City report · Kentucky, United States
Lexington Air quality today
Air quality in Lexington currently reads AQI 32 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 32
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.8
- tree cover
- 52.7%
- trees in this area
- 162K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Gainesway, Lexington, KY 40517, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Lexington · AQI 32 (Good)
Lexington's tree count comes to 162,085 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Lexington today: AQI 32, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.8
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory
- 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 Lexington's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 13 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 on Nov 6.
Where Lexington stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Lexington: Healthy tree cover
52.7% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
162,085
Target trees
162,085
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Lexington lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lexington has lost about 294 acres (119 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 5 km east of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 294 acres (119 ha)about 220 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 276 acres (112 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 80 acres (32 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 | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2002 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2003 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2006 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2014 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2016 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 21 acres (9 ha) |
| 2017 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 21 acres (9 ha) |
| 2018 | 21 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 21 acres (8 ha) |
| 2019 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 28 acres (11 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2022 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2023 | 80 acres (32 ha) | under 1 ha | 80 acres (32 ha) |
| 2024 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | 13 acres (5 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Lexington?
- Towns and roadscleared for good87% · 255 acres (103 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.7% · 23 acres (9 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown6% · 18 acres (7 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
- 19,600 acres (7,940 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 22,000 acres (8,910 ha)
- Overall change
- +2,380 acres (962 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lexington grew from about 19,600 acres (7,940 hectares) to 22,000 acres (8,910 hectares), a net gain of about 2,380 acres (962 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,690 acres (1,090 hectares), while 309 acres (125 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 Lexington
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Louisville115.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 54
- Cincinnati126.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 75
- Meads161.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 71%
- Air quality
- 49
- Dayton198.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 69
- Knoxville230.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 60
- Indianapolis245.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 114
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Frequently asked
Questions about Lexington
What is the air quality (AQI) in Lexington right now?
The latest reading for Lexington shows an AQI of 32 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory ground monitoring station, 3.5 mi (5.6 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Lexington 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 Lexington been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Lexington's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 13 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 64 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 Lexington lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Lexington has lost about 294 acres (119 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Lexington grew from about 19,600 acres (7,940 hectares) to 22,000 acres (8,910 hectares), a net gain of about 2,380 acres (962 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,690 acres (1,090 hectares), while 309 acres (125 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Lexington?
Lexington has an estimated 162,085 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land measured — 52.7% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Lexington need?
Lexington has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Lexington's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Gainesway, 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 Gainesway; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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