City report · California, United States
Santa Clarita Air quality today
Air quality in Santa Clarita currently reads AQI 16 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 16
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 2.4
- tree cover
- 22.4%
- trees in this area
- 70.4K
- more trees needed
- 23.9K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Newhall, Santa Clarita, 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.
Santa Clarita · AQI 16 (Good)
Santa Clarita's tree count comes to 70,372 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 8 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 23,876 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Santa Clarita today: AQI 16, Good
Main pollutant: NO₂ · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Santa Clarita, CA, 1.7 mi (2.7 km) away · median of 2 stations
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
2.4
PM10
—
NO₂
33.7
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: OpenAQ · AirGradient, AirNow, bdothadd
- 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 Santa Clarita's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 4.
Where Santa Clarita stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Santa Clarita: Below target
22.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
70,372
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
23,876
CO₂ if planted / yr
525.3 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Santa Clarita lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Clarita has lost about 7,770 acres (3,140 hectares) of forest (about 5,900 football fields): 67% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 71 acres (29 hectares) (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 7 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 7,770 acres (3,140 ha)about 5,900 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 67%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 71 acres (29 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Forest loss is slowing down: about 3 acres (1 hectare) a year in 2021–2025, down from 135 acres (55 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2004, when about 3,070 acres (1,240 hectares) of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
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) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2002 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 37 acres (15 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | 1,570 acres (635 ha) | 1,570 acres (636 ha) |
| 2004 | 24 acres (10 ha) | 3,050 acres (1,230 ha) | 3,070 acres (1,240 ha) |
| 2005 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2007 | 2 acres (1 ha) | 210 acres (85 ha) | 212 acres (86 ha) |
| 2008 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 1,970 acres (796 ha) | 1,970 acres (798 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | 49 acres (20 ha) | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 3 acres (1 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | 76 acres (31 ha) | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | 478 acres (193 ha) | 479 acres (194 ha) |
| 2017 | 2 acres (1 ha) | 81 acres (33 ha) | 84 acres (34 ha) |
| 2018 | 4 acres (2 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) | 21 acres (8 ha) |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | 62 acres (25 ha) | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 11 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 13 acres (5 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 Santa Clarita?
- Wildfirescan grow back99% · 7,690 acres (3,110 ha)
Also: towns and roads, mining and energy, farms, pasture and plantations, 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
- 21,200 acres (8,600 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 20,200 acres (8,160 ha)
- Overall change
- −1,080 acres (436 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Clarita shrank from about 21,200 acres (8,600 hectares) to 20,200 acres (8,160 hectares), a net loss of about 1,080 acres (436 hectares) (−5.1%). New forest grew on about 600 acres (243 hectares), but 1,680 acres (679 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 Santa Clarita
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Van Nuys24.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 19%
- Air quality
- 34
- Simi Valley25.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 17
- Burbank31.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 15%
- Air quality
- 34
- Thousand Oaks36.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 39
- Hollywood38.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 17%
- Air quality
- 37
- Palmdale44.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 4%
- Air quality
- 17
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Frequently asked
Questions about Santa Clarita
What is the air quality (AQI) in Santa Clarita right now?
The latest reading for Santa Clarita shows an AQI of 16 (Good), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by 2 ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ (the median of their readings; the nearest is Santa Clarita, CA, 1.7 mi (2.7 km) away). The main pollutant is NO₂. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Santa Clarita today?
At AQI 16 (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 Santa Clarita been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Santa Clarita's daily AQI at 37 on average, from 28 on Nov 7 to an hourly peak of 61 on Nov 4. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Santa Clarita lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Clarita has lost about 7,770 acres (3,140 hectares) of forest (about 5,900 football fields): 67% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 71 acres (29 hectares) (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Forest loss is slowing down: about 3 acres (1 hectare) a year in 2021–2025, down from 135 acres (55 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Clarita shrank from about 21,200 acres (8,600 hectares) to 20,200 acres (8,160 hectares), a net loss of about 1,080 acres (436 hectares) (−5.1%). New forest grew on about 600 acres (243 hectares), but 1,680 acres (679 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Santa Clarita?
Santa Clarita has an estimated 70,372 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 22.4% tree cover, 8 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Santa Clarita need?
Santa Clarita needs roughly 23,876 more trees to close a 8-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 525.3 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Santa Clarita's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Newhall, 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 Newhall; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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