City report · North Carolina, United States
High Point Air quality today
Air quality in High Point currently reads AQI 18 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 18
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.5
- tree cover
- 42.0%
- trees in this area
- 132K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around High Point, NC, 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.
High Point · AQI 18 (Good)
High Point's tree count comes to 131,947 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in High Point today: AQI 18, Good
Main pollutant: PM10 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · MENDNHAL, 15.5 mi (25 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.5
PM10
19.0
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 High Point's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 22 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 10.
Where High Point stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in High Point: Healthy tree cover
42.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
131,947
Target trees
131,947
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has High Point lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of High Point has lost about 4,520 acres (1,830 hectares) of forest (about 3,400 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km south of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4,520 acres (1,830 ha)about 3,400 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,890 acres (1,570 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 149 acres (60 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 212 acres (86 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2006, when about 329 acres (133 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 | 166 acres (67 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 171 acres (69 ha) |
| 2002 | 132 acres (53 ha) | under 1 ha | 133 acres (54 ha) |
| 2003 | 176 acres (71 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) | 199 acres (81 ha) |
| 2004 | 231 acres (93 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 239 acres (97 ha) |
| 2005 | 203 acres (82 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) | 213 acres (86 ha) |
| 2006 | 289 acres (117 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) | 329 acres (133 ha) |
| 2007 | 297 acres (120 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 309 acres (125 ha) |
| 2008 | 238 acres (96 ha) | 66 acres (27 ha) | 304 acres (123 ha) |
| 2009 | 186 acres (75 ha) | 34 acres (14 ha) | 220 acres (89 ha) |
| 2010 | 162 acres (66 ha) | 45 acres (18 ha) | 207 acres (84 ha) |
| 2011 | 38 acres (15 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2012 | 58 acres (24 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| 2013 | 71 acres (29 ha) | 28 acres (11 ha) | 99 acres (40 ha) |
| 2014 | 66 acres (27 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| 2015 | 61 acres (25 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 67 acres (27 ha) |
| 2016 | 137 acres (55 ha) | 61 acres (25 ha) | 197 acres (80 ha) |
| 2017 | 184 acres (75 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) | 201 acres (81 ha) |
| 2018 | 112 acres (45 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) | 164 acres (66 ha) |
| 2019 | 219 acres (89 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) | 272 acres (110 ha) |
| 2020 | 218 acres (88 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 227 acres (92 ha) |
| 2021 | 196 acres (79 ha) | 16 acres (6 ha) | 212 acres (86 ha) |
| 2022 | 76 acres (31 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) | 99 acres (40 ha) |
| 2023 | 121 acres (49 ha) | 31 acres (13 ha) | 151 acres (61 ha) |
| 2024 | 163 acres (66 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 190 acres (77 ha) |
| 2025 | 88 acres (36 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 93 acres (38 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around High Point?
- Towns and roadscleared for good82% · 3,700 acres (1,500 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back14% · 613 acres (248 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good2.6% · 117 acres (47 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 47,100 acres (19,100 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 47,400 acres (19,200 ha)
- Overall change
- +304 acres (123 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around High Point stayed about the same size, at about 47,400 acres (19,200 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,610 acres (1,060 hectares), and about 2,310 acres (934 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 High Point
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Greensboro23.2 km
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- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- Winston-Salem26.8 km
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- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 40
- Durham99.7 km
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- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 26
- Charlotte110.9 km
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- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 51
- Cary111.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 22
- Raleigh124.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 47
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Frequently asked
Questions about High Point
What is the air quality (AQI) in High Point right now?
The latest reading for High Point shows an AQI of 18 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by the MENDNHAL ground monitoring station, 15.5 mi (25 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM10. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in High Point today?
At AQI 18 (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 High Point been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put High Point's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 22 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around High Point lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of High Point has lost about 4,520 acres (1,830 hectares) of forest (about 3,400 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (86%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 149 acres (60 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 212 acres (86 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around High Point stayed about the same size, at about 47,400 acres (19,200 hectares): new forest grew on about 2,610 acres (1,060 hectares), and about 2,310 acres (934 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in High Point?
High Point has an estimated 131,947 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 42.0% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does High Point need?
High Point has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are High Point's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near High Point, 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 High Point; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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