Cleveland County, NC

ZIP 28090

In ZIP 28090, 4 of the 12 things we check have at least one part graded D or F.

• Drinking water: Hickory City Of meets every EPA legal limit; 6 contaminants are above health goals, led by lead at 375× California’s Public Health Goal.
• Nearest Superfund site: Celanese Corp. (shelby Fiber Operations), 8.3 miles away.
• Largest share of modeled toxic air from industry: Robert Bosch Tool Corp (29%), mostly cobalt.
• Fine particles (PM2.5) average 6.8 µg/m³; the WHO guideline is 5 and the EPA annual standard is 9.
• About 69,878 kg of agricultural pesticides are applied in the county each year.

Grades for ZIP 28090

• Superfund sites nearbyA to C
• Factories and industrial sitesB to C
• Oil and gas wellsA
• Parks and nature nearbyB to C
• Air qualityA to B
• Drinking water qualityA to F
• Pesticide useD to F
• Neighborhood health statusD to F
• Past wildfire impactsA
• Past flood impactsC
• Noise levelsA to C
• Radiation signalsF

Based on 8 census tracts · compiled October 25, 2026 · how each grade works and its sources

Loading the full report, with every source…