PlainEnviro

Interactive tool · County environmental burden

Environmental Justice Screening

County-level environmental burden rankings based on EPA data. Combines toxic releases, water quality violations, Superfund contamination, and carcinogen exposure into a single composite score across more than 3,000 US counties. See our methodology for how the score is built.

Toxic Releases
35%
weight
Water Quality
25%
weight
Superfund Sites
20%
weight
Carcinogens
20%
weight

How the 500 highest-activity counties break down

These are the most data-dense counties nationwide, so most land in the Elevated band. The screening exists to surface the smaller group that reaches High burden, start there.

A 0 Low burden
B 47 Moderate
C 383 Elevated
D 70 High
F 0 Very high

Counties with the highest composite environmental burden

Top 15 by overall burden score, full ranking and per-state filter below

burden score

What this shows The score is a composite percentile across four EPA indicators (releases, water violations, Superfund density, carcinogen ratio) - a screening proxy to prioritise where to look, not a measured health-risk verdict for any individual resident. Each underlying source has its own vintage (TRI 2023 reporting year; SDWIS and NPL refreshed on their own EPA schedules - see methodology).

Source EPA TRI · SDWIS · Superfund NPL (composite percentile)
# County State Score Grade
1 Jasper IL 72 D
2 Butler KY 71 D
3 Jackson Parish LA 70 D
4 Uintah UT 70 D
5 Routt CO 70 D
6 Lincoln OR 69 D+
7 Hamilton FL 69 D+
8 Midland MI 69 D+
9 Delaware IN 69 D+
10 Grand CO 68 D+
11 Ellsworth KS 68 D+
12 King William VA 68 D+
13 Graham AZ 68 D+
14 Craven NC 68 D+
15 Onslow NC 68 D+
16 Webb TX 68 D+
17 Linn KS 67 D+
18 Kimball NE 66 D+
19 Clarke AL 66 D+
20 Ingham MI 66 D+
21 Trimble KY 65 D+
22 Desha AR 65 D+
23 Dallas AL 65 D+
24 Wapello IA 65 D+
25 Franklin OH 65 D+
26 Lincoln NE 65 D+
27 Union OH 64 D+
28 Ballard KY 64 D+
29 Marshall WV 64 D+
30 Sheboygan WI 64 D+
31 Noble IN 64 D+
32 Bradford PA 64 D+
33 Monroe TN 63 D+
34 Calhoun AL 63 D+
35 Randolph MO 63 D+
36 Kankakee IL 63 D+
37 Maury TN 63 D+
38 Wilcox AL 62 D+
39 Jasper TX 62 D+
40 Allamakee IA 62 D+
41 Whatcom WA 62 D+
42 Roane TN 62 D+
43 Clark AR 62 D+
44 Buchanan VA 61 D+
45 Liberty GA 61 D+
46 Marlboro SC 61 D+
47 Moore TX 61 D+
48 Jefferson MO 61 D+
49 Cumberland NC 61 D+
50 Hudson NJ 61 D+
51 Dekalb IN 61 D+
52 Bay FL 61 D+
53 Lake OH 61 D+
54 Darlington SC 61 D+
55 Brookings SD 61 D+
56 Brooke WV 61 D+
57 Emery UT 60 D+
58 Lawrence MS 60 D+
59 Moffat CO 60 D+
60 Columbia WI 60 D+
61 Cape Girardeau MO 60 D+
62 Cambria PA 60 D+
63 Platte MO 60 D+
64 Box Elder UT 60 D+
65 West Baton Rouge Parish LA 60 D+
66 Martin NC 60 D+
67 St. Mary Parish LA 60 D+
68 Venango PA 60 D+
69 Bay MI 60 D+
70 Hartford CT 60 D+
71 Oxford ME 59 C
72 Kleberg TX 59 C
73 Millard UT 59 C
74 Grant NM 59 C
75 Hancock KY 59 C
76 Adams NE 59 C
77 Limestone TX 59 C
78 Anne Arundel MD 59 C
79 Adams IL 59 C
80 Carlton MN 59 C
