City report · Louisiana, United States
New Orleans Air quality today
Air quality in New Orleans currently reads AQI 91 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 91
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 30.7
- tree cover
- 10.2%
- trees in this area
- 29.3K
- more trees needed
- 56.9K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Central Business District, New Orleans, LA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Oct 20, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
New Orleans · AQI 91 (Moderate)
New Orleans's tree count comes to 29,288 trees across 4.4 sq mi (11.49 km²) of land, 20 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 56,854 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in New Orleans today: AQI 91, 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 · Laurel and 6th Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
30.7
PM10
—
NO₂
14.5
O₃
—
SO₂
5.5
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Irish Channel
- 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 New Orleans's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 27 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 75 on Nov 6.
Where New Orleans stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in New Orleans: Critically low
10.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.4 sq mi (11.49 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
29,288
Target trees
86,142
More trees needed
56,854
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,251 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has New Orleans lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of New Orleans has lost about 943 acres (382 hectares) of forest (about 710 football fields): 22% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from October 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 943 acres (382 ha)about 710 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 22%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 712 acres (288 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2005, when about 442 acres (179 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 | 46 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| 2002 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2004 | 88 acres (35 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 92 acres (37 ha) |
| 2005 | 267 acres (108 ha) | 175 acres (71 ha) | 442 acres (179 ha) |
| 2006 | 29 acres (12 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) | 59 acres (24 ha) |
| 2007 | 36 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (15 ha) |
| 2008 | 48 acres (19 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 55 acres (22 ha) |
| 2009 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2010 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2011 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2012 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2016 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2022 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2023 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2024 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2025 | 11 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around New Orleans?
- Towns and roadscleared for good61% · 576 acres (233 ha)
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back22% · 207 acres (84 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good14% · 135 acres (55 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
- 4,190 acres (1,690 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 3,910 acres (1,580 ha)
- Overall change
- −279 acres (113 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around New Orleans shrank from about 4,190 acres (1,690 hectares) to 3,910 acres (1,580 hectares), a net loss of about 279 acres (113 hectares) (−6.7%). New forest grew on about 104 acres (42 hectares), but 383 acres (155 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 New Orleans
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Baton Rouge119.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 85
- Lafayette189.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 66
- Mobile211.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 60
- Jackson260.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 35%
- Air quality
- 66
- Beaumont387.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 71
- Tuscaloosa432.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 26
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Frequently asked
Questions about New Orleans
What is the air quality (AQI) in New Orleans right now?
The latest reading for New Orleans shows an AQI of 91 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Laurel and 6th Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in New Orleans today?
At AQI 91 (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 New Orleans been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put New Orleans's daily AQI at 39 on average, from 27 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 75 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 New Orleans lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of New Orleans has lost about 943 acres (382 hectares) of forest (about 710 football fields): 22% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around New Orleans shrank from about 4,190 acres (1,690 hectares) to 3,910 acres (1,580 hectares), a net loss of about 279 acres (113 hectares) (−6.7%). New forest grew on about 104 acres (42 hectares), but 383 acres (155 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in New Orleans?
New Orleans has an estimated 29,288 trees across the 4.4 sq mi (11.49 km²) of land measured — 10.2% tree cover, 20 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does New Orleans need?
New Orleans needs roughly 56,854 more trees to close a 20-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,251 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are New Orleans's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Central Business District, 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 Central Business District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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