City report · Iowa, United States
Des Moines Air quality today
Air quality in Des Moines currently reads AQI 30 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 30
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.4
- tree cover
- 30.6%
- trees in this area
- 94.1K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Capitol Park, Des Moines, IA 50316, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 2, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Des Moines · AQI 30 (Good)
Des Moines's tree count comes to 94,114 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Des Moines today: AQI 30, 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 · CARPENTER, 1.8 mi (2.9 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.4
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
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 Des Moines's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 14 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 70 on Nov 7.
Where Des Moines stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Des Moines: Healthy tree cover
30.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
94,114
Target trees
94,114
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Des Moines lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Des Moines has lost about 255 acres (103 hectares) of forest (about 190 football fields): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 255 acres (103 ha)about 190 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 226 acres (91 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2018, when about 48 acres (19 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 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2002 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2003 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 22 acres (9 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2015 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2018 | 43 acres (17 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2019 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2020 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2021 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2022 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (12 ha) |
| 2023 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2024 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2025 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Des Moines?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 214 acres (87 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.7% · 12 acres (5 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown11% · 29 acres (12 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
- 24,600 acres (9,960 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 25,500 acres (10,300 ha)
- Overall change
- +912 acres (369 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Des Moines grew from about 24,600 acres (9,960 hectares) to 25,500 acres (10,300 hectares), a net gain of about 912 acres (369 hectares) (+3.7%). New forest grew on about 1,380 acres (559 hectares), while 467 acres (189 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 Des Moines
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Cedar Rapids169.1 km
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- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 35
- Omaha198.1 km
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- 15%
- Air quality
- 32
- Davenport252.4 km
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- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 44
- Lincoln270.9 km
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- Tree cover
- 60%
- Air quality
- 19
- Rochester284.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 36
- Independence287.3 km
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- Tree cover
- 56%
- Air quality
- 21
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Frequently asked
Questions about Des Moines
What is the air quality (AQI) in Des Moines right now?
The latest reading for Des Moines shows an AQI of 30 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is CARPENTER, 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 Des Moines today?
At AQI 30 (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 Des Moines been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Des Moines's daily AQI at 33 on average, from 14 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 70 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 Des Moines lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Des Moines has lost about 255 acres (103 hectares) of forest (about 190 football fields): 2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (89%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Des Moines grew from about 24,600 acres (9,960 hectares) to 25,500 acres (10,300 hectares), a net gain of about 912 acres (369 hectares) (+3.7%). New forest grew on about 1,380 acres (559 hectares), while 467 acres (189 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Des Moines?
Des Moines has an estimated 94,114 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.31 km²) of land measured — 30.6% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Des Moines need?
Des Moines has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Des Moines's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Capitol Park, 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 Capitol Park; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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