City report · Wisconsin, United States
Madison Air quality today
Air quality in Madison currently reads AQI 36 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 36
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.5
- tree cover
- 31.2%
- trees in this area
- 58.2K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Madison, WI, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 25, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Madison · AQI 36 (Good)
Madison's tree count comes to 58,223 trees across 2.9 sq mi (7.47 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Madison today: AQI 36, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 08:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Madison University A, 1.7 mi (2.8 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.5
PM10
—
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 Madison's daily AQI at 16 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 55 on Nov 9.
Where Madison stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Madison: Healthy tree cover
31.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 2.9 sq mi (7.47 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
58,223
Target trees
58,223
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Madison lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Madison has lost about 170 acres (69 hectares) of forest (about 130 football fields): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from September 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 170 acres (69 ha)about 130 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 1.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 126 acres (51 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2012, when about 17 acres (7 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2006 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2008 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2009 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | 9 acres (4 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2016 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2017 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2018 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2021 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2022 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2023 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2024 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2025 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Madison?
- Towns and roadscleared for good67% · 113 acres (46 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back7.9% · 13 acres (5 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.3% · 12 acres (5 ha)
Also: 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
- 20,700 acres (8,390 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 21,800 acres (8,810 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,050 acres (424 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Madison grew from about 20,700 acres (8,390 hectares) to 21,800 acres (8,810 hectares), a net gain of about 1,050 acres (424 hectares) (+5.1%). New forest grew on about 1,480 acres (598 hectares), while 430 acres (174 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 Madison
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Rockford92.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 79
- Milwaukee121.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 9%
- Air quality
- 68
- Kenosha139.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Elgin147.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 47%
- Air quality
- 69
- Aurora170.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 74
- Naperville176.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
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Frequently asked
Questions about Madison
What is the air quality (AQI) in Madison right now?
The latest reading for Madison shows an AQI of 36 (Good), measured Nov 11, 08:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Madison University A, 1.7 mi (2.8 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Madison today?
At AQI 36 (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 Madison been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Madison's daily AQI at 16 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 55 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 Madison lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Madison has lost about 170 acres (69 hectares) of forest (about 130 football fields): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (74%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Madison grew from about 20,700 acres (8,390 hectares) to 21,800 acres (8,810 hectares), a net gain of about 1,050 acres (424 hectares) (+5.1%). New forest grew on about 1,480 acres (598 hectares), while 430 acres (174 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Madison?
Madison has an estimated 58,223 trees across the 2.9 sq mi (7.47 km²) of land measured — 31.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Madison need?
Madison has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Madison's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Madison, 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 Madison; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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