City report · Michigan, United States
Grand Rapids Air quality today
Air quality in Grand Rapids currently reads AQI 72 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 72
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 20.4
- tree cover
- 30.2%
- trees in this area
- 92.5K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, 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.
Grand Rapids · AQI 72 (Moderate)
Grand Rapids's tree count comes to 92,504 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 Grand Rapids today: AQI 72, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Grand Rapids - Monro, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
20.4
PM10
45.0
NO₂
36.7
O₃
7.8
SO₂
1.6
CO
515.5
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 Grand Rapids's daily AQI at 17 on average, from 5 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 54 on Nov 4.
Where Grand Rapids stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Grand Rapids: Healthy tree cover
30.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.26 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
92,504
Target trees
92,504
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Grand Rapids lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Grand Rapids has lost about 942 acres (381 hectares) of forest (about 710 football fields): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 942 acres (381 ha)about 710 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 3.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 886 acres (359 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2004, when about 114 acres (46 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 | 38 acres (15 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2002 | 52 acres (21 ha) | under 1 ha | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2003 | 37 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2004 | 113 acres (46 ha) | under 1 ha | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| 2005 | 88 acres (36 ha) | under 1 ha | 90 acres (36 ha) |
| 2006 | 32 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 33 acres (14 ha) |
| 2007 | 25 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2008 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2009 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2013 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| 2017 | 58 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2018 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2019 | 66 acres (27 ha) | under 1 ha | 68 acres (27 ha) |
| 2020 | 37 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2021 | 37 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2022 | 71 acres (29 ha) | under 1 ha | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| 2023 | 41 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 41 acres (17 ha) |
| 2024 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2025 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) | 46 acres (18 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Grand Rapids?
- Towns and roadscleared for good84% · 793 acres (321 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good6.9% · 65 acres (26 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good2.8% · 26 acres (11 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
- 40,800 acres (16,500 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 40,700 acres (16,500 ha)
- Overall change
- −109 acres (44 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Grand Rapids stayed about the same size, at about 40,700 acres (16,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 927 acres (375 hectares), and about 1,040 acres (419 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 Grand Rapids
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Lansing94.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 53
- South Bend150.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 38%
- Air quality
- 34
- Ann Arbor175.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 55%
- Air quality
- 43
- Kenosha180.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Milwaukee182.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 68
- Chicago204.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
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Frequently asked
Questions about Grand Rapids
What is the air quality (AQI) in Grand Rapids right now?
The latest reading for Grand Rapids shows an AQI of 72 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Grand Rapids - Monro, 1.5 mi (2.4 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Grand Rapids today?
At AQI 72 (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 Grand Rapids been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Grand Rapids's daily AQI at 17 on average, from 5 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 54 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 Grand Rapids lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Grand Rapids has lost about 942 acres (381 hectares) of forest (about 710 football fields): 3.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (94%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Grand Rapids stayed about the same size, at about 40,700 acres (16,500 hectares): new forest grew on about 927 acres (375 hectares), and about 1,040 acres (419 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids has an estimated 92,504 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.26 km²) of land measured — 30.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Grand Rapids need?
Grand Rapids has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Grand Rapids'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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