City report · Wisconsin, United States
Milwaukee Air quality today
Air quality in Milwaukee currently reads AQI 68 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 68
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.4
- tree cover
- 8.9%
- trees in this area
- 22.5K
- more trees needed
- 53.4K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Juneau Town, Milwaukee, WI 53202, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 6, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Milwaukee · AQI 68 (Moderate)
Milwaukee's tree count comes to 22,536 trees across 3.9 sq mi (10.13 km²) of land, 21 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 53,428 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Milwaukee today: AQI 68, 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 · Lexington/Navajo, District 1, 5.2 mi (8.3 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.4
PM10
—
NO₂
37.4
O₃
—
SO₂
2.6
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, G Dale
- 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 Milwaukee's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 8.
Where Milwaukee stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Milwaukee: Critically low
8.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.9 sq mi (10.13 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
22,536
Target trees
75,964
More trees needed
53,428
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,175 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Milwaukee lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Milwaukee has lost about 15 acres (6 hectares) of forest (about 11 football fields): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (73%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 15 acres (6 ha)about 11 football fields
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 11 acres (4 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2022, when about 3 acres (1 hectare) 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 | 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Milwaukee?
- Towns and roadscleared for good73% · 11 acres (4 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown27% · 4 acres (2 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
- 19,000 acres (7,700 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 19,300 acres (7,830 ha)
- Overall change
- +316 acres (128 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Milwaukee stayed about the same size, at about 19,300 acres (7,830 hectares): new forest grew on about 395 acres (160 hectares), and about 78 acres (31 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 Milwaukee
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Kenosha51.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Elgin115.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 69
- Madison121.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 36
- Rockford129.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 79
- Chicago133.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
- Naperville140.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
Build your own
Compare Milwaukee with anywhere
This place
Milwaukee
Use this data
Put Milwaukee's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Milwaukee
What is the air quality (AQI) in Milwaukee right now?
The latest reading for Milwaukee shows an AQI of 68 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Lexington/Navajo, District 1, 5.2 mi (8.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Milwaukee today?
At AQI 68 (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 Milwaukee been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Milwaukee's daily AQI at 20 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 52 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Milwaukee lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Milwaukee has lost about 15 acres (6 hectares) of forest (about 11 football fields): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (73%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Milwaukee stayed about the same size, at about 19,300 acres (7,830 hectares): new forest grew on about 395 acres (160 hectares), and about 78 acres (31 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee has an estimated 22,536 trees across the 3.9 sq mi (10.13 km²) of land measured — 8.9% tree cover, 21 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Milwaukee need?
Milwaukee needs roughly 53,428 more trees to close a 21-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,175 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Milwaukee's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Juneau Town, 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 Juneau Town; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address