City report · Minnesota, United States
Rochester Air quality today
Air quality in Rochester currently reads AQI 36 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 36
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.5
- tree cover
- 41.5%
- trees in this area
- 130K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Rochester, MN, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 8, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Rochester · AQI 36 (Good)
Rochester's tree count comes to 130,376 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 Rochester today: AQI 36, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Rochester, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) away
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.5
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 Rochester's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 7 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 on Nov 7.
Where Rochester stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Rochester: Healthy tree cover
41.5% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
130,376
Target trees
130,376
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rochester lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rochester has lost about 341 acres (138 hectares) of forest (about 260 football fields): 2.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from August 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 341 acres (138 ha)about 260 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.4%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 300 acres (121 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2018, when about 61 acres (25 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 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2002 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2003 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2004 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (7 ha) |
| 2005 | 42 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| 2006 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2007 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2012 | 22 acres (9 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2013 | 8 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 9 acres (4 ha) |
| 2014 | 14 acres (6 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2015 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 26 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2017 | 16 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2018 | 61 acres (25 ha) | under 1 ha | 61 acres (25 ha) |
| 2019 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2020 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2023 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2024 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 13 acres (5 ha) |
| 2025 | 9 acres (4 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 16 acres (6 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Rochester?
- Towns and roadscleared for good85% · 292 acres (118 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good2.6% · 9 acres (4 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back1.8% · 6 acres (3 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
- 18,200 acres (7,380 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 19,600 acres (7,950 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,410 acres (572 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rochester grew from about 18,200 acres (7,380 hectares) to 19,600 acres (7,950 hectares), a net gain of about 1,410 acres (572 hectares) (+7.8%). New forest grew on about 1,960 acres (794 hectares), while 546 acres (221 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 Rochester
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Saint Paul113.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 27%
- Air quality
- 25
- Minneapolis123.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 31
- Cedar Rapids233.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 42%
- Air quality
- 35
- Madison268.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 36
- Des Moines284.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 30
- Davenport317.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 29%
- Air quality
- 44
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Frequently asked
Questions about Rochester
What is the air quality (AQI) in Rochester right now?
The latest reading for Rochester shows an AQI of 36 (Good), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the Rochester ground monitoring station, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Rochester today?
At AQI 36 (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 Rochester been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Rochester's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 7 on Nov 5 to an hourly peak of 65 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 Rochester lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rochester has lost about 341 acres (138 hectares) of forest (about 260 football fields): 2.4% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (88%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rochester grew from about 18,200 acres (7,380 hectares) to 19,600 acres (7,950 hectares), a net gain of about 1,410 acres (572 hectares) (+7.8%). New forest grew on about 1,960 acres (794 hectares), while 546 acres (221 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Rochester?
Rochester has an estimated 130,376 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 41.5% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Rochester need?
Rochester has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Rochester's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Rochester, 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 Rochester; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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