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City report · Colorado, United States

Lakewood Air quality today

Air quality in Lakewood currently reads AQI 32 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 32

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
5.8
tree cover
26.5%
trees in this area
83.0K
more trees needed
11.0K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around South Alameda, Lakewood, CO 80226, 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.

Lakewood · AQI 32 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 9, 2026

Lakewood's tree count comes to 83,002 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land, 3 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 10,963 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Lakewood today: AQI 32, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · I25 Denver, 4.0 mi (6.4 km) away · median of 3 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

5.8

PM10

—

NO₂

56.3

O₃

47.1

SO₂

3.9

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 Lakewood's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 32 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 42 · peak 63
Nov 4: AQI 48 (peak 63)Nov 5: AQI 46 (peak 62)Nov 6: AQI 34 (peak 58)Nov 7: AQI 32 (peak 57)Nov 8: AQI 37 (peak 58)Nov 9: AQI 42 (peak 61)Nov 10: AQI 55 (peak 59)
Nov 4Nov 10

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Lakewood: Below target

26.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land.

3 points below target

Trees in this area

83,002

Target trees

93,965

More trees needed

10,963

CO₂ if planted / yr

241.2 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Lakewood lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lakewood has lost about 11 acres (4 hectares) of forest (about 8 football fields): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (70%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.

Satellite image of the area around Lakewood, June 2017

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

Forest lost since 2001
11 acres (4 ha)about 8 football fields
Share of its forest
3.9%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
8 acres (3 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2005, when about 7 acres (3 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Lakewood, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Lakewood, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.6.67

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Lakewood, 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
20056 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
2006under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around Lakewood?

  • Towns and roadscleared for good68% · 7 acres (3 ha)
  • Unknown causescause unknown27% · 3 acres (1 ha)

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
8,180 acres (3,310 ha)
Forest in 2020
9,390 acres (3,800 ha)
Overall change
+1,210 acres (488 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lakewood grew from about 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares) to 9,390 acres (3,800 hectares), a net gain of about 1,210 acres (488 hectares) (+15%). New forest grew on about 1,250 acres (504 hectares), while 41 acres (16 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 Lakewood

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

  • Thornton

    United States

    20.4 km
    Tree cover
    10%
    Air quality
    132
  • Aurora

    United States

    21.5 km
    Tree cover
    14%
    Air quality
    23
  • Centennial

    United States

    22.4 km
    Tree cover
    19%
    Air quality
    34
  • Boulder

    United States

    38.1 km
    Tree cover
    38%
    Air quality
    14
  • Greeley

    United States

    86.0 km
    Tree cover
    23%
    Air quality
    25
  • Fort Collins

    United States

    97.9 km
    Tree cover
    38%
    Air quality
    37

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

Questions about Lakewood

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

The latest reading for Lakewood shows an AQI of 32 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is I25 Denver, 4.0 mi (6.4 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Lakewood today?

At AQI 32 (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 Lakewood been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lakewood's daily AQI at 42 on average, from 32 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 63 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 Lakewood lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lakewood has lost about 11 acres (4 hectares) of forest (about 8 football fields): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (70%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lakewood grew from about 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares) to 9,390 acres (3,800 hectares), a net gain of about 1,210 acres (488 hectares) (+15%). New forest grew on about 1,250 acres (504 hectares), while 41 acres (16 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Lakewood?

Lakewood has an estimated 83,002 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.53 km²) of land measured — 26.5% tree cover, 3 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Lakewood need?

Lakewood needs roughly 10,963 more trees to close a 3-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 241.2 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Lakewood's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near South Alameda, 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 South Alameda; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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