City report · Connecticut, United States
Waterbury Air quality today
Air quality in Waterbury currently reads AQI 77 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Air quality right now
AQI 77
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 22.9
- tree cover
- 52.3%
- trees in this area
- 164K
- more trees needed
- 0
Measured across a 1.2 mi (2 km) radius around Waterbury, CT, USA (4.9 sq mi), from a satellite image of Aug 29, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Waterbury · AQI 77 (Moderate)
Waterbury's tree count comes to 164,305 trees across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²), already at or above the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Waterbury today: AQI 77, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 11, 09:00 local time via OpenAQ ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Waterbury, 0.7 mi (1.1 km) away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
22.9
PM10
—
NO₂
—
O₃
—
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 Waterbury's daily AQI at 32 on average, from 14 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 7.
Where Waterbury stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Waterbury: Healthy tree cover
52.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²).
Trees in this area
164,305
Target trees
164,305
More trees needed
0
CO₂ if planted / yr
0 kg
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Waterbury lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Waterbury has lost about 1,420 acres (576 hectares) of forest (about 1,100 football fields): 2.5% 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 June 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area about 6 km southeast of the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 1,420 acres (576 ha)about 1,100 football fields
- Share of its forest
- 2.5%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1,300 acres (526 ha)deforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2025, when about 145 acres (59 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 | 45 acres (18 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 50 acres (20 ha) |
| 2002 | 46 acres (19 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2003 | 45 acres (18 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| 2004 | 61 acres (25 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 63 acres (26 ha) |
| 2005 | 86 acres (35 ha) | 4 acres (2 ha) | 90 acres (36 ha) |
| 2006 | 101 acres (41 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 107 acres (43 ha) |
| 2007 | 96 acres (39 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 99 acres (40 ha) |
| 2008 | 92 acres (37 ha) | 8 acres (3 ha) | 100 acres (41 ha) |
| 2009 | 60 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 62 acres (25 ha) |
| 2010 | 40 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 42 acres (17 ha) |
| 2011 | 16 acres (7 ha) | under 1 ha | 18 acres (7 ha) |
| 2012 | 26 acres (11 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 29 acres (12 ha) |
| 2013 | 3 acres (1 ha) | 3 acres (1 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) |
| 2014 | 59 acres (24 ha) | under 1 ha | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| 2015 | 24 acres (10 ha) | under 1 ha | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| 2016 | 9 acres (4 ha) | under 1 ha | 10 acres (4 ha) |
| 2017 | 47 acres (19 ha) | 5 acres (2 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2018 | 42 acres (17 ha) | 6 acres (3 ha) | 49 acres (20 ha) |
| 2019 | 51 acres (21 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| 2020 | 37 acres (15 ha) | 15 acres (6 ha) | 52 acres (21 ha) |
| 2021 | 32 acres (13 ha) | under 1 ha | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| 2022 | 52 acres (21 ha) | under 1 ha | 53 acres (22 ha) |
| 2023 | 39 acres (16 ha) | under 1 ha | 40 acres (16 ha) |
| 2024 | 71 acres (29 ha) | 6 acres (2 ha) | 77 acres (31 ha) |
| 2025 | 121 acres (49 ha) | 25 acres (10 ha) | 145 acres (59 ha) |
What is causing deforestation around Waterbury?
- Towns and roadscleared for good91% · 1,300 acres (525 ha)
- Loggingcan grow back5% · 71 acres (29 ha)
- Unknown causescause unknown3.7% · 53 acres (21 ha)
Also: farms, pasture and plantations.
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
- 61,500 acres (24,900 ha)
- Forest in 2020
- 61,900 acres (25,100 ha)
- Overall change
- +474 acres (192 ha)more forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Waterbury stayed about the same size, at about 61,900 acres (25,100 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,370 acres (556 hectares), and about 899 acres (364 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 Waterbury
Same 2 km radius, same index — so they compare directly.
- New Haven29.6 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 24
- Hartford38.1 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 30%
- Air quality
- 19
- Bridgeport43.7 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 14%
- Air quality
- 17
- North Stamford62.2 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 91%
- Air quality
- 23
- Stamford69.3 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 28%
- Air quality
- 26
- Springfield71.5 km
United States
- Tree cover
- 31%
- Air quality
- 12
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Frequently asked
Questions about Waterbury
What is the air quality (AQI) in Waterbury right now?
The latest reading for Waterbury shows an AQI of 77 (Moderate), measured Nov 11, 09:00 local time by the Waterbury ground monitoring station, 0.7 mi (1.1 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 Waterbury today?
At AQI 77 (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 Waterbury been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Waterbury's daily AQI at 32 on average, from 14 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 81 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Waterbury lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Waterbury has lost about 1,420 acres (576 hectares) of forest (about 1,100 football fields): 2.5% 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 Waterbury stayed about the same size, at about 61,900 acres (25,100 hectares): new forest grew on about 1,370 acres (556 hectares), and about 899 acres (364 hectares) were lost.
What is the tree count in Waterbury?
Waterbury has an estimated 164,305 trees across the 4.9 sq mi (12.57 km²) measured — 52.3% tree cover, already past the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Waterbury need?
Waterbury has already reached its tree-cover target, so no additional trees are needed to close the gap.
How are Waterbury's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Waterbury, 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 Waterbury; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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