Superfund sites nearby
Compared nationallyHow close each neighborhood is to Superfund (National Priorities List) cleanup sites, weighted by distance, from EPA’s EJScreen.
- The neighborhood’s national percentile sets the letter: A is the best 20% of U.S. neighborhoods, F the worst 20%.
Each card also names the nearest listed sites within 10 miles, with EPA’s status and a link to the site’s EPA page.
Factories and industrial sites
Compared nationallyIndustrial pressure from three EPA indicators: modeled toxic air from industry (RSEI), facilities that must file chemical-accident plans (RMP), and hazardous-waste facilities (TSDF).
- The average of the three national percentiles sets the letter, by fifths.
Cards name the facilities and chemicals behind the largest shares of modeled toxic air in the area, from EPA RSEI. Those are screening values, not measured exposure.
Oil and gas wells
Fixed thresholdsOil and gas wells within 5 miles of each neighborhood’s center, and EPA emergency responses within 10 miles.
- A: no wells and no EPA responses nearby.
- C: 2 or more wells. D: 5 or more active wells.
- F: 5 or more unplugged orphaned wells, or 25 or more wells including an orphaned one.
- B: anything in between.
Parks and nature nearby
Fixed tiersAccess to nature: nearby parks and protected land, and how much of the surrounding land is natural rather than built or farmed.
- A nature-connection tier sets the letter, from Restorative (A) to Deprived (F).
A park close by can still come with a low grade where most land around it is paved or built.
Air quality
Compared nationallyFine particles (PM2.5): each neighborhood’s own five-year average, from satellite-derived estimates calibrated to ground monitors.
- Neighborhoods are ranked against every U.S. neighborhood; the letter is the fifth it falls in.
- Each card also shows the WHO health guideline (5 µg/m³) and the EPA annual legal standard (9 µg/m³).
Where a neighborhood has no satellite value, the county series is used and labeled county-wide. Ozone is shown for context and does not set the letter.
Drinking water quality
Health benchmarksLab results for each public water system that serves the ZIP, compared with health goals (mostly California’s Public Health Goals) and shown next to EPA legal limits.
- Non-cancer hazard index: under 1 is A, 3 B, 9 C, 30 D, 30 or more F.
- Lifetime cancer risk: under 3 in a million is A, 3 in 100,000 B, 3 in 10,000 C, 3 in 1,000 D, higher F.
- The letter is the worse of the two. Systems with too little testing get no grade.
Cards list every contaminant above its health goal, with test counts, dates, which labs reported it, and a flag when a lab could not test down to the goal.
Pesticide use
Compared nationallyAgricultural pesticide use: USGS county estimates, weighted by how much farmland surrounds each neighborhood, per resident.
- Ranked against national deciles; the letter is the fifth it falls in.
USGS county estimates currently end around 2018.
Neighborhood health status
Compared nationallyHow common nine chronic conditions are, from CDC PLACES estimates: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, asthma, COPD, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.
- The average national percentile of the nine sets the letter, by fifths.
These rates reflect many causes, including income and access to care. They do not show that pollution caused them.
Past wildfire impacts
Fixed thresholdsPast wildfires recorded near each neighborhood.
- F: inside a recorded fire footprint. D: nearest fire within 10 miles.
- C: within 75 miles. B: farther. A: none recorded in range.
A record of the past, not a forecast. Smoke from distant fires is not included.
Past flood impacts
Fixed thresholdsPast flood events surveyed with high-water marks near each neighborhood.
- F: inside a recorded flood footprint. D: nearest event within 10 miles.
- C: within 75 miles. B: farther. A: none recorded in range.
This is not a FEMA flood zone. Check your address on FEMA’s flood map before buying or insuring a home.
Noise levels
Health benchmarksModeled day–evening–night noise from roads, rail, aircraft and other activity at each neighborhood’s center.
- Each source is compared with its WHO guideline (roads 53 dB, rail 54 dB, aircraft 45 dB). The further the loudest source is over its guideline, the lower the letter.
- CONUS transportation and activity noise model — PollutionProfile (model), from U.S. DOT and FAA data · noise/2026-08-26-v1 · data through 2025
Radiation signals
Screening bandA screening band from geology (radon potential, natural gamma radiation) and known radiation sites.
- Well below typical is A; typical is C; well above typical is F.
It cannot tell you your home’s radon level. Radon varies house to house; a home test costs about $15–30.
- Radiation screening band — PollutionProfile (screening model), from USGS, DOE and USACE data · radiation/2026-09-02-v1 · data 2005–2026