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City report · California, United States

San Diego Air quality today

Air quality in San Diego currently reads AQI 23 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Air quality right now

AQI 23

Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5
PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
4.1
tree cover
7.0%
trees in this area
15.1K
more trees needed
49.6K

Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Downtown San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 14, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.

San Diego · AQI 23 (Good)

Dark green marks tree cover detected inside the study radius.Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search, captured Sep 14, 2026

San Diego's tree count comes to 15,086 trees across 3.3 sq mi (8.62 km²) of land, 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 49,568 more trees would close the gap.

Air quality detail

Air quality in San Diego today: AQI 23, Good

Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.

Ground station · San Diego - Sherman, 1.4 mi (2.2 km) away

Health signal

Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

PM2.5

4.1

PM10

14.0

NO₂

—

O₃

31.4

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 San Diego's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 50 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 5.

Last 7 days · model estimateavg 59 · peak 78
Nov 4: AQI 50 (peak 61)Nov 5: AQI 65 (peak 78)Nov 6: AQI 61 (peak 78)Nov 7: AQI 52 (peak 64)Nov 8: AQI 56 (peak 70)Nov 9: AQI 59 (peak 70)Nov 10: AQI 70 (peak 71)
Nov 4Nov 10

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

Tree cover detail

Tree cover in San Diego: Critically low

7.0% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 3.3 sq mi (8.62 km²) of land.

23 points below target

Trees in this area

15,086

Target trees

64,654

More trees needed

49,568

CO₂ if planted / yr

1,090 t

Deforestation · 2001–2025

How much forest has San Diego lost?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of San Diego has lost about 44 acres (18 hectares) of forest (about 33 football fields): 5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.

Satellite image of the area around San Diego, September 2017

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

Forest lost since 2001
44 acres (18 ha)about 33 football fields
Share of its forest
5%of what there was in 2000
Cleared for good
39 acres (16 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns

The worst year was 2017, when about 20 acres (8 hectares) of forest were lost.

Forest lost each year around San Diego, 2001–2025

Acres of forest lost each year

Forest lost each year around San Diego, 2001–2025. Use the left and right arrow keys to read each year.20

Show the figures as a table
Forest lost each year around San Diego, 2001–2025
YearCleared for goodCan grow backTotal
2001under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2002under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2003under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2004under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2005under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2006under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2007under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2008under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2009under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2010under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2011under 1 haunder 1 haunder 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
20163 acres (1 ha)under 1 ha3 acres (1 ha)
201720 acres (8 ha)under 1 ha20 acres (8 ha)
20187 acres (3 ha)under 1 ha7 acres (3 ha)
2019under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2020under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2021under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2022under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
2023under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha
20245 acres (2 ha)under 1 ha5 acres (2 ha)
2025under 1 haunder 1 haunder 1 ha

What is causing deforestation around San Diego?

  • Towns and roadscleared for good90% · 39 acres (16 ha)
  • Unknown causescause unknown9.6% · 4 acres (2 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
5,250 acres (2,130 ha)
Forest in 2020
5,480 acres (2,220 ha)
Overall change
+225 acres (91 ha)more forest than in 2000

Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around San Diego grew from about 5,250 acres (2,130 hectares) to 5,480 acres (2,220 hectares), a net gain of about 225 acres (91 hectares) (+4.3%). New forest grew on about 255 acres (103 hectares), while 30 acres (12 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 San Diego

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

  • El Cajon

    United States

    20.9 km
    Tree cover
    4%
    Air quality
    21
  • Tijuana

    Mexico

    28.1 km
    Tree cover
    5%
    Air quality
    62
  • Rosarito

    Mexico

    41.0 km
    Tree cover
    2%
    Air quality
    62
  • Escondido

    United States

    45.5 km
    Tree cover
    9%
    Air quality
    20
  • Vista

    United States

    54.3 km
    Tree cover
    14%
    Air quality
    39
  • Oceanside

    United States

    57.0 km
    Tree cover
    10%
    Air quality
    51

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

Questions about San Diego

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

The latest reading for San Diego shows an AQI of 23 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the San Diego - Sherman ground monitoring station, 1.4 mi (2.2 km) away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.

Is it safe to exercise outside in San Diego today?

At AQI 23 (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 San Diego been like this week?

Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put San Diego's daily AQI at 59 on average, from 50 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 78 on Nov 5. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.

How much forest has the area around San Diego lost since 2001?

Since 2001, the area within 10 km of San Diego has lost about 44 acres (18 hectares) of forest (about 33 football fields): 5% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (90%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around San Diego grew from about 5,250 acres (2,130 hectares) to 5,480 acres (2,220 hectares), a net gain of about 225 acres (91 hectares) (+4.3%). New forest grew on about 255 acres (103 hectares), while 30 acres (12 hectares) were lost.

What is the tree count in San Diego?

San Diego has an estimated 15,086 trees across the 3.3 sq mi (8.62 km²) of land measured — 7.0% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.

How many more trees does San Diego need?

San Diego needs roughly 49,568 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,090 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.

How are San Diego's air quality and tree cover measured?

Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Downtown San Diego, 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 San Diego; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.

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