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City report · Ohio, United States

Dayton Air quality today

Air quality in Dayton currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Air quality right now

AQI 69

Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
18.8
tree cover
14.2%
trees in this area
43.2K
more trees needed
48.1K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Dayton, OH, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 4, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

Dayton · AQI 69 (Moderate)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 4, 2026

Dayton's tree count comes to 43,228 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.18 km²) of land, 16 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 48,098 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Dayton today: AQI 69, Moderate

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Sinclair, 0.3 mi (500 m) away

Health signal

Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

PM2.5

18.8

PM10

38.0

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

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 Dayton's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 16 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 7.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 28 · peak 61
Nov 4: AQI 16 (peak 33)Nov 5: AQI 22 (peak 52)Nov 6: AQI 30 (peak 51)Nov 7: AQI 30 (peak 61)Nov 8: AQI 33 (peak 61)Nov 9: AQI 33 (peak 56)Nov 10: AQI 32 (peak 48)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Dayton stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Dayton: Critically low

14.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.18 km²) of land.

16 points below target

Trees in this area

43,228

Target trees

91,326

More trees needed

48,098

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,058 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Dayton lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dayton has lost about 349 acres (141 hectares) of forest (about 260 football fields): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.

Satellite image of the area around Dayton, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
349 acres (141 ha)about 260 football fields
Share of its forest
2.7%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
317 acres (128 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2019, when about 82 acres (33 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Dayton, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Dayton, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.82

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Dayton, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20114 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
201212 acres (5 ha)under 1 ha13 acres (5 ha)
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
201618 acres (7 ha)under 1 ha19 acres (8 ha)
201725 acres (10 ha)2 acres (1 ha)27 acres (11 ha)
201854 acres (22 ha)under 1 ha56 acres (23 ha)
201968 acres (28 ha)14 acres (6 ha)82 acres (33 ha)
202010 acres (4 ha)under 1 ha11 acres (4 ha)
202123 acres (9 ha)under 1 ha25 acres (10 ha)
202210 acres (4 ha)under 1 ha10 acres (4 ha)
202332 acres (13 ha)under 1 ha32 acres (13 ha)
202438 acres (15 ha)under 1 ha39 acres (16 ha)
202516 acres (6 ha)under 1 ha17 acres (7 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Dayton?

  • Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 279 acres (113 ha)
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good11% · 37 acres (15 ha)
  • Loggingcan grow back3.9% · 14 acres (6 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
27,200 acres (11,000 ha)
Forest in 2020
28,200 acres (11,400 ha)
Overall change
+993 acres (402 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dayton grew from about 27,200 acres (11,000 hectares) to 28,200 acres (11,400 hectares), a net gain of about 993 acres (402 hectares) (+3.6%). New forest grew on about 1,490 acres (602 hectares), while 494 acres (200 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 Dayton

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • Cincinnati

    United States

    75.5 km
    Tree cover
    30%
    Air quality
    75
  • Columbus

    United States

    104.3 km
    Tree cover
    16%
    Air quality
    85
  • Indianapolis

    United States

    168.1 km
    Tree cover
    12%
    Air quality
    114
  • Fort Wayne

    United States

    171.9 km
    Tree cover
    31%
    Air quality
    91
  • Meads

    United States

    196.9 km
    Tree cover
    71%
    Air quality
    49
  • Lexington

    United States

    198.4 km
    Tree cover
    53%
    Air quality
    32

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Dayton air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Dayton

What is the air quality (AQI) in Dayton right now?

The latest reading for Dayton shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the Sinclair ground monitoring station, 0.3 mi (500 m) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Dayton today?

At AQI 69 (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 Dayton been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Dayton's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 16 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Dayton lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Dayton has lost about 349 acres (141 hectares) of forest (about 260 football fields): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Dayton grew from about 27,200 acres (11,000 hectares) to 28,200 acres (11,400 hectares), a net gain of about 993 acres (402 hectares) (+3.6%). New forest grew on about 1,490 acres (602 hectares), while 494 acres (200 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Dayton?

Dayton has an estimated 43,228 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.18 km²) of land measured — 14.2% tree cover, 16 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Dayton need?

Dayton needs roughly 48,098 more trees to close a 16-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,058 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Dayton'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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