What does this tree canopy ranking show?

It orders states by Average tree canopy cover. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

USDA Forest Service NLCD Tree Canopy Cover (2025 CONUS; 2023 Hawaii) supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Highest tree canopy by state

Average tree canopy cover.

This measure has no better end. The order describes the states, it does not rank them — see the other direction.

Average percent tree-canopy cover across the county's mapped land pixels. The USDA Forest Service NLCD product masks water and non-tree agriculture, then smooths the annual satellite series; it describes broad tree cover, not street-tree access, park acreage, shade on a particular block, or forest ownership. County values are means of the published 30-m pixels inside Census county boundaries, and state values are population-weighted county means. Current source: 2025 in the contiguous U.S.; 2023 in Hawaii, where the next release has not yet been published.

How to read this ranking

New Hampshire has the highest published tree canopy in this comparison, at 64.1%. The next states shown are West Virginia (63.7%) and Vermont (61.0%).

The table orders 50 states by average tree canopy cover. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Average percent tree-canopy cover across the county's mapped land pixels. The USDA Forest Service NLCD product masks water and non-tree agriculture, then smooths the annual satellite series; it describes broad tree cover, not street-tree access, park acreage, shade on a particular block, or forest ownership. County values are means of the published 30-m pixels inside Census county boundaries, and state values are population-weighted county means. Current source: 2025 in the contiguous U.S.; 2023 in Hawaii, where the next release has not yet been published.

1New Hampshire64.1%
2West Virginia63.7%
3Vermont61.0%
4Maine54.1%
5Connecticut50.8%
6Alabama50.2%
7Rhode Island48.8%
8Mississippi48.1%
9South Carolina46.9%
10Georgia46.1%
11North Carolina45.8%
12Massachusetts45.2%
13Virginia43.0%
14Oregon42.6%
15Arkansas41.3%
16Washington41.1%
17Tennessee40.9%
18Pennsylvania39.1%
19New Jersey37.1%
20Maryland36.3%
21Kentucky35.4%
22Louisiana34.0%
23Hawaii33.5%
24Missouri27.0%
25Delaware26.9%
26New York24.0%
27District of Columbia23.3%
28Florida23.3%
29Michigan23.3%
30Ohio21.2%
31Montana19.7%
32Minnesota19.0%
33Wisconsin17.6%
34Indiana17.2%
35Oklahoma16.8%
36Texas13.7%
37Idaho11.8%
38Utah11.5%
39Illinois10.9%
40Colorado9.8%
41California9.6%
42Kansas9.6%
43Iowa7.6%
44Nebraska6.0%
45New Mexico4.8%
46Wyoming4.7%
47South Dakota3.4%
48Nevada1.5%
49Arizona1.2%
50North Dakota1.1%

Not ranked, because this measure is not published for them: Alaska. The current complete product covers the contiguous U.S. and Hawaii. Alaska's available layer covers only the southeast, so Alaska is intentionally left blank rather than shown as a misleading statewide figure.

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Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Average tree canopy cover. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: USDA Forest Service NLCD Tree Canopy Cover (2025 CONUS; 2023 Hawaii). States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/tree-canopy" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Average tree canopy cover by state"></iframe>

Source: USDA Forest Service NLCD Tree Canopy Cover (2025 CONUS; 2023 Hawaii). · How this is built

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