City report · California, United States
El Monte Air quality today
Air quality in El Monte currently reads AQI 33 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 33
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.0
- tree cover
- 8.6%
- trees in this area
- 27.0K
- more trees needed
- 67.2K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around El Monte, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
El Monte · AQI 33 (Good)
El Monte's tree count comes to 27,018 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 21 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 67,230 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in El Monte today: AQI 33, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · EBAM-14, 4.7 mi (7.5 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.0
PM10
—
NO₂
61.5
O₃
2.0
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 El Monte's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4.
Where El Monte stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in El Monte: Critically low
8.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
27,018
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
67,230
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,479 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has El Monte lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of El Monte has lost about 33 acres (13 hectares) of forest (about 25 football fields): 4.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 33 acres (13 ha)about 25 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 20 acres (8 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2007, when about 8 acres (3 hectares) of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) | 8 acres (3 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 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around El Monte?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good37% · 12 acres (5 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good23% · 7 acres (3 ha)
- Wildfirescan grow back21% · 7 acres (3 ha)
Also: unknown 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
- 4,310 acres (1,750 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 4,300 acres (1,740 ha)
- Overall change
- −12 acres (5 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around El Monte stayed about the same size, at about 4,300 acres (1,740 hectares): new forest grew on about 127 acres (51 hectares), and about 138 acres (56 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 El Monte
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Pasadena13.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 26
- Downey17.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 55
- Los Angeles20.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 39
- Pomona25.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 13%
- Air quality
- 49
- Compton26.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 7%
- Air quality
- 65
- Hollywood27.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 37
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Frequently asked
Questions about El Monte
What is the air quality (AQI) in El Monte right now?
The latest reading for El Monte shows an AQI of 33 (Good), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is EBAM-14, 4.7 mi (7.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in El Monte today?
At AQI 33 (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 El Monte been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put El Monte's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around El Monte lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of El Monte has lost about 33 acres (13 hectares) of forest (about 25 football fields): 4.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around El Monte stayed about the same size, at about 4,300 acres (1,740 hectares): new forest grew on about 127 acres (51 hectares), and about 138 acres (56 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in El Monte?
El Monte has an estimated 27,018 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 8.6% tree cover, 21 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does El Monte need?
El Monte needs roughly 67,230 more trees to close a 21-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,479 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are El Monte's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near El Monte, 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 El Monte; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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