United States · Arizona · 9 places
Air quality in Arizona today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Tucson has the cleanest air of the 8 Arizona cities we track (AQI 13, Good), and Surprise the worst (AQI 82, Moderate). Tucson has the most tree cover, at 12.8% — #211 of 278 large US cities.
Every place is measured the same way, over the same 1.2 mi (2 km) around its center: the air quality right now, from ground stations where there are any, and its tree cover.
Average right now
AQI 44
Good
- places tracked
- 9
- average tree cover
- 6.2%
- US cities: 25.1%
- worst air now: Surprise
- 82
- cleanest air now: Tucson
- 13
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
Arizona · average AQI 44
Air quality today across Arizona, city by city
| Phoenix | 67Moderate | 2.5% | 86.4K | #272 of 278 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson | 13Good | 12.8% | 54.0K | #211 of 278 |
| Mesa | 36Good | 9.8% | 63.5K | #237 of 278 |
| Chandler | 23Good | 5.8% | 76.0K | #259 of 278 |
| Glendale | 67Moderate | 5.2% | 77.9K | #265 of 278 |
| Scottsdale | 36Good | 7.6% | 70.3K | #250 of 278 |
| Tempe | 26Good | 4.0% | 81.7K | #271 of 278 |
| Deer Valley | 53Moderate | 2.1% | 87.7K | — |
| Surprise | 82Moderate | 1.9% | 88.3K | #275 of 278 |
Air quality is the US AQI from ground monitoring stations via OpenAQ where available, otherwise the Open-Meteo / CAMS model, refreshed hourly. Tree cover is measured within 1.2 mi (2 km) of each city center from Sentinel-2 imagery. The US greenness rank covers cities of 100,000+ people; see the full ranking.
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Arizona lost?
Since 2001, Arizona has lost about 756,000 acres (306,000 hectares) of forest (about 3,100 km²): 16% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 1,680 acres (680 hectares) (under 1%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 756,000 acres (306,000 ha)about 3,100 km²
- Share of its forest
- 16%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,680 acres (680 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
Acres of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 124 acres (50 ha) | 3,370 acres (1,360 ha) | 3,500 acres (1,420 ha) |
| 2002 | 126 acres (51 ha) | 136,000 acres (55,200 ha) | 137,000 acres (55,300 ha) |
| 2003 | 152 acres (62 ha) | 27,200 acres (11,000 ha) | 27,300 acres (11,100 ha) |
| 2004 | 117 acres (48 ha) | 35,900 acres (14,500 ha) | 36,000 acres (14,600 ha) |
| 2005 | 72 acres (29 ha) | 10,100 acres (4,100 ha) | 10,200 acres (4,130 ha) |
| 2006 | 122 acres (49 ha) | 25,600 acres (10,400 ha) | 25,700 acres (10,400 ha) |
| 2007 | 155 acres (63 ha) | 7,470 acres (3,020 ha) | 7,630 acres (3,090 ha) |
| 2008 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 11,600 acres (4,700 ha) | 11,700 acres (4,730 ha) |
| 2009 | 55 acres (22 ha) | 6,170 acres (2,500 ha) | 6,220 acres (2,520 ha) |
| 2010 | 114 acres (46 ha) | 16,600 acres (6,700 ha) | 16,700 acres (6,750 ha) |
| 2011 | 43 acres (17 ha) | 120,000 acres (48,500 ha) | 120,000 acres (48,500 ha) |
| 2012 | 21 acres (9 ha) | 13,200 acres (5,350 ha) | 13,200 acres (5,360 ha) |
| 2013 | 40 acres (16 ha) | 8,010 acres (3,240 ha) | 8,050 acres (3,260 ha) |
| 2014 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 11,900 acres (4,810 ha) | 12,000 acres (4,840 ha) |
| 2015 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 9,550 acres (3,870 ha) | 9,580 acres (3,880 ha) |
| 2016 | 7 acres (3 ha) | 25,900 acres (10,500 ha) | 25,900 acres (10,500 ha) |
| 2017 | 15 acres (6 ha) | 23,600 acres (9,560 ha) | 23,600 acres (9,570 ha) |
| 2018 | 51 acres (21 ha) | 10,000 acres (4,050 ha) | 10,000 acres (4,070 ha) |
| 2019 | 58 acres (23 ha) | 28,400 acres (11,500 ha) | 28,400 acres (11,500 ha) |
| 2020 | 21 acres (9 ha) | 47,200 acres (19,100 ha) | 47,200 acres (19,100 ha) |
| 2021 | 25 acres (10 ha) | 38,000 acres (15,400 ha) | 38,100 acres (15,400 ha) |
| 2022 | 41 acres (17 ha) | 14,400 acres (5,830 ha) | 14,500 acres (5,850 ha) |
| 2023 | 36 acres (15 ha) | 12,400 acres (5,000 ha) | 12,400 acres (5,020 ha) |
| 2024 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 16,100 acres (6,510 ha) | 16,100 acres (6,520 ha) |
| 2025 | 87 acres (35 ha) | 95,900 acres (38,800 ha) | 95,900 acres (38,800 ha) |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 35,400 acres (14,300 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 27,000 acres (10,900 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2002, when about 137,000 acres (55,300 hectares) of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
What is causing deforestation in Arizona?
- Wildfirescan grow back73% · 552,000 acres (224,000 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back17% · 129,000 acres (52,000 ha)
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back4.1% · 30,900 acres (12,500 ha)
Also: towns and roads, farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
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. How it's measured
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