City report · Kansas, United States
Wichita Air quality today
Air quality in Wichita currently reads AQI 38 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 38
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.8
- tree cover
- 18.5%
- trees in this area
- 57.7K
- more trees needed
- 35.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Wichita, 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.
Wichita · AQI 38 (Good)
Wichita's tree count comes to 57,655 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land, 12 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 35,839 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Wichita today: AQI 38, 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 · WHlthDpt, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.8
PM10
28.0
NO₂
27.1
O₃
13.7
SO₂
—
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 Wichita's daily AQI at 26 on average, from 8 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 76 on Nov 7.
Where Wichita stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Wichita: Below target
18.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
57,655
Target trees
93,494
More trees needed
35,839
CO₂ if planted / yr
788.5 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Wichita lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Wichita has lost about 135 acres (55 hectares) of forest (about 100 football fields): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 135 acres (55 ha)about 100 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 6.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 115 acres (47 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 30 acres (12 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 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2002 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2005 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | 6 acres (3 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2008 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (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 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2020 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2021 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 30 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2024 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Wichita?
- Towns and roadscleared for good75% · 102 acres (41 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9% · 12 acres (5 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good1.1% · under 1 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
- 11,500 acres (4,660 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 13,000 acres (5,270 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,510 acres (610 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Wichita grew from about 11,500 acres (4,660 hectares) to 13,000 acres (5,270 hectares), a net gain of about 1,510 acres (610 hectares) (+13%). New forest grew on about 1,620 acres (656 hectares), while 112 acres (46 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 Wichita
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Tulsa208.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 57
- Topeka209.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 8
- Broken Arrow228.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 43
- Oklahoma City247.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 52
- Olathe256.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 48%
- Air quality
- 26
- Overland Park273.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 13
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Frequently asked
Questions about Wichita
What is the air quality (AQI) in Wichita right now?
The latest reading for Wichita shows an AQI of 38 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by the WHlthDpt ground monitoring station, 1.4 mi (2.3 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Wichita today?
At AQI 38 (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 Wichita been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Wichita's daily AQI at 26 on average, from 8 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 76 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 Wichita lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Wichita has lost about 135 acres (55 hectares) of forest (about 100 football fields): 6.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (85%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Wichita grew from about 11,500 acres (4,660 hectares) to 13,000 acres (5,270 hectares), a net gain of about 1,510 acres (610 hectares) (+13%). New forest grew on about 1,620 acres (656 hectares), while 112 acres (46 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Wichita?
Wichita has an estimated 57,655 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.47 km²) of land measured — 18.5% tree cover, 12 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Wichita need?
Wichita needs roughly 35,839 more trees to close a 12-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 788.5 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Wichita's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Wichita, 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 Wichita; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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