about 330 football fields): 5.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 22 acres (9 hectares) (5%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Colorado Springs grew from about 16,800 acres (6,810 hectares) to 18,000 acres (7,290 hectares), a net gain of about 1,180 acres (479 hectares) (+7%). New forest grew on about 1,330 acres (540 hectares), while 150 acres (61 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs has an estimated 82,855 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.56 km²) of land measured — 26.4% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Colorado Springs need?
Colorado Springs needs roughly 11,298 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 248.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Colorado Springs'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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