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Air quality now: AQI26Good, Queens

City report · New York, United States

Queens Air quality today

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

AQI 26

Air quality right now

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.7
tree cover
12.4%
trees in this area
39.0K
more trees needed
55.3K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around South Ozone Park, Queens, NY, 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.

Queens · AQI 26 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Aug 29, 2026

Queens's tree count comes to 38,956 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 18 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 55,292 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in Queens today: AQI 26, Good

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

Ground station · Queens Near-road, 4.1 mi (6.6 km) away · median of 3 stations

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.7

PM10

—

NO₂

—

O₃

—

SO₂

—

CO

—

Data: OpenAQ · AirNow

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 Queens's daily AQI at 46 on average, from 28 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 107 on Nov 6.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 46 · peak 107
Nov 4: AQI 58 (peak 65)Nov 5: AQI 53 (peak 57)Nov 6: AQI 58 (peak 107)Nov 7: AQI 50 (peak 83)Nov 8: AQI 28 (peak 51)Nov 9: AQI 36 (peak 52)Nov 10: AQI 39 (peak 44)
Nov 4Nov 10

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in Queens: Critically low

12.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).

18 points below target

Trees in this area

38,956

Target trees

94,248

More trees needed

55,292

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,216 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has Queens lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Queens has lost about 45 acres (18 hectares) of forest (about 34 football fields): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (53%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.

Satellite image of the area around Queens, July 2017

2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.

Forest lost since 2001
45 acres (18 ha)about 34 football fields
Share of its forest
1.2%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
24 acres (10 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2025, when about 7 acres (3 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around Queens, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around Queens, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.7.17

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around Queens, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20024 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20053 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha4 acres (2 ha)
2006under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20105 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
2011under 1 haunder 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
2012under 1 haunder 1 haunder 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 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 ha2 acres (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
2025under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)7 acres (3 ha)

What is causing deforestation around Queens?

  • Towns and roadscleared for good44% · 20 acres (8 ha)
  • Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.2% · 3 acres (1 ha)
  • Unknown causescause unknown48% · 22 acres (9 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
11,300 acres (4,580 ha)
Forest in 2020
11,600 acres (4,690 ha)
Overall change
+284 acres (115 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Queens grew from about 11,300 acres (4,580 hectares) to 11,600 acres (4,690 hectares), a net gain of about 284 acres (115 hectares) (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 479 acres (194 hectares), while 194 acres (79 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 Queens

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

  • New York

    United States

    14.7 km
    Tree cover
    15%
    Air quality
    71
  • Manhattan

    United States

    15.7 km
    Tree cover
    40%
    Air quality
    26
  • The Bronx

    United States

    18.9 km
    Tree cover
    30%
    Air quality
    28
  • Yonkers

    United States

    28.2 km
    Tree cover
    46%
    Air quality
    26
  • Staten Island

    United States

    28.8 km
    Tree cover
    43%
    Air quality
    19
  • Newark

    United States

    28.9 km
    Tree cover
    11%
    Air quality
    26

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

Questions about Queens

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

The latest reading for Queens shows an AQI of 26 (Good), measured Nov 11, 11:00 local time by 3 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Queens Near-road, 4.1 mi (6.6 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in Queens 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 Queens been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Queens's daily AQI at 46 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 Queens lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Queens has lost about 45 acres (18 hectares) of forest (about 34 football fields): 1.2% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (53%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Queens grew from about 11,300 acres (4,580 hectares) to 11,600 acres (4,690 hectares), a net gain of about 284 acres (115 hectares) (+2.5%). New forest grew on about 479 acres (194 hectares), while 194 acres (79 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in Queens?

Queens has an estimated 38,956 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 12.4% tree cover, 18 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does Queens need?

Queens needs roughly 55,292 more trees to close a 18-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,216 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

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

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

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