81 Utah UT 59 C
82 Columbia AR 59 C
83 Beaver PA 59 C
84 Greenville SC 59 C
85 Hennepin MN 59 C
86 Manitowoc WI 59 C
87 Buncombe NC 59 C
88 Taylor FL 58 C
89 Converse WY 58 C
90 Jasper IN 58 C
91 Jefferson IN 58 C
92 Hancock OH 58 C
93 Huron MI 58 C
94 Beauregard Parish LA 58 C
95 Ross OH 58 C
96 Sebastian AR 58 C
97 Monroe GA 58 C
98 Washington Parish LA 57 C
99 Marshall KY 57 C
100 Honolulu HI 57 C
101 Nez Perce ID 57 C
102 Nassau FL 57 C
103 Kosciusko IN 57 C
104 Guayama Municipio PR 57 C
105 Ellis TX 57 C
106 Hampden MA 57 C
107 Erie NY 57 C
108 Cullman AL 57 C
109 Webster IA 57 C
110 Aiken SC 57 C
111 Solano CA 57 C
112 Palm Beach FL 57 C
113 Rockingham NC 57 C
114 St. Clair IL 57 C
115 Montgomery OH 57 C
116 Little River AR 56 C
117 Lake CO 56 C
118 Covington (city) VA 56 C
119 Atascosa TX 56 C
120 Lorain OH 56 C
121 Blue Earth MN 56 C
122 Orange NY 56 C
123 Montgomery KS 56 C
124 Niagara NY 56 C
125 Ottawa OH 56 C
126 Guadalupe TX 56 C
127 Trumbull OH 56 C
128 Lehigh PA 56 C
129 Osage OK 56 C
130 Johnson TX 56 C
131 Choctaw AL 55 C
132 Platte WY 55 C
133 Jackson MS 55 C
134 Brunswick NC 55 C
135 Pike AL 55 C
136 Hertford NC 55 C
137 Montgomery PA 55 C
138 Tarrant TX 55 C
139 Sacramento CA 55 C
140 Effingham GA 55 C
141 Apache AZ 54 C
142 Mclean ND 54 C
143 Perry MS 54 C
144 Russell AL 54 C
145 Lawrence PA 54 C
146 New Madrid MO 54 C
147 St. John The Baptist Parish LA 54 C
148 Tulsa OK 54 C
149 Ponce Municipio PR 54 C
150 Pinal AZ 54 C
151 Sullivan IN 54 C
152 St Louis (city) MO 54 C
153 Henderson KY 54 C
154 Canyon ID 54 C
155 Halifax NC 54 C
156 Warren NJ 54 C
157 Gloucester NJ 54 C
158 El Paso CO 54 C
159 Forsyth NC 54 C
160 El Paso TX 54 C
161 Lane OR 54 C
162 Rutherford TN 54 C
163 Brown WI 54 C
164 Cabarrus NC 54 C
165 Mason WV 53 C
166 Warrick IN 53 C
167 Major OK 53 C
168 Gilliam OR 53 C
169 Muscatine IA 53 C
170 Lowndes GA 53 C
171 Monongalia WV 53 C
172 Pottawatomie KS 53 C
173 Lowndes MS 53 C
174 Putnam FL 53 C
175 Chambers TX 53 C
176 Wood WI 53 C
177 Mcminn TN 53 C
178 Woodward OK 53 C
179 Marshall IN 53 C
180 Armstrong PA 53 C
181 Ozaukee WI 53 C
182 Winnebago WI 53 C
183 Colbert AL 53 C
184 Macomb MI 53 C
185 Northampton PA 53 C
186 Rankin MS 53 C
187 Laporte IN 53 C
188 Yakima WA 53 C
189 Harris GA 53 C
190 New Hanover NC 52 C
191 Sweetwater WY 52 C
192 Putnam WV 52 C
193 Person NC 52 C
194 York PA 52 C
195 St. James Parish LA 52 C
196 Kay OK 52 C
197 Mccracken KY 52 C
198 Tuscaloosa AL 52 C
199 Muskegon MI 52 C
200 Florence SC 52 C
201 Hardin TN 52 C
202 Bibb GA 52 C
203 Orange FL 52 C
204 Pierce WA 52 C
205 St Charles MO 52 C
206 Clay MO 52 C
207 Warren NY 52 C
208 Middlesex MA 52 C
209 Knox IN 52 C
210 Lee AL 52 C
211 Manistee MI 52 C
212 Beaufort NC 51 C
213 San Juan NM 51 C
214 Washington OH 51 C
215 Vermilion IL 51 C
216 Rogers OK 51 C
217 Waupaca WI 51 C
218 Rusk TX 51 C
219 Owyhee ID 51 C
220 Otoe NE 51 C
221 Sumner TN 51 C
222 Shelby IN 51 C
223 Adams CO 51 C
224 Spartanburg SC 51 C
225 Jones MS 51 C
226 San Diego CA 51 C
