City report · Illinois, United States
Rockford Air quality today
Air quality in Rockford currently reads AQI 79 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 79
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 24.0
- tree cover
- 39.8%
- trees in this area
- 120K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Rockford, IL, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 11, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Rockford · AQI 79 (Moderate)
Rockford's tree count comes to 119,784 trees across 4.6 sq mi (12.04 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Rockford today: AQI 79, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Rockford, Illinois, USA, 0.4 mi (600 m) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
24.0
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Air Now - US EPA
- 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 Rockford's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 9 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 11.
Where Rockford stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Rockford: Healthy tree cover
39.8% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.6 sq mi (12.04 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
119,784
Target trees
119,784
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Rockford lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rockford has lost about 76 acres (31 hectares) of forest (about 58 football fields): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (63%) 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
- 76 acres (31 ha)about 58 football fields
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 48 acres (20 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2024, when about 17 acres (7 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 | under 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 | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | 5 acres (2 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | 6 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2014 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2024 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Rockford?
- Towns and roadscleared for good41% · 31 acres (13 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good23% · 17 acres (7 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back3.6% · 3 acres (1 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
- 17,700 acres (7,160 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 19,100 acres (7,720 ha)
- Overall change
- +1,370 acres (553 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rockford grew from about 17,700 acres (7,160 hectares) to 19,100 acres (7,720 hectares), a net gain of about 1,370 acres (553 hectares) (+7.7%). New forest grew on about 1,640 acres (662 hectares), while 269 acres (109 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 Rockford
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Elgin71.9 km
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- 47%
- Air quality
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- Aurora85.5 km
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- Air quality
- 74
- Madison92.6 km
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- 31%
- Air quality
- 36
- Naperville95.0 km
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- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
- Kenosha110.1 km
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- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
- Joliet117.8 km
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- Tree cover
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- Air quality
- 70
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Frequently asked
Questions about Rockford
What is the air quality (AQI) in Rockford right now?
The latest reading for Rockford shows an AQI of 79 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the Rockford, Illinois, USA ground monitoring station, 0.4 mi (600 m) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Rockford today?
At AQI 79 (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 Rockford been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Rockford's daily AQI at 28 on average, from 9 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 72 on Nov 11. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Rockford lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Rockford has lost about 76 acres (31 hectares) of forest (about 58 football fields): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (63%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Rockford grew from about 17,700 acres (7,160 hectares) to 19,100 acres (7,720 hectares), a net gain of about 1,370 acres (553 hectares) (+7.7%). New forest grew on about 1,640 acres (662 hectares), while 269 acres (109 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Rockford?
Rockford has an estimated 119,784 trees across the 4.6 sq mi (12.04 km²) of land measured — 39.8% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Rockford need?
Rockford has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Rockford's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown, 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; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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