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City report · California, United States

Pasadena Air quality today

Air quality in Pasadena currently reads AQI 26 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 26

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.7
tree cover
25.8%
trees in this area
81.1K
more trees needed
13.2K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Pasadena, CA, 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.

Pasadena · AQI 26 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 14, 2026

Pasadena's tree count comes to 81,053 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 13,195 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Pasadena today: AQI 26, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · Del Mar and Euclid, 0.5 mi (800 m) away · median of 16 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.7

PM10

—

NO₂

33.9

O₃

45.1

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, Clarity, William, BirdNest

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 Pasadena's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 50 · peak 79
Nov 4: AQI 63 (peak 79)Nov 5: AQI 54 (peak 69)Nov 6: AQI 42 (peak 63)Nov 7: AQI 44 (peak 57)Nov 8: AQI 43 (peak 65)Nov 9: AQI 49 (peak 65)Nov 10: AQI 53 (peak 62)
Nov 4Nov 10

Where Pasadena stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Pasadena: Below target

25.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

4 points below target

Trees in this area

81,053

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

13,195

CO₂ if planted / yr

290.3 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Pasadena lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pasadena has lost about 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares) of forest (about 3,900 football fields): 66% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 89 acres (36 hectares) (1.7%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.

Satellite image of the area around Pasadena, June 2017

2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km northeast of the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
5,200 acres (2,100 ha)about 3,900 football fields
Share of its forest
66%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
89 acres (36 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

Forest loss is speeding up: about 651 acres (264 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from under 1 hectare a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 3,260 acres (1,320 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Pasadena, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Pasadena, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.3.26K

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Pasadena, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
20023 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
20035 acres (2 ha)3 acres (1 ha)7 acres (3 ha)
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20054 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
20065 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
20073 acres (1 ha)3 acres (1 ha)6 acres (3 ha)
2008under 1 ha53 acres (21 ha)54 acres (22 ha)
20094 acres (2 ha)1,820 acres (737 ha)1,820 acres (738 ha)
20106 acres (2 ha)14 acres (6 ha)20 acres (8 ha)
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2012under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2013under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2014under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2015under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2016under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2017under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2018under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2019under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2024under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
202551 acres (21 ha)3,210 acres (1,300 ha)3,260 acres (1,320 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Pasadena?

  • Wildfirescan grow back55% · 2,870 acres (1,160 ha)
  • Towns and roadscleared for good1.7% · 89 acres (36 ha)
  • Unknown causescause unknown43% · 2,240 acres (905 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
24,700 acres (9,990 ha)
Forest in 2020
24,700 acres (10,000 ha)
Overall change
+32 acres (13 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pasadena stayed about the same size, at about 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 299 acres (121 hectares), and about 269 acres (109 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 Pasadena

Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.

  • El Monte

    United States

    13.9 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    33
  • Los Angeles

    United States

    14.0 km
    Tree cover
    5%
    Air quality
    39
  • Burbank

    United States

    15.6 km
    Tree cover
    15%
    Air quality
    34
  • Hollywood

    United States

    17.7 km
    Tree cover
    17%
    Air quality
    37
  • West Covina

    United States

    20.9 km
    Tree cover
    12%
    Air quality
    17
  • Downey

    United States

    23.1 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    55

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Pasadena air quality (AQI) and tree cover — measured by Airleaf
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Frequently asked

Questions about Pasadena

What is the air quality (AQI) in Pasadena right now?

The latest reading for Pasadena shows an AQI of 26 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by 16 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Del Mar and Euclid, 0.5 mi (800 m) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Pasadena today?

At AQI 26 (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 Pasadena been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Pasadena's daily AQI at 50 on average, from 42 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 79 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around Pasadena lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Pasadena has lost about 5,200 acres (2,100 hectares) of forest (about 3,900 football fields): 66% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 89 acres (36 hectares) (1.7%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is speeding up: about 651 acres (264 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from under 1 hectare a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Pasadena stayed about the same size, at about 24,700 acres (10,000 hectares): new forest grew on about 299 acres (121 hectares), and about 269 acres (109 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Pasadena?

Pasadena has an estimated 81,053 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 25.8% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Pasadena need?

Pasadena needs roughly 13,195 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 290.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are Pasadena's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Pasadena, 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 Pasadena; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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