City report · Illinois, United States
Elgin Air quality today
Air quality in Elgin currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 69
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 19.0
- tree cover
- 46.9%
- trees in this area
- 144K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Elgin, IL, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Elgin · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Elgin's tree count comes to 143,657 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.26 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Elgin today: AQI 69, 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 · Elgin_DMV, 1.1 mi (1.8 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
19.0
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 Elgin's daily AQI at 32 on average, from 12 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 77 on Nov 11.
Where Elgin stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Elgin: Healthy tree cover
46.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.26 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
143,657
Target trees
143,657
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Elgin lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Elgin has lost about 427 acres (173 hectares) of forest (about 320 football fields): 2.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) 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
- 427 acres (173 ha)about 320 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.8%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 390 acres (158 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 64 acres (26 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 | 54 acres (22 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2002 | 50 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 51 acres (21 ha) |
| 2003 | 32 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| 2004 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2005 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2006 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2007 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 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 | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2013 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2016 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2017 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2018 | 21 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2019 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2020 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2022 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2023 | 64 acres (26 ha) | under 1 ha | 64 acres (26 ha) |
| 2024 | 8 acres (3 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Elgin?
- Towns and roadscleared for good79% · 336 acres (136 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good8.6% · 37 acres (15 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good4.1% · 17 acres (7 ha)
Also: logging, 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
- 25,600 acres (10,400 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 27,100 acres (11,000 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,510 acres (612 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Elgin grew from about 25,600 acres (10,400 hectares) to 27,100 acres (11,000 hectares), a net gain of about 1,510 acres (612 hectares) (+5.9%). New forest grew on about 2,320 acres (940 hectares), while 811 acres (328 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 Elgin
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Naperville30.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
- Aurora30.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 74
- Chicago56.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
- Joliet59.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 70
- Kenosha71.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Rockford71.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 79
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Frequently asked
Questions about Elgin
What is the air quality (AQI) in Elgin right now?
The latest reading for Elgin shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by the Elgin_DMV ground monitoring station, 1.1 mi (1.8 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 Elgin today?
At AQI 69 (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 Elgin been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Elgin's daily AQI at 32 on average, from 12 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 77 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Elgin lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Elgin has lost about 427 acres (173 hectares) of forest (about 320 football fields): 2.8% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Elgin grew from about 25,600 acres (10,400 hectares) to 27,100 acres (11,000 hectares), a net gain of about 1,510 acres (612 hectares) (+5.9%). New forest grew on about 2,320 acres (940 hectares), while 811 acres (328 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Elgin?
Elgin has an estimated 143,657 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.26 km²) of land measured — 46.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Elgin need?
Elgin has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Elgin's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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 Downtown; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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