City report · California, United States
Downey Air quality today
Air quality in Downey currently reads AQI 55 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 55
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 11.3
- tree cover
- 10.5%
- trees in this area
- 33.0K
- more trees needed
- 61.3K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downey, 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.
Downey · AQI 55 (Moderate)
Downey's tree count comes to 32,987 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 61,261 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Downey today: AQI 55, 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 · Compton, 4.9 mi (7.9 km) away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
11.3
PM10
—
NO₂
59.9
O₃
2.9
SO₂
—
CO
1718.4
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 Downey's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4.
Where Downey stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Downey: Critically low
10.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
32,987
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
61,261
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,348 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Downey lost?
There was almost no forest around Downey in 2000, so there has been almost nothing to lose 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 July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 339 acres (137 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 376 acres (152 ha)
- Overall change
- +37 acres (15 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Downey grew from about 339 acres (137 hectares) to 376 acres (152 hectares), a net gain of about 37 acres (15 hectares) (+11%). New forest grew on about 39 acres (16 hectares), while 3 acres (1 hectare) 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 Downey
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Los Angeles16.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 39
- El Monte17.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 33
- Long Beach19.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 75
- Inglewood20.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 50
- Torrance22.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 69
- West Covina22.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Downey
What is the air quality (AQI) in Downey right now?
The latest reading for Downey shows an AQI of 55 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Compton, 4.9 mi (7.9 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Downey today?
At AQI 55 (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 Downey been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Downey's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Downey lost since 2001?
There was almost no forest around Downey in 2000, so there has been almost nothing to lose 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 Downey grew from about 339 acres (137 hectares) to 376 acres (152 hectares), a net gain of about 37 acres (15 hectares) (+11%). New forest grew on about 39 acres (16 hectares), while 3 acres (1 hectare) were lost.
What is the tree count in Downey?
Downey has an estimated 32,987 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 10.5% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Downey need?
Downey needs roughly 61,261 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,348 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Downey's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downey, 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 Downey; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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