City report · Puerto Rico
Ponce Air quality today
Air quality in Ponce currently reads AQI 63 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 63
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 17.6
- tree cover
- 26.5%
- trees in this area
- 83.3K
- more trees needed
- 11.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Primero, Ponce, Puerto Rico (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Ponce · AQI 63 (Moderate)
Ponce's tree count comes to 83,252 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 3 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 10,996 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Ponce today: AQI 63, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 4 ground-station cities within 85 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 4 station cities within 52.8 mi (85 km), e.g. Bayamón and Caguas
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
17.6
PM10
6.1
NO₂
0.5
O₃
38.0
SO₂
0.5
CO
112.0
- 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 Ponce's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 10 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 59 on Nov 5.
Where Ponce stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Ponce: Below target
26.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
83,252
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
10,996
CO₂ if planted / yr
241.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Ponce lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ponce has lost about 2,420 acres (978 hectares) of forest (about 1,800 football fields): 8.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from January 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 2,420 acres (978 ha)about 1,800 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 8.3%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,810 acres (733 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 24 acres (10 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 147 acres (60 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2017, when about 472 acres (191 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 | 107 acres (43 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 113 acres (46 ha) |
| 2002 | 139 acres (56 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 158 acres (64 ha) |
| 2003 | 27 acres (11 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2004 | 103 acres (42 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 110 acres (45 ha) |
| 2005 | 105 acres (42 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 112 acres (45 ha) |
| 2006 | 86 acres (35 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 101 acres (41 ha) |
| 2007 | 102 acres (41 ha) | 9 acres (4 ha) | 111 acres (45 ha) |
| 2008 | 112 acres (45 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) | 152 acres (61 ha) |
| 2009 | 49 acres (20 ha) | 11 acres (5 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2010 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2011 | 40 acres (16 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| 2012 | 32 acres (13 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 36 acres (14 ha) |
| 2013 | 126 acres (51 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 131 acres (53 ha) |
| 2014 | 34 acres (14 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| 2015 | 246 acres (100 ha) | 90 acres (36 ha) | 336 acres (136 ha) |
| 2016 | 28 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2017 | 126 acres (51 ha) | 346 acres (140 ha) | 472 acres (191 ha) |
| 2018 | 21 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2019 | 121 acres (49 ha) | under 1 ha | 122 acres (49 ha) |
| 2020 | 88 acres (36 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 91 acres (37 ha) |
| 2021 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2022 | 47 acres (19 ha) | under 1 ha | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| 2023 | 22 acres (9 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2024 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2025 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Ponce?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good31% · 756 acres (306 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good29% · 704 acres (285 ha)
- Mining and energycleared for good15% · 353 acres (143 ha)
Also: storms, floods and other natural causes, shifting farming, logging, 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
- 28,000 acres (11,300 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 28,000 acres (11,300 ha)
- Overall change
- −27 acres (11 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ponce stayed about the same size, at about 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 833 acres (337 hectares), and about 860 acres (348 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 Ponce
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
Build your own
Compare Ponce with anywhere
This place
Ponce
Use this data
Put Ponce's numbers on your site
Free to embed. Updates itself as the measurement refreshes.
Frequently asked
Questions about Ponce
What is the air quality (AQI) in Ponce right now?
The latest reading for Ponce shows an AQI of 63 (Moderate), observed Nov 10, 09:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 4 ground-station cities within 85 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Ponce today?
At AQI 63 (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 Ponce been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Ponce's daily AQI at 27 on average, from 10 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 59 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Ponce lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Ponce has lost about 2,420 acres (978 hectares) of forest (about 1,800 football fields): 8.3% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (75%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Forest loss is slowing down: about 24 acres (10 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, down from 147 acres (60 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Ponce stayed about the same size, at about 28,000 acres (11,300 hectares): new forest grew on about 833 acres (337 hectares), and about 860 acres (348 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Ponce?
Ponce has an estimated 83,252 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 26.5% tree cover, 3 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Ponce need?
Ponce needs roughly 10,996 more trees to close a 3-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 241.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Ponce's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Primero; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
See your own area
What does your neighborhood look like?
Pick any point and radius to get the same air-quality and tree-cover breakdown.
Check my address