City report · Virginia, United States
Alexandria Air quality today
Air quality in Alexandria currently reads AQI 64 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 64
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.3
- tree cover
- 29.8%
- trees in this area
- 63.0K
- more trees needed
- 423
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Alexandria Historical District, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 9, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Alexandria · AQI 64 (Moderate)
Alexandria's tree count comes to 63,006 trees across 3.3 sq mi (8.46 km²) of land, 0 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 423 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Alexandria today: AQI 64, 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 · FRANCONIA, 3.8 mi (6.1 km) away · median of 4 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.3
PM10
20.0
NO₂
49.9
O₃
9.8
SO₂
0.5
CO
916.5
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- 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 Alexandria's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 10.
Where Alexandria stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Alexandria: Below target
29.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.3 sq mi (8.46 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
63,006
Target trees
63,429
More trees needed
423
CO₂ if planted / yr
9.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Alexandria lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Alexandria has lost about 1,100 acres (444 hectares) of forest (about 830 football fields): 4.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (97%) 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
- 1,100 acres (444 ha)about 830 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,060 acres (431 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 144 acres (58 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 | 123 acres (50 ha) | under 1 ha | 125 acres (51 ha) |
| 2002 | 44 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (18 ha) |
| 2003 | 85 acres (34 ha) | under 1 ha | 87 acres (35 ha) |
| 2004 | 143 acres (58 ha) | under 1 ha | 144 acres (58 ha) |
| 2005 | 83 acres (34 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 87 acres (35 ha) |
| 2006 | 42 acres (17 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| 2007 | 138 acres (56 ha) | under 1 ha | 139 acres (56 ha) |
| 2008 | 25 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2009 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2010 | 59 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2011 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2012 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2013 | 42 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2014 | 32 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2015 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2016 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2017 | 24 acres (10 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2019 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2020 | 33 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2021 | 38 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2022 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2023 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2024 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2025 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Alexandria?
- Towns and roadscleared for good87% · 959 acres (388 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good9.6% · 106 acres (43 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown2.8% · 31 acres (13 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural 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
- 41,600 acres (16,800 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 41,700 acres (16,900 ha)
- Overall change
- +153 acres (62 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Alexandria stayed about the same size, at about 41,700 acres (16,900 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,070 acres (434 hectares), and about 919 acres (372 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 Alexandria
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Baltimore65.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 10%
- Air quality
- 52
- Richmond143.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 66
- Philadelphia206.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 12%
- Air quality
- 64
- East Hampton206.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 50%
- Air quality
- 28
- Newport News210.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 32
- Norfolk227.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 53
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Frequently asked
Questions about Alexandria
What is the air quality (AQI) in Alexandria right now?
The latest reading for Alexandria shows an AQI of 64 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 4 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is FRANCONIA, 3.8 mi (6.1 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Alexandria today?
At AQI 64 (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 Alexandria been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Alexandria's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 27 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Alexandria lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Alexandria has lost about 1,100 acres (444 hectares) of forest (about 830 football fields): 4.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (97%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Alexandria stayed about the same size, at about 41,700 acres (16,900 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,070 acres (434 hectares), and about 919 acres (372 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Alexandria?
Alexandria has an estimated 63,006 trees across the 3.3 sq mi (8.46 km²) of land measured — 29.8% tree cover, 0 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Alexandria need?
Alexandria needs roughly 423 more trees to close a 0-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 9.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Alexandria's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Alexandria Historical District, 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 Alexandria Historical District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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