City report · Pennsylvania, United States
Philadelphia Air quality today
Air quality in Philadelphia currently reads AQI 64 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 64
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 16.2
- tree cover
- 11.8%
- trees in this area
- 36.3K
- more trees needed
- 55.9K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Center City West, Philadelphia, PA, 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.
Philadelphia · AQI 64 (Moderate)
Philadelphia's tree count comes to 36,255 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.29 km²) of land, 18 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 55,919 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Philadelphia today: AQI 64, 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 · FAB, 1.2 mi (2 km) away · median of 5 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
16.2
PM10
53.0
NO₂
50.4
O₃
5.9
SO₂
4.5
CO
1374.7
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 Philadelphia's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 77 on Nov 6.
Where Philadelphia stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Philadelphia: Critically low
11.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.29 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
36,255
Target trees
92,174
More trees needed
55,919
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,230 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Philadelphia lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Philadelphia has lost about 226 acres (92 hectares) of forest (about 170 football fields): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 226 acres (92 ha)about 170 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.7%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 204 acres (83 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2022, when about 38 acres (16 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2005 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2009 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2010 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2012 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 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 | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2017 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2018 | 35 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 36 acres (14 ha) |
| 2019 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2020 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 38 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (16 ha) |
| 2023 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2024 | 23 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Philadelphia?
- Towns and roadscleared for good90% · 204 acres (83 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown9.4% · 21 acres (9 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 17,200 acres (6,950 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 17,500 acres (7,100 ha)
- Overall change
- +383 acres (155 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Philadelphia grew from about 17,200 acres (6,950 hectares) to 17,500 acres (7,100 hectares), a net gain of about 383 acres (155 hectares) (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 615 acres (249 hectares), while 234 acres (95 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 Philadelphia
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Allentown78.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 17
- Edison89.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 39%
- Air quality
- 18
- Staten Island110.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 43%
- Air quality
- 54
- Elizabeth113.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 31
- Newark121.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 56
- Brooklyn128.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 33
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Frequently asked
Questions about Philadelphia
What is the air quality (AQI) in Philadelphia right now?
The latest reading for Philadelphia shows an AQI of 64 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by 5 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is FAB, 1.2 mi (2 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Philadelphia today?
At AQI 64 (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 Philadelphia been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Philadelphia's daily AQI at 38 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 77 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 Philadelphia lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Philadelphia has lost about 226 acres (92 hectares) of forest (about 170 football fields): 2.7% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Philadelphia grew from about 17,200 acres (6,950 hectares) to 17,500 acres (7,100 hectares), a net gain of about 383 acres (155 hectares) (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 615 acres (249 hectares), while 234 acres (95 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has an estimated 36,255 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.29 km²) of land measured — 11.8% tree cover, 18 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Philadelphia need?
Philadelphia needs roughly 55,919 more trees to close a 18-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,230 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Philadelphia's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Center City West, 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 Center City West; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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