Rowan County, NC

ZIP 28138

In ZIP 28138, 7 of the 12 things we check have at least one part graded D or F.

• Drinking water: Northeast Rowan County Water System meets every EPA legal limit; 6 contaminants are above health goals, led by lead at 318× California’s Public Health Goal.
• Nearest Superfund site: National Starch & Chemical Corp., 5.9 miles away.
• Largest share of modeled toxic air from industry: Nouryon Surface Chemistry LLC (25%), mostly acrylamide.
• Fine particles (PM2.5) average 6.9 µg/m³; the WHO guideline is 5 and the EPA annual standard is 9.
• About 77,058 kg of agricultural pesticides are applied in the county each year.

Grades for ZIP 28138

• Superfund sites nearbyC to D
• Factories and industrial sitesB to C
• Oil and gas wellsA
• Parks and nature nearbyC to D
• Air qualityB
• Drinking water qualityA to F
• Pesticide useD to F
• Neighborhood health statusC to D
• Past wildfire impactsA
• Past flood impactsB
• Noise levelsA to D
• Radiation signalsB to D

Based on 7 census tracts · compiled September 10, 2026 · how each grade works and its sources

Loading the full report, with every source…