United States · New Jersey · 4 places
Air quality in New Jersey today The AQI right now, city by city
Right now, Paterson has the cleanest air of the 3 New Jersey cities we track (AQI 28, Good), and Elizabeth the worst (AQI 46, Good). Paterson has the most tree cover, at 26.1% — #130 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 36
Good
- places tracked
- 4
- average tree cover
- 17.3%
- US cities: 25.1%
- worst air now: Elizabeth
- 46
- cleanest air now: Paterson
- 28
Lower is better on the US EPA index: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous. Measured by Airleaf, refreshed hourly.
New Jersey · average AQI 36
Air quality today across New Jersey, city by city
| Newark | 33Good | 10.8% | 57.8K | #227 of 278 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paterson | 28Good | 26.1% | 12.2K | #130 of 278 |
| Elizabeth | 46Good | 15.1% | 46.7K | #189 of 278 |
| Edison | 21Good | 38.9% | — | — |
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 New Jersey lost?
Since 2001, New Jersey has lost about 129,000 acres (52,100 hectares) of forest (about 97,000 football fields): 4.6% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was wildfires (38%), after which forest can grow back. About 50,300 acres (20,300 hectares) (39%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 129,000 acres (52,100 ha)about 97,000 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 4.6%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 50,300 acres (20,300 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 | 3,500 acres (1,420 ha) | 1,500 acres (608 ha) | 5,000 acres (2,020 ha) |
| 2002 | 2,960 acres (1,200 ha) | 1,180 acres (479 ha) | 4,140 acres (1,680 ha) |
| 2003 | 1,190 acres (482 ha) | 264 acres (107 ha) | 1,460 acres (589 ha) |
| 2004 | 4,380 acres (1,770 ha) | 941 acres (381 ha) | 5,330 acres (2,160 ha) |
| 2005 | 2,910 acres (1,180 ha) | 556 acres (225 ha) | 3,460 acres (1,400 ha) |
| 2006 | 3,030 acres (1,230 ha) | 892 acres (361 ha) | 3,930 acres (1,590 ha) |
| 2007 | 3,000 acres (1,220 ha) | 7,580 acres (3,070 ha) | 10,600 acres (4,280 ha) |
| 2008 | 1,950 acres (788 ha) | 855 acres (346 ha) | 2,800 acres (1,130 ha) |
| 2009 | 1,000 acres (406 ha) | 1,270 acres (515 ha) | 2,280 acres (921 ha) |
| 2010 | 1,560 acres (631 ha) | 1,990 acres (804 ha) | 3,550 acres (1,440 ha) |
| 2011 | 803 acres (325 ha) | 610 acres (247 ha) | 1,410 acres (572 ha) |
| 2012 | 1,590 acres (642 ha) | 1,860 acres (753 ha) | 3,450 acres (1,400 ha) |
| 2013 | 964 acres (390 ha) | 1,630 acres (660 ha) | 2,590 acres (1,050 ha) |
| 2014 | 1,250 acres (505 ha) | 2,900 acres (1,170 ha) | 4,150 acres (1,680 ha) |
| 2015 | 1,390 acres (561 ha) | 1,260 acres (510 ha) | 2,650 acres (1,070 ha) |
| 2016 | 1,820 acres (737 ha) | 3,280 acres (1,330 ha) | 5,100 acres (2,070 ha) |
| 2017 | 2,320 acres (940 ha) | 5,390 acres (2,180 ha) | 7,720 acres (3,120 ha) |
| 2018 | 1,680 acres (681 ha) | 1,250 acres (505 ha) | 2,930 acres (1,190 ha) |
| 2019 | 1,700 acres (686 ha) | 7,920 acres (3,210 ha) | 9,610 acres (3,890 ha) |
| 2020 | 1,600 acres (649 ha) | 3,380 acres (1,370 ha) | 4,980 acres (2,020 ha) |
| 2021 | 1,920 acres (775 ha) | 3,800 acres (1,540 ha) | 5,710 acres (2,310 ha) |
| 2022 | 2,350 acres (952 ha) | 3,900 acres (1,580 ha) | 6,250 acres (2,530 ha) |
| 2023 | 1,670 acres (675 ha) | 7,320 acres (2,960 ha) | 8,980 acres (3,640 ha) |
| 2024 | 1,740 acres (706 ha) | 2,370 acres (961 ha) | 4,120 acres (1,670 ha) |
| 2025 | 1,980 acres (800 ha) | 14,600 acres (5,910 ha) | 16,600 acres (6,710 ha) |
Forest loss is speeding up: about 8,330 acres (3,370 hectares) a year in 2021–2025, up from 6,070 acres (2,460 hectares) a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2025, when about 16,600 acres (6,710 hectares) of forest were lost.
What is causing deforestation in New Jersey?
- Wildfirescan grow back38% · 48,400 acres (19,600 ha)
- Towns and roadscleared for good32% · 40,700 acres (16,500 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back9.6% · 12,400 acres (5,010 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations, storms, floods and other natural causes, 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
Other states
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