City report · Illinois, United States
Aurora Air quality today
Air quality in Aurora currently reads AQI 74 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 74
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.4
- tree cover
- 39.3%
- trees in this area
- 122K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Aurora, IL, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 3, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Aurora · AQI 74 (Moderate)
Aurora's tree count comes to 122,230 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.44 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Aurora today: AQI 74, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Aurora, 4.3 mi (7 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
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 Aurora's daily AQI at 23 on average, from 15 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 9.
Where Aurora stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Aurora: Healthy tree cover
39.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.44 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
122,230
Target trees
122,230
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Aurora lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Aurora has lost about 129 acres (52 hectares) of forest (about 97 football fields): 2.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 129 acres (52 ha)about 97 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 103 acres (42 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 29 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 | 24 acres (10 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2005 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2016 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2019 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2022 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2023 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2024 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Aurora?
- Towns and roadscleared for good80% · 103 acres (42 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown21% · 26 acres (11 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 16,100 acres (6,500 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 18,000 acres (7,290 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,940 acres (786 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Aurora grew from about 16,100 acres (6,500 hectares) to 18,000 acres (7,290 hectares), a net gain of about 1,940 acres (786 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,210 acres (896 hectares), while 272 acres (110 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 Aurora
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Naperville14.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
- Elgin30.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 69
- Joliet32.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 70
- Chicago56.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
- Rockford85.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 79
- Kenosha100.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
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Frequently asked
Questions about Aurora
What is the air quality (AQI) in Aurora right now?
The latest reading for Aurora shows an AQI of 74 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by the Aurora ground monitoring station, 4.3 mi (7 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Aurora today?
At AQI 74 (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 Aurora been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Aurora's daily AQI at 23 on average, from 15 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 63 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Aurora lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Aurora has lost about 129 acres (52 hectares) of forest (about 97 football fields): 2.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Aurora grew from about 16,100 acres (6,500 hectares) to 18,000 acres (7,290 hectares), a net gain of about 1,940 acres (786 hectares) (+12%). New forest grew on about 2,210 acres (896 hectares), while 272 acres (110 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Aurora?
Aurora has an estimated 122,230 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.44 km²) of land measured — 39.3% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Aurora need?
Aurora has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Aurora's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Aurora, 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 Aurora; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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