City report · Texas, United States
Austin Air quality today
Air quality in Austin currently reads AQI 25 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 25
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 4.5
- tree cover
- 28.2%
- trees in this area
- 86.0K
- more trees needed
- 5.5K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Congress Avenue Historic District, Austin, TX 78701, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Austin · AQI 25 (Good)
Austin's tree count comes to 86,024 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.21 km²) of land, 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 5,491 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Austin today: AQI 25, 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 · Austin Webberville R, 1.8 mi (2.9 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
4.5
PM10
10.0
NO₂
—
O₃
31.4
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 Austin's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 21 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 71 on Nov 10.
Where Austin stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Austin: Below target
28.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.21 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
86,024
Target trees
91,515
More trees needed
5,491
CO₂ if planted / yr
120.8 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Austin lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Austin has lost about 2,170 acres (876 hectares) of forest (about 1,600 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,170 acres (876 ha)about 1,600 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 2,130 acres (864 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2001, when about 243 acres (98 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 | 239 acres (97 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 243 acres (98 ha) |
| 2002 | 95 acres (39 ha) | under 1 ha | 96 acres (39 ha) |
| 2003 | 111 acres (45 ha) | under 1 ha | 113 acres (46 ha) |
| 2004 | 103 acres (42 ha) | under 1 ha | 105 acres (43 ha) |
| 2005 | 123 acres (50 ha) | under 1 ha | 124 acres (50 ha) |
| 2006 | 121 acres (49 ha) | under 1 ha | 121 acres (49 ha) |
| 2007 | 161 acres (65 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 165 acres (67 ha) |
| 2008 | 40 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2009 | 44 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 46 acres (19 ha) |
| 2010 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2011 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2012 | 131 acres (53 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 136 acres (55 ha) |
| 2013 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2014 | 84 acres (34 ha) | under 1 ha | 85 acres (34 ha) |
| 2015 | 66 acres (27 ha) | under 1 ha | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| 2016 | 116 acres (47 ha) | under 1 ha | 117 acres (47 ha) |
| 2017 | 48 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2018 | 26 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2019 | 43 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 43 acres (17 ha) |
| 2020 | 136 acres (55 ha) | under 1 ha | 136 acres (55 ha) |
| 2021 | 92 acres (37 ha) | under 1 ha | 92 acres (37 ha) |
| 2022 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2023 | 84 acres (34 ha) | under 1 ha | 84 acres (34 ha) |
| 2024 | 28 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 28 acres (12 ha) |
| 2025 | 150 acres (61 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 155 acres (63 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Austin?
- Towns and roadscleared for good98% · 2,130 acres (860 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown1.4% · 31 acres (13 ha)
Also: mining and energy.
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
- 31,800 acres (12,900 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 31,300 acres (12,700 ha)
- Overall change
- −494 acres (200 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Austin stayed about the same size, at about 31,300 acres (12,700 hectares): new forest grew on about 625 acres (253 hectares), and about 1,120 acres (453 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 Austin
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Round Rock27.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 44
- Killeen94.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 11
- College Station140.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 64
- Waco153.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 31
- Cypress199.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 71
Build your own
Compare Austin with anywhere
This place
Austin
Use this data
Put Austin's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Austin
What is the air quality (AQI) in Austin right now?
The latest reading for Austin shows an AQI of 25 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Austin Webberville R, 1.8 mi (2.9 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Austin today?
At AQI 25 (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 Austin been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Austin's daily AQI at 43 on average, from 21 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 71 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 Austin lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Austin has lost about 2,170 acres (876 hectares) of forest (about 1,600 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (99%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Austin stayed about the same size, at about 31,300 acres (12,700 hectares): new forest grew on about 625 acres (253 hectares), and about 1,120 acres (453 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Austin?
Austin has an estimated 86,024 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.21 km²) of land measured — 28.2% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Austin need?
Austin needs roughly 5,491 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 120.8 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Austin's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Congress Avenue Historic 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 Congress Avenue Historic District; 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