United States · Kentucky · 3 places
Air quality in Kentucky today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Lexington has the cleanest air of the 2 Kentucky cities we track (AQI 28, Good), and Louisville the worst (AQI 56, Moderate). Lexington has the most tree cover, at 52.7% — #10 of 278 large US cities.
Every place is measured the same way, over the same 1.2 mi (2 km) around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
- places tracked
- 3
- average tree cover
- 32.0%
- US cities: 25.1%
- worst air now: Louisville
- 56
- cleanest air now: Lexington
- 28
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Kentucky
Air quality today across Kentucky, city by city
| Louisville | 56Moderate | 11.4% | 45.5K | #222 of 278 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | 28Good | 52.7% | — | #10 of 278 |
| Meads | 49Good | 70.7% | — | — |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 1.2 mi (2 km) of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery. The US greenness rank covers cities of 100,000+ people; see the full ranking.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Kentucky lost?
Since 2001, Kentucky has lost about 733,000 acres (297,000 hectares) of forest (about 3,000 km²): 5.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to logging, so much of it can grow back. About 265,000 acres (107,000 hectares) (36%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 733,000 acres (297,000 ha)about 3,000 km²
- Share of its forest
- 5.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 265,000 acres (107,000 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 11,400 acres (4,630 ha) | 19,500 acres (7,900 ha) | 31,000 acres (12,500 ha) |
| 2002 | 9,230 acres (3,740 ha) | 11,600 acres (4,690 ha) | 20,800 acres (8,430 ha) |
| 2003 | 8,040 acres (3,250 ha) | 14,100 acres (5,710 ha) | 22,100 acres (8,960 ha) |
| 2004 | 13,900 acres (5,610 ha) | 20,200 acres (8,170 ha) | 34,000 acres (13,800 ha) |
| 2005 | 14,900 acres (6,030 ha) | 23,600 acres (9,560 ha) | 38,500 acres (15,600 ha) |
| 2006 | 14,000 acres (5,670 ha) | 21,600 acres (8,730 ha) | 35,600 acres (14,400 ha) |
| 2007 | 17,900 acres (7,250 ha) | 27,300 acres (11,100 ha) | 45,200 acres (18,300 ha) |
| 2008 | 15,500 acres (6,290 ha) | 28,200 acres (11,400 ha) | 43,700 acres (17,700 ha) |
| 2009 | 9,900 acres (4,010 ha) | 20,800 acres (8,420 ha) | 30,700 acres (12,400 ha) |
| 2010 | 14,000 acres (5,670 ha) | 20,800 acres (8,420 ha) | 34,800 acres (14,100 ha) |
| 2011 | 10,400 acres (4,220 ha) | 13,300 acres (5,380 ha) | 23,700 acres (9,600 ha) |
| 2012 | 13,700 acres (5,550 ha) | 18,400 acres (7,460 ha) | 32,100 acres (13,000 ha) |
| 2013 | 8,650 acres (3,500 ha) | 11,300 acres (4,560 ha) | 19,900 acres (8,060 ha) |
| 2014 | 10,200 acres (4,140 ha) | 12,900 acres (5,220 ha) | 23,100 acres (9,370 ha) |
| 2015 | 9,340 acres (3,780 ha) | 16,300 acres (6,600 ha) | 25,600 acres (10,400 ha) |
| 2016 | 14,600 acres (5,910 ha) | 32,700 acres (13,300 ha) | 47,400 acres (19,200 ha) |
| 2017 | 12,800 acres (5,180 ha) | 29,900 acres (12,100 ha) | 42,700 acres (17,300 ha) |
| 2018 | 9,430 acres (3,820 ha) | 16,000 acres (6,480 ha) | 25,400 acres (10,300 ha) |
| 2019 | 7,520 acres (3,050 ha) | 13,200 acres (5,330 ha) | 20,700 acres (8,380 ha) |
| 2020 | 6,360 acres (2,580 ha) | 14,200 acres (5,750 ha) | 20,600 acres (8,330 ha) |
| 2021 | 6,510 acres (2,640 ha) | 12,400 acres (5,000 ha) | 18,900 acres (7,630 ha) |
| 2022 | 7,180 acres (2,900 ha) | 18,100 acres (7,310 ha) | 25,200 acres (10,200 ha) |
| 2023 | 6,780 acres (2,740 ha) | 16,000 acres (6,460 ha) | 22,700 acres (9,200 ha) |
| 2024 | 6,810 acres (2,750 ha) | 17,000 acres (6,880 ha) | 23,800 acres (9,630 ha) |
| 2025 | 5,360 acres (2,170 ha) | 19,300 acres (7,810 ha) | 24,600 acres (9,970 ha) |
Forest loss is slowing down: about 23,100 acres (9,330 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 31,400 acres (12,700 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2016, when about 47,400 acres (19,200 hectares) of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in Kentucky?
- Loggingcan grow back61% · 449,000 acres (182,000 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · 125,000 acres (50,500 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good12% · 88,800 acres (35,900 ha)
Also: towns and roads, wildfires, storms, floods and other natural causes, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
Other states
Clean-air buying guides
Cleaner air at home in Kentucky
Picked by tested clean-air delivery rate (CADR), noise and running cost, from independent test labels. No brand pays to be listed.
- The best air purifiers for wildfire smoke and smog
Air purifiers that keep up with wildfire smoke and winter smog, ranked by verified smoke CADR, with the room each one clears on a smoky day.
- The best air purifiers for bedrooms: quiet picks sized for your room
Quiet HEPA air purifiers for bedrooms, compared on what matters at night: noise on the lowest setting (from 20 dB), verified room size and filter cost.
- The best air purifiers under $200
Good HEPA air purifiers under $200 at the makers' own prices, compared on verified clean air, room size and what the filters cost each year.
Your own street