City report · Indiana, United States
South Bend Air quality today
Air quality in South Bend currently reads AQI 34 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 34
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 7.9
- tree cover
- 37.9%
- trees in this area
- 118K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Near Northwest, South Bend, IN, 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.
South Bend · AQI 34 (Good)
South Bend's tree count comes to 117,757 trees across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land, already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in South Bend today: AQI 34, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 165 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 6 station cities within 102.5 mi (165 km), e.g. Fort Wayne and Chicago
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
7.9
PM10
8.0
NO₂
34.6
O₃
16.0
SO₂
2.2
CO
285.0
- 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 South Bend's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 51 on Nov 4.
Where South Bend stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in South Bend: Healthy tree cover
37.9% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land.
Trees in this area
117,757
Target trees
117,757
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has South Bend lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of South Bend has lost about 646 acres (262 hectares) of forest (about 490 football fields): 3.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 646 acres (262 ha)about 490 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 3.1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 585 acres (237 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2017, when about 48 acres (20 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 | 18 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2002 | 21 acres (9 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| 2003 | 12 acres (5 ha) | 2 acres (1 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) |
| 2004 | 27 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2005 | 43 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 45 acres (18 ha) |
| 2006 | 41 acres (17 ha) | under 1 ha | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2007 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2008 | 26 acres (10 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2009 | 20 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2010 | 22 acres (9 ha) | under 1 ha | 24 acres (10 ha) |
| 2011 | 13 acres (5 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2012 | 31 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2013 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2014 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2015 | 3 acres (1 ha) | under 1 ha | 4 acres (2 ha) |
| 2016 | 19 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 20 acres (8 ha) |
| 2017 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 48 acres (20 ha) |
| 2018 | 27 acres (11 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 33 acres (13 ha) |
| 2019 | 36 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 37 acres (15 ha) |
| 2020 | 14 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 16 acres (6 ha) |
| 2021 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 17 acres (7 ha) |
| 2022 | 18 acres (7 ha) | 10 acres (4 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2023 | 34 acres (14 ha) | under 1 ha | 34 acres (14 ha) |
| 2024 | 17 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2025 | 10 acres (4 ha) | 7 acres (3 ha) | 17 acres (7 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around South Bend?
- Towns and roadscleared for good88% · 566 acres (229 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good3.1% · 20 acres (8 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back2.6% · 17 acres (7 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
- 29,000 acres (11,700 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 29,600 acres (12,000 ha)
- Overall change
- +623 acres (252 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around South Bend grew from about 29,000 acres (11,700 hectares) to 29,600 acres (12,000 hectares), a net gain of about 623 acres (252 hectares) (+2.1%). New forest grew on about 1,740 acres (706 hectares), while 1,120 acres (454 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 South Bend
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Fort Wayne111.9 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 91
- Chicago117.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 8%
- Air quality
- 113
- Grand Rapids150.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 72
- Joliet153.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 36%
- Air quality
- 70
- Naperville157.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 51%
- Air quality
- 74
- Kenosha163.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 25%
- Air quality
- 61
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Frequently asked
Questions about South Bend
What is the air quality (AQI) in South Bend right now?
The latest reading for South Bend shows an AQI of 34 (Good), observed Nov 10, 19:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 6 ground-station cities within 165 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in South Bend today?
At AQI 34 (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 South Bend been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put South Bend's daily AQI at 21 on average, from 7 on Nov 6 to an hourly peak of 51 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 South Bend lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of South Bend has lost about 646 acres (262 hectares) of forest (about 490 football fields): 3.1% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (91%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around South Bend grew from about 29,000 acres (11,700 hectares) to 29,600 acres (12,000 hectares), a net gain of about 623 acres (252 hectares) (+2.1%). New forest grew on about 1,740 acres (706 hectares), while 1,120 acres (454 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in South Bend?
South Bend has an estimated 117,757 trees across the 4.8 sq mi (12.43 km²) of land measured — 37.9% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does South Bend need?
South Bend has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are South Bend's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality comes from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where one reports nearby, and otherwise, as here, from the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, which may differ from street-level monitors. 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 Near Northwest; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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