City report · Illinois, United States
Joliet Air quality today
Air quality in Joliet currently reads AQI 70 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 70
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 19.2
- tree cover
- 35.5%
- trees in this area
- 107K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Joliet, 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.
Joliet · AQI 70 (Moderate)
Joliet's tree count comes to 107,400 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.1 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Joliet today: AQI 70, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Joliet, Illinois, USA, 1.7 mi (2.8 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
19.2
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Air Now - US EPA
- 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 Joliet's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 18 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 9.
Where Joliet stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Joliet: Healthy tree cover
35.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.1 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
107,400
Target trees
107,400
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Joliet lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Joliet has lost about 287 acres (116 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 3.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 287 acres (116 ha)about 220 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 3.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 259 acres (105 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2024, when about 34 acres (14 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 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2002 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2003 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2006 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2007 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2016 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2017 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2018 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2019 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2020 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2021 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2022 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2023 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2024 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2025 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Joliet?
- Towns and roadscleared for good85% · 244 acres (99 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.3% · 12 acres (5 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown9.5% · 27 acres (11 ha)
Also: mining and energy.
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
- 18,700 acres (7,550 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 19,300 acres (7,830 ha)
- Overall change
- +682 acres (276 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Joliet grew from about 18,700 acres (7,550 hectares) to 19,300 acres (7,830 hectares), a net gain of about 682 acres (276 hectares) (+3.7%). New forest grew on about 1,380 acres (559 hectares), while 702 acres (284 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 Joliet
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Naperville29.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
- Aurora32.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 74
- Chicago51.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
- Elgin59.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 69
- Rockford117.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 79
- Kenosha119.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
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Frequently asked
Questions about Joliet
What is the air quality (AQI) in Joliet right now?
The latest reading for Joliet shows an AQI of 70 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the Joliet, Illinois, USA ground monitoring station, 1.7 mi (2.8 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 Joliet today?
At AQI 70 (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 Joliet been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Joliet's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 18 on Nov 10 to an hourly peak of 69 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Joliet lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Joliet has lost about 287 acres (116 hectares) of forest (about 220 football fields): 3.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Joliet grew from about 18,700 acres (7,550 hectares) to 19,300 acres (7,830 hectares), a net gain of about 682 acres (276 hectares) (+3.7%). New forest grew on about 1,380 acres (559 hectares), while 702 acres (284 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Joliet?
Joliet has an estimated 107,400 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.1 km²) of land measured — 35.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Joliet need?
Joliet has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Joliet's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Joliet, 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 Joliet; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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