Worcester County, MA

ZIP 01561

In ZIP 01561, 4 of the 12 things we check have at least one part graded D or F.

• Drinking water: Sterling Water Department has 1 contaminant at or over an EPA legal limit; 11 contaminants are above health goals, led by pfos at 7.4× California’s Public Health Goal.
• Nearest Superfund site: Fort Devens, 2.8 miles away.
• Largest share of modeled toxic air from industry: Tecomet (20%), mostly cobalt.
• Fine particles (PM2.5) average 6.0 µg/m³; the WHO guideline is 5 and the EPA annual standard is 9.
• About 90,069 kg of agricultural pesticides are applied in the county each year.

Grades for ZIP 01561

• Superfund sites nearbyF
• Factories and industrial sitesB
• Oil and gas wellsA
• Parks and nature nearbyC
• Air qualityA
• Drinking water qualityD to F
• Pesticide useD
• Neighborhood health statusB
• Past wildfire impactsA
• Past flood impactsC
• Noise levelsA
• Radiation signalsF

Based on 1 census tract · compiled September 10, 2026 · how each grade works and its sources

Loading the full report, with every source…