City report · South Carolina, United States
North Charleston Air quality today
Air quality in North Charleston currently reads AQI 74 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 74
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 21.4
- tree cover
- 36.2%
- trees in this area
- 105K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around North Charleston, SC, 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.
North Charleston · AQI 74 (Moderate)
North Charleston's tree count comes to 105,083 trees across 4.5 sq mi (11.61 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in North Charleston today: AQI 74, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · North Charleston F.S, 1.3 mi (2.1 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
21.4
PM10
43.0
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
4.2
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 North Charleston's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 70 on Nov 10.
Where North Charleston stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in North Charleston: Healthy tree cover
36.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.5 sq mi (11.61 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
105,083
Target trees
105,083
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has North Charleston lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of North Charleston has lost about 4,400 acres (1,780 hectares) of forest (about 3,300 football fields): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2018: satellite photo from August 2018 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4,400 acres (1,780 ha)about 3,300 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 19%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 3,820 acres (1,550 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 83 acres (34 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 211 acres (85 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2019, when about 383 acres (155 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 | 104 acres (42 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 107 acres (44 ha) |
| 2002 | 145 acres (59 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 150 acres (61 ha) |
| 2003 | 235 acres (95 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 240 acres (97 ha) |
| 2004 | 297 acres (120 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 304 acres (123 ha) |
| 2005 | 262 acres (106 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 267 acres (108 ha) |
| 2006 | 346 acres (140 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) | 363 acres (147 ha) |
| 2007 | 205 acres (83 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 212 acres (86 ha) |
| 2008 | 208 acres (84 ha) | under 1 ha | 210 acres (85 ha) |
| 2009 | 90 acres (36 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 94 acres (38 ha) |
| 2010 | 201 acres (82 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 216 acres (87 ha) |
| 2011 | 79 acres (32 ha) | 68 acres (27 ha) | 147 acres (59 ha) |
| 2012 | 109 acres (44 ha) | 12 acres (5 ha) | 121 acres (49 ha) |
| 2013 | 66 acres (27 ha) | 127 acres (51 ha) | 193 acres (78 ha) |
| 2014 | 154 acres (62 ha) | under 1 ha | 156 acres (63 ha) |
| 2015 | 145 acres (59 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 150 acres (61 ha) |
| 2016 | 185 acres (75 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 192 acres (78 ha) |
| 2017 | 172 acres (70 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 177 acres (72 ha) |
| 2018 | 126 acres (51 ha) | 73 acres (29 ha) | 198 acres (80 ha) |
| 2019 | 183 acres (74 ha) | 200 acres (81 ha) | 383 acres (155 ha) |
| 2020 | 104 acres (42 ha) | under 1 ha | 105 acres (43 ha) |
| 2021 | 75 acres (30 ha) | under 1 ha | 75 acres (30 ha) |
| 2022 | 147 acres (60 ha) | under 1 ha | 148 acres (60 ha) |
| 2023 | 56 acres (23 ha) | under 1 ha | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2024 | 41 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2025 | 87 acres (35 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 93 acres (38 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around North Charleston?
- Towns and roadscleared for good87% · 3,820 acres (1,550 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back11% · 472 acres (191 ha)
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back1.9% · 82 acres (33 ha)
Also: mining and energy, 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
- 23,200 acres (9,370 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 22,700 acres (9,190 ha)
- Overall change
- −445 acres (180 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around North Charleston stayed about the same size, at about 22,700 acres (9,190 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,590 acres (642 hectares), and about 2,030 acres (822 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 North Charleston
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Savannah136.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 87
- Columbia161.0 km
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- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 63
- Wilmington242.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 96
- Fayetteville264.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 18
- Charlotte275.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 51
- Jacksonville322.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 67
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Frequently asked
Questions about North Charleston
What is the air quality (AQI) in North Charleston right now?
The latest reading for North Charleston shows an AQI of 74 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is North Charleston F.S, 1.3 mi (2.1 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in North Charleston today?
At AQI 74 (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 North Charleston been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put North Charleston's daily AQI at 44 on average, from 31 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 70 on Nov 10. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around North Charleston lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of North Charleston has lost about 4,400 acres (1,780 hectares) of forest (about 3,300 football fields): 19% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Forest loss is slowing down: about 83 acres (34 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 211 acres (85 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around North Charleston stayed about the same size, at about 22,700 acres (9,190 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,590 acres (642 hectares), and about 2,030 acres (822 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in North Charleston?
North Charleston has an estimated 105,083 trees across the 4.5 sq mi (11.61 km²) of land measured — 36.2% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does North Charleston need?
North Charleston has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are North Charleston's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near North Charleston, 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 North Charleston; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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