City report · Texas, United States
Waco Air quality today
Air quality in Waco currently reads AQI 31 (Good): Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Air quality right now
AQI 31
Good
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 6.4
- tree cover
- 28.4%
- trees in this area
- 89.2K
- more trees needed
- 5.0K
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Austin Ave., Waco, TX, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Sep 15, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Waco · AQI 31 (Good)
Waco's tree count comes to 89,221 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), 2 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 5,027 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Waco today: AQI 31, Good
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Estimate · model corrected with 8 station cities within 90.1 mi (145 km), e.g. Round Rock and College Station
Health signal
Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
PM2.5
6.4
PM10
5.4
NO₂
5.2
O₃
64.0
SO₂
0.8
CO
165.0
- 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 Waco's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 66 on Nov 9.
Where Waco stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Waco: Below target
28.4% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
89,221
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
5,027
CO₂ if planted / yr
110.6 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Waco lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Waco has lost about 1,300 acres (525 hectares) of forest (about 980 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads.
2017: satellite photo from July 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km north of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,300 acres (525 ha)about 980 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 12%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,130 acres (459 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2007, when about 132 acres (53 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 | 91 acres (37 ha) | 23 acres (9 ha) | 114 acres (46 ha) |
| 2002 | 24 acres (10 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2003 | 48 acres (20 ha) | under 1 ha | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2004 | 67 acres (27 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 73 acres (29 ha) |
| 2005 | 41 acres (17 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| 2006 | 68 acres (27 ha) | 60 acres (24 ha) | 128 acres (52 ha) |
| 2007 | 113 acres (46 ha) | 19 acres (8 ha) | 132 acres (53 ha) |
| 2008 | 50 acres (20 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2009 | 64 acres (26 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 69 acres (28 ha) |
| 2010 | 70 acres (28 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 73 acres (30 ha) |
| 2011 | 30 acres (12 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| 2012 | 51 acres (21 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 54 acres (22 ha) |
| 2013 | 38 acres (15 ha) | under 1 ha | 38 acres (16 ha) |
| 2014 | 64 acres (26 ha) | under 1 ha | 64 acres (26 ha) |
| 2015 | 15 acres (6 ha) | under 1 ha | 15 acres (6 ha) |
| 2016 | 20 acres (8 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2017 | 21 acres (8 ha) | under 1 ha | 22 acres (9 ha) |
| 2018 | 10 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 11 acres (4 ha) |
| 2019 | 26 acres (11 ha) | under 1 ha | 26 acres (11 ha) |
| 2020 | 31 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| 2021 | 29 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2022 | 30 acres (12 ha) | under 1 ha | 30 acres (12 ha) |
| 2023 | 43 acres (18 ha) | under 1 ha | 44 acres (18 ha) |
| 2024 | 34 acres (14 ha) | 14 acres (6 ha) | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2025 | 60 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 61 acres (25 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Waco?
- Towns and roadscleared for good69% · 895 acres (362 ha)
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good17% · 220 acres (89 ha)
- Storms, floods and other natural causescan grow back9.9% · 129 acres (52 ha)
Also: mining and energy, logging, 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
- 13,900 acres (5,610 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 13,800 acres (5,580 ha)
- Overall change
- −84 acres (34 ha)less forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Waco stayed about the same size, at about 13,800 acres (5,580 hectares): new forest grew on about 499 acres (202 hectares), and about 583 acres (236 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 Waco
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- Killeen73.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 26%
- Air quality
- 11
- Round Rock126.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 33%
- Air quality
- 44
- College Station128.4 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 34%
- Air quality
- 64
- Fort Worth131.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 20%
- Air quality
- 53
- Arlington132.0 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 32%
- Air quality
- 82
- Grand Prairie133.8 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 57
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Frequently asked
Questions about Waco
What is the air quality (AQI) in Waco right now?
The latest reading for Waco shows an AQI of 31 (Good), observed Nov 10, 18:00 local time via Open-Meteo / CAMS, corrected with 8 ground-station cities within 145 km, US EPA index. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Air quality is satisfactory for everyone.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Waco today?
At AQI 31 (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 Waco been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Waco's daily AQI at 35 on average, from 15 on Nov 4 to an hourly peak of 66 on Nov 9. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Waco lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Waco has lost about 1,300 acres (525 hectares) of forest (about 980 football fields): 12% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it (87%) was deforestation, forest cleared for good, mainly for towns and roads. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Waco stayed about the same size, at about 13,800 acres (5,580 hectares): new forest grew on about 499 acres (202 hectares), and about 583 acres (236 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Waco?
Waco has an estimated 89,221 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 28.4% tree cover, 2 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Waco need?
Waco needs roughly 5,027 more trees to close a 2-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 110.6 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Waco'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 Austin Ave.; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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