City report · Virginia, United States
Roanoke Air quality today
Air quality in Roanoke currently reads AQI 29 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 29
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 5.2
- tree cover
- 33.9%
- trees in this area
- 107K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown Roanoke, Roanoke, VA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 4, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Roanoke · AQI 29 (Good)
Roanoke's tree count comes to 106,500 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Roanoke today: AQI 29, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 10:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Salem, 7.9 mi (12.7 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
5.2
PM10
—
NO₂
29.9
O₃
33.4
SO₂
1.6
CO
229.1
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 Roanoke's daily AQI at 17 on average, from 8 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 39 on Nov 7.
Where Roanoke stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Roanoke: Healthy tree cover
33.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
106,500
Target trees
106,500
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Roanoke lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Roanoke has lost about 1,770 acres (717 hectares) of forest (about 1,300 football fields): 4.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,770 acres (717 ha)about 1,300 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.9%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,060 acres (428 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2008, when about 189 acres (76 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 | 35 acres (14 ha) | 87 acres (35 ha) | 122 acres (50 ha) |
| 2002 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 34 acres (14 ha) | 71 acres (29 ha) |
| 2003 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2004 | 102 acres (41 ha) | 53 acres (21 ha) | 155 acres (63 ha) |
| 2005 | 52 acres (21 ha) | 47 acres (19 ha) | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| 2006 | 45 acres (18 ha) | 26 acres (11 ha) | 71 acres (29 ha) |
| 2007 | 98 acres (40 ha) | 50 acres (20 ha) | 148 acres (60 ha) |
| 2008 | 156 acres (63 ha) | 32 acres (13 ha) | 189 acres (76 ha) |
| 2009 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 79 acres (32 ha) | 98 acres (40 ha) |
| 2010 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2011 | 74 acres (30 ha) | 44 acres (18 ha) | 118 acres (48 ha) |
| 2012 | 11 acres (4 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2013 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2014 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) | 57 acres (23 ha) |
| 2015 | 13 acres (5 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) | 68 acres (27 ha) |
| 2016 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) | 47 acres (19 ha) |
| 2017 | 43 acres (18 ha) | 31 acres (13 ha) | 74 acres (30 ha) |
| 2018 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2019 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2020 | 26 acres (10 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 28 acres (11 ha) |
| 2021 | 58 acres (24 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 65 acres (26 ha) |
| 2022 | 25 acres (10 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2023 | 23 acres (9 ha) | 16 acres (6 ha) | 39 acres (16 ha) |
| 2024 | 80 acres (32 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 83 acres (34 ha) |
| 2025 | 39 acres (16 ha) | 36 acres (15 ha) | 75 acres (30 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Roanoke?
- Towns and roadscleared for good52% · 929 acres (376 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back38% · 667 acres (270 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good7.2% · 128 acres (52 ha)
Also: 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
- 42,600 acres (17,200 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 43,500 acres (17,600 ha)
- Overall change
- +937 acres (379 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Roanoke grew from about 42,600 acres (17,200 hectares) to 43,500 acres (17,600 hectares), a net gain of about 937 acres (379 hectares) (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 1,800 acres (728 hectares), while 865 acres (350 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 Roanoke
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Winston-Salem133.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 37%
- Air quality
- 34
- Greensboro133.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- High Point146.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 18
- Durham169.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 49%
- Air quality
- 26
- Cary194.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 70%
- Air quality
- 22
- Raleigh203.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 41%
- Air quality
- 38
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Frequently asked
Questions about Roanoke
What is the air quality (AQI) in Roanoke right now?
The latest reading for Roanoke shows an AQI of 29 (Good), measured Nov 11, 10:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Salem, 7.9 mi (12.7 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Roanoke today?
At AQI 29 (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 Roanoke been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Roanoke's daily AQI at 17 on average, from 8 on Nov 9 to an hourly peak of 39 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Roanoke lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Roanoke has lost about 1,770 acres (717 hectares) of forest (about 1,300 football fields): 4.9% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (60%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Roanoke grew from about 42,600 acres (17,200 hectares) to 43,500 acres (17,600 hectares), a net gain of about 937 acres (379 hectares) (+2.2%). New forest grew on about 1,800 acres (728 hectares), while 865 acres (350 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Roanoke?
Roanoke has an estimated 106,500 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 33.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Roanoke need?
Roanoke has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Roanoke's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown Roanoke, 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 Downtown Roanoke; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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