City report · California, United States
Sacramento Air quality today
Air quality in Sacramento currently reads AQI 63 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 63
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 15.3
- tree cover
- 25.6%
- trees in this area
- 77.2K
- more trees needed
- 13.3K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown, Sacramento, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Sacramento · AQI 63 (Moderate)
Sacramento's tree count comes to 77,208 trees across 4.7 sq mi (12.07 km²) of land, 4 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 13,270 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Sacramento today: AQI 63, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 06:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Downtown Sacramento, 0.9 mi (1.5 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
15.3
PM10
18.0
NO₂
32.1
O₃
2.0
SO₂
—
CO
458.2
Data: OpenAQ · AirNow
- 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 Sacramento's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 41 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 105 on Nov 7.
Where Sacramento stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Sacramento: Below target
25.6% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.7 sq mi (12.07 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
77,208
Target trees
90,478
More trees needed
13,270
CO₂ if planted / yr
291.9 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Sacramento lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sacramento has lost about 213 acres (86 hectares) of forest (about 160 football fields): 9.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 213 acres (86 ha)about 160 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 9.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 194 acres (79 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2007, when about 33 acres (14 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 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 23 acres (9 ha) |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2003 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2004 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2005 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2007 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 33 acres (14 ha) |
| 2008 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 5 acres (2 ha) |
| 2009 | 11 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 12 acres (5 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (3 ha) |
| 2012 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2013 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2014 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 2 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2017 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2018 | 3 acres (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 | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2023 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Sacramento?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good73% · 155 acres (63 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good18% · 39 acres (16 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown9.2% · 20 acres (8 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
- 11,100 acres (4,490 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 11,800 acres (4,790 ha)
- Overall change
- +729 acres (295 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sacramento grew from about 11,100 acres (4,490 hectares) to 11,800 acres (4,790 hectares), a net gain of about 729 acres (295 hectares) (+6.6%). New forest grew on about 820 acres (332 hectares), while 91 acres (37 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 Sacramento
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Elk Grove22.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 21%
- Air quality
- 52
- Roseville26.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 23%
- Air quality
- 52
- Fairfield60.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 8
- Antioch69.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 8
- Stockton71.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 16%
- Air quality
- 60
- Concord81.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 8
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Frequently asked
Questions about Sacramento
What is the air quality (AQI) in Sacramento right now?
The latest reading for Sacramento shows an AQI of 63 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 06:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Downtown Sacramento, 0.9 mi (1.5 km) away). The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Sacramento 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 Sacramento been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Sacramento's daily AQI at 60 on average, from 41 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 105 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 Sacramento lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Sacramento has lost about 213 acres (86 hectares) of forest (about 160 football fields): 9.6% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Sacramento grew from about 11,100 acres (4,490 hectares) to 11,800 acres (4,790 hectares), a net gain of about 729 acres (295 hectares) (+6.6%). New forest grew on about 820 acres (332 hectares), while 91 acres (37 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Sacramento?
Sacramento has an estimated 77,208 trees across the 4.7 sq mi (12.07 km²) of land measured — 25.6% tree cover, 4 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Sacramento need?
Sacramento needs roughly 13,270 more trees to close a 4-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 291.9 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Sacramento'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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