City report · Kansas, United States
Topeka Air quality today
Air quality in Topeka currently reads AQI 8 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 8
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.1
- tree cover
- 33.8%
- trees in this area
- 105K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Topeka, KS, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 5, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Topeka · AQI 8 (Good)
Topeka's tree count comes to 104,593 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.38 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Topeka today: AQI 8, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 105 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 3 station cities within 65.2 mi (105 km), e.g. Olathe and Overland Park
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.1
PM10
3.2
NO₂
11.6
O₃
37.0
SO₂
0.3
CO
180.0
- 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 Topeka's daily AQI at 26 on average, from 8 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 86 on Nov 7.
Where Topeka stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Topeka: Healthy tree cover
33.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.38 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
104,593
Target trees
104,593
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Topeka lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Topeka has lost about 257 acres (104 hectares) of forest (about 190 football fields): 2.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (70%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 257 acres (104 ha)about 190 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 180 acres (73 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 32 acres (13 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 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2002 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 18 acres (7 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2005 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2006 | 8 acres (3 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2007 | 5 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2008 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2009 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 6 acres (2 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2014 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2017 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2018 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2019 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2020 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2021 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2022 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2024 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | 9 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Topeka?
- Towns and roadscleared for good56% · 145 acres (59 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 36 acres (15 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back14% · 35 acres (14 ha)
Also: unknown causes.
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
- 18,900 acres (7,640 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 21,100 acres (8,540 ha)
- Overall change
- +2,240 acres (906 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Topeka grew from about 18,900 acres (7,640 hectares) to 21,100 acres (8,540 hectares), a net gain of about 2,240 acres (906 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,510 acres (1,010 hectares), while 264 acres (107 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 Topeka
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Olathe76.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 26
- Overland Park87.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 13
- Kansas City95.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 21
- Independence109.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 21
- Wichita209.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 38
- Lincoln212.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 60%
- Air quality
- 19
Build your own
Compare Topeka with anywhere
This place
Topeka
Use this data
Put Topeka's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Topeka
What is the air quality (AQI) in Topeka right now?
The latest reading for Topeka shows an AQI of 8 (Good), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 3 ground-station cities within 105 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Topeka today?
At AQI 8 (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 Topeka been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Topeka's daily AQI at 26 on average, from 8 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 86 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Topeka lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Topeka has lost about 257 acres (104 hectares) of forest (about 190 football fields): 2.1% 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 Topeka grew from about 18,900 acres (7,640 hectares) to 21,100 acres (8,540 hectares), a net gain of about 2,240 acres (906 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,510 acres (1,010 hectares), while 264 acres (107 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Topeka?
Topeka has an estimated 104,593 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.38 km²) of land measured — 33.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Topeka need?
Topeka has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Topeka's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Downtown; 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