City report · California, United States
Santa Maria Air quality today
Air quality in Santa Maria currently reads AQI 53 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 53
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 10.0
- tree cover
- 7.2%
- trees in this area
- 22.6K
- more trees needed
- 71.6K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Santa Maria, CA, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 7, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Santa Maria · AQI 53 (Moderate)
Santa Maria's tree count comes to 22,619 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 23 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 71,628 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Santa Maria today: AQI 53, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 07:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Santa Maria, 4.3 mi (6.9 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
10.0
PM10
24.0
NO₂
—
O₃
17.7
SO₂
—
CO
—
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 Santa Maria's daily AQI at 36 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 6.
Where Santa Maria stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Santa Maria: Critically low
7.2% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
22,619
Target trees
94,247
More trees needed
71,628
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,576 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Santa Maria lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Maria has lost about 94 acres (38 hectares) of forest (about 71 football fields): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations.
2017: satellite photo from June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 94 acres (38 ha)about 71 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 10%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 87 acres (35 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2016, when about 19 acres (8 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 | 6 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | 5 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2007 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2008 | 7 acres (3 ha) | under 1 ha | 7 acres (3 ha) |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | 2 acres (1 ha) |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | 4 acres (2 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 19 acres (8 ha) |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 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 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 14 acres (6 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 Maria?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good80% · 76 acres (31 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good13% · 12 acres (5 ha)
- Wildfirescan grow back1% · under 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
- 1,390 acres (564 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 2,000 acres (810 ha)
- Overall change
- +608 acres (246 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Maria grew from about 1,390 acres (564 hectares) to 2,000 acres (810 hectares), a net gain of about 608 acres (246 hectares) (+44%). New forest grew on about 672 acres (272 hectares), while 64 acres (26 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 Maria
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Bakersfield137.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 82
- Oxnard142.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 5%
- Air quality
- 23
- Simi Valley169.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 17
- Thousand Oaks170.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 39
- Valencia176.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 11%
- Air quality
- 13
- Santa Clarita184.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 22%
- Air quality
- 13
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Frequently asked
Questions about Santa Maria
What is the air quality (AQI) in Santa Maria right now?
The latest reading for Santa Maria shows an AQI of 53 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 07:00 local time by the Santa Maria ground monitoring station, 4.3 mi (6.9 km) 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 Santa Maria today?
At AQI 53 (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 Santa Maria been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Santa Maria's daily AQI at 36 on average, from 30 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 53 on Nov 6. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Santa Maria lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Santa Maria has lost about 94 acres (38 hectares) of forest (about 71 football fields): 10% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (92%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for farms, pasture and plantations. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Santa Maria grew from about 1,390 acres (564 hectares) to 2,000 acres (810 hectares), a net gain of about 608 acres (246 hectares) (+44%). New forest grew on about 672 acres (272 hectares), while 64 acres (26 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Santa Maria?
Santa Maria has an estimated 22,619 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 7.2% tree cover, 23 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Santa Maria need?
Santa Maria needs roughly 71,628 more trees to close a 23-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,576 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Santa Maria's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Santa Maria, 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 Santa Maria; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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