City report · United States
Little Rock Air quality today
Air quality in Little Rock 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)
- 18.8
- tree cover
- 36.8%
- trees in this area
- 105K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Little Rock, AR, 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.
Little Rock · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Little Rock's tree count comes to 104,743 trees across 4.4 sq mi (11.39 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Little Rock today: AQI 69, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · PARR, 0.8 mi (1.3 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.8
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 Little Rock's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 18 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 8.
Where Little Rock stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Little Rock: Healthy tree cover
36.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.4 sq mi (11.39 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
104,743
Target trees
104,743
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Little Rock lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Little Rock has lost about 1,910 acres (772 hectares) of forest (about 1,400 football fields): 7.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (77%) 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 northwest of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,910 acres (772 ha)about 1,400 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 7.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,470 acres (595 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2023, when about 299 acres (121 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 | 26 acres (10 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 28 acres (11 ha) |
| 2002 | 79 acres (32 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 83 acres (34 ha) |
| 2003 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2004 | 88 acres (36 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 96 acres (39 ha) |
| 2005 | 52 acres (21 ha) | under 1 ha | 53 acres (21 ha) |
| 2006 | 166 acres (67 ha) | 81 acres (33 ha) | 247 acres (100 ha) |
| 2007 | 104 acres (42 ha) | 76 acres (31 ha) | 179 acres (73 ha) |
| 2008 | 69 acres (28 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| 2009 | 24 acres (10 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2010 | 33 acres (14 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| 2011 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2012 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2013 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2014 | 36 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| 2015 | 21 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2016 | 88 acres (36 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 93 acres (38 ha) |
| 2017 | 109 acres (44 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) | 148 acres (60 ha) |
| 2018 | 89 acres (36 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 94 acres (38 ha) |
| 2019 | 47 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2020 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2021 | 26 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2022 | 31 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2023 | 176 acres (71 ha) | 123 acres (50 ha) | 299 acres (121 ha) |
| 2024 | 30 acres (12 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2025 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Little Rock?
- Towns and roadscleared for good56% · 1,070 acres (434 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back21% · 398 acres (161 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good19% · 366 acres (148 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
- 39,700 acres (16,100 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 40,500 acres (16,400 ha)
- Overall change
- +776 acres (314 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Little Rock stayed about the same size, at about 40,500 acres (16,400 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,870 acres (757 hectares), and about 1,090 acres (443 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 Little Rock
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- New South Memphis207.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 44%
- Air quality
- 64
- Shreveport281.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 99
- Springfield289.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 17
- Jackson334.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 66
- Broken Arrow349.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 43
- Tulsa370.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 57
Build your own
Compare Little Rock with anywhere
This place
Little Rock
Use this data
Put Little Rock's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Little Rock
What is the air quality (AQI) in Little Rock right now?
The latest reading for Little Rock shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is PARR, 0.8 mi (1.3 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Little Rock 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 Little Rock been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Little Rock's daily AQI at 31 on average, from 18 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 74 on Nov 8. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Little Rock lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Little Rock has lost about 1,910 acres (772 hectares) of forest (about 1,400 football fields): 7.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (77%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Little Rock stayed about the same size, at about 40,500 acres (16,400 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,870 acres (757 hectares), and about 1,090 acres (443 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Little Rock?
Little Rock has an estimated 104,743 trees across the 4.4 sq mi (11.39 km²) of land measured — 36.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Little Rock need?
Little Rock has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Little Rock'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.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address