City report · New Jersey, United States
Newark Air quality today
Air quality in Newark currently reads AQI 56 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 56
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 3.7
- tree cover
- 10.8%
- trees in this area
- 32.5K
- more trees needed
- 57.8K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Central Business District, Newark, NJ 07102, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 29, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Newark · AQI 56 (Moderate)
Newark's tree count comes to 32,538 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.05 km²) of land, 19 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 57,846 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Newark today: AQI 56, Moderate
Main pollutant: NO₂ · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Newark Chestnut, 0.6 mi (900 m) away · median of 3 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
3.7
PM10
—
NO₂
112.0
O₃
15.7
SO₂
7.9
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 Newark's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 107 on Nov 6.
Where Newark stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Newark: Critically low
10.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.05 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
32,538
Target trees
90,384
More trees needed
57,846
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,273 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Newark lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newark has lost about 123 acres (50 hectares) of forest (about 93 football fields): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 123 acres (50 ha)about 93 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 1.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 98 acres (40 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 14 acres (6 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 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2002 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (5 ha) |
| 2005 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2006 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2007 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2008 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2009 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2010 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2016 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2017 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2018 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2019 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2024 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Newark?
- Towns and roadscleared for good75% · 93 acres (38 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good4.2% · 5 acres (2 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown20% · 25 acres (10 ha)
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
- 22,800 acres (9,220 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 23,000 acres (9,300 ha)
- Overall change
- +198 acres (80 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newark stayed about the same size, at about 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 512 acres (207 hectares), and about 314 acres (127 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 Newark
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- New York14.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 76
- Manhattan18.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 40%
- Air quality
- 33
- Staten Island19.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 54
- Paterson20.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 29
- Brooklyn21.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 33
- The Bronx28.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 26
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Frequently asked
Questions about Newark
What is the air quality (AQI) in Newark right now?
The latest reading for Newark shows an AQI of 56 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Newark Chestnut, 0.6 mi (900 m) away). The main pollutant is NO₂. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Newark today?
At AQI 56 (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 Newark been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Newark's daily AQI at 47 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 107 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 Newark lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Newark has lost about 123 acres (50 hectares) of forest (about 93 football fields): 1.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (80%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Newark stayed about the same size, at about 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 512 acres (207 hectares), and about 314 acres (127 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Newark?
Newark has an estimated 32,538 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.05 km²) of land measured — 10.8% tree cover, 19 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Newark need?
Newark needs roughly 57,846 more trees to close a 19-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,273 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Newark'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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