City report · California, United States
Hayward Air quality today
Air quality in Hayward currently reads AQI 29 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 29
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.3
- tree cover
- 19.8%
- trees in this area
- 62.2K
- more trees needed
- 32.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Mission/Foothills, Hayward, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 12, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Hayward · AQI 29 (Good)
Hayward's tree count comes to 62,204 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 10 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 32,044 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Hayward today: AQI 29, Good
Main pollutant: Ozone · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Castro Valley, Briar Ridge, CA, 3.7 mi (5.9 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.3
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
62.8
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, 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 Hayward's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 52 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 on Nov 6.
Where Hayward stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Hayward: Below target
19.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
62,204
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
32,044
CO₂ if planted / yr
705.0 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Hayward lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hayward has lost about 334 acres (135 hectares) of forest (about 250 football fields): 2.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) 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 north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 334 acres (135 ha)about 250 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.2%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 206 acres (83 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2006, when about 42 acres (17 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 | 14 acres (6 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2002 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 9 acres (4 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2005 | 19 acres (8 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2006 | 40 acres (16 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2009 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2014 | 6 acres (3 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2017 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2018 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2019 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2020 | 12 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2021 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2023 | 2 acres (1 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2024 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2025 | 8 acres (3 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Hayward?
- Towns and roadscleared for good54% · 181 acres (73 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back23% · 77 acres (31 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.7% · 26 acres (10 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
- 20,100 acres (8,150 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 20,700 acres (8,380 ha)
- Overall change
- +556 acres (225 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hayward grew from about 20,100 acres (8,150 hectares) to 20,700 acres (8,380 hectares), a net gain of about 556 acres (225 hectares) (+2.8%). New forest grew on about 652 acres (264 hectares), while 96 acres (39 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 Hayward
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Fremont15.7 km
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- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
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- Oakland22.5 km
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- 7%
- Air quality
- 31
- San Mateo24.6 km
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- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 37
- San Francisco32.0 km
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- Tree cover
- 6%
- Air quality
- 51
- Sunnyvale33.6 km
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- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
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- Daly City33.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 55
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Frequently asked
Questions about Hayward
What is the air quality (AQI) in Hayward right now?
The latest reading for Hayward shows an AQI of 29 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Castro Valley, Briar Ridge, CA, 3.7 mi (5.9 km) away). The main pollutant is Ozone. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Hayward today?
At AQI 29 (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 Hayward been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Hayward's daily AQI at 67 on average, from 52 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 91 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Hayward lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Hayward has lost about 334 acres (135 hectares) of forest (about 250 football fields): 2.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (62%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Hayward grew from about 20,100 acres (8,150 hectares) to 20,700 acres (8,380 hectares), a net gain of about 556 acres (225 hectares) (+2.8%). New forest grew on about 652 acres (264 hectares), while 96 acres (39 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Hayward?
Hayward has an estimated 62,204 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 19.8% tree cover, 10 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Hayward need?
Hayward needs roughly 32,044 more trees to close a 10-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 705.0 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Hayward's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Mission/Foothills, 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 Mission/Foothills; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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