227 Caddo Parish LA 51 C
228 Macon GA 51 C
229 Garland AR 51 C
230 Washington MN 51 C
231 Daviess KY 51 C
232 Covington MS 51 C
233 Weld CO 51 C
234 Kershaw SC 51 C
235 Mckenzie ND 50 C
236 Pershing NV 50 C
237 Eddy NM 50 C
238 Victoria TX 50 C
239 Cowlitz WA 50 C
240 Perry IN 50 C
241 Pottawattamie IA 50 C
242 Kitsap WA 50 C
243 Mason KY 50 C
244 Monroe NY 50 C
245 Multnomah OR 50 C
246 Onondaga NY 50 C
247 Montgomery IN 50 C
248 Glynn GA 50 C
249 Scott IA 50 C
250 Dallas TX 50 C
251 Boone KY 50 C
252 Hendry FL 50 C
253 Blount AL 50 C
254 Greenlee AZ 49 C+
255 Southeast Fairbanks Censu AK 49 C+
256 Caribou ID 49 C+
257 Macon IL 49 C+
258 Lee IA 49 C+
259 Cass TX 49 C+
260 Churchill NV 49 C+
261 Linn IA 49 C+
262 Schuylkill PA 49 C+
263 Itasca MN 49 C+
264 Madison KY 49 C+
265 Tippecanoe IN 49 C+
266 Aroostook ME 49 C+
267 Marshall IA 49 C+
268 Wood OH 49 C+
269 Lancaster NE 49 C+
270 Shawnee KS 49 C+
271 Richland OH 49 C+
272 Talladega AL 49 C+
273 Monroe IA 49 C+
274 Licking OH 49 C+
275 Walla Walla WA 49 C+
276 Rosebud MT 48 C+
277 Gallia OH 48 C+
278 Harrison WV 48 C+
279 Sherburne MN 48 C+
280 Yavapai AZ 48 C+
281 Madison AL 48 C+
282 Milwaukee WI 48 C+
283 Franklin MO 48 C+
284 Maricopa AZ 48 C+
285 Buchanan MO 48 C+
286 Natchitoches Parish LA 48 C+
287 Camp TX 48 C+
288 Lancaster PA 48 C+
289 Pettis MO 48 C+
290 Lasalle IL 48 C+
291 Wood WV 48 C+
292 Outagamie WI 48 C+
293 Independence AR 48 C+
294 Grant WV 48 C+
295 Bartow GA 48 C+
296 Sussex DE 48 C+
297 Pike MS 48 C+
298 Conway AR 48 C+
299 Crane TX 47 C+
300 Sumter AL 47 C+
301 Humphreys TN 47 C+
302 Harrison MS 47 C+
303 Rutherford NC 47 C+
304 Columbia OR 47 C+
305 Orange TX 47 C+
306 Laramie WY 47 C+
307 Monroe AL 47 C+
308 Wayne GA 47 C+
309 Minnehaha SD 47 C+
310 Indiana PA 47 C+
311 Hillsborough FL 47 C+
312 Pleasants WV 47 C+
313 Dawson NE 47 C+
314 Alameda CA 47 C+
315 King WA 47 C+
316 Yazoo MS 47 C+
317 San Bernardino CA 47 C+
318 Cowley KS 47 C+
319 Juneau City And Borough AK 46 C+
320 Mercer ND 46 C+
321 Fairbanks North Star Borough AK 46 C+
322 Monroe MS 46 C+
323 Jefferson AL 46 C+
324 Harrison TX 46 C+
325 Montgomery TX 46 C+
326 Hutchinson TX 46 C+
327 Sullivan TN 46 C+
328 Butler PA 46 C+
329 Fort Bend TX 46 C+
330 Sedgwick KS 46 C+
331 Etowah AL 46 C+
332 Charleston SC 46 C+
333 Lynchburg (city) VA 46 C+
334 Brazos TX 46 C+
335 Pend Oreille WA 46 C+
336 Gooding ID 46 C+
337 Northwest Arctic Borough AK 45 C+
338 St. Charles Parish LA 45 C+
339 Shoshone ID 45 C+
340 Iberville Parish LA 45 C+
341 Mobile AL 45 C+
342 Allegheny PA 45 C+
343 Posey IN 45 C+
344 Union AR 45 C+
345 Berkeley SC 45 C+
346 East Baton Rouge Parish LA 45 C+
347 Monroe MI 45 C+
348 Campbell WY 45 C+
349 Loudon TN 45 C+
350 Jefferson TN 45 C+
351 Gibson IN 45 C+
352 Orangeburg SC 45 C+
353 Cass IN 45 C+
354 Hamilton OH 45 C+
355 Allen IN 45 C+
356 Tulare CA 45 C+
357 Gila AZ 44 C+
358 Eureka NV 44 C+
359 Silver Bow MT 44 C+
360 Lea NM 44 C+
361 Calcasieu Parish LA 44 C+
362 Nueces TX 44 C+
363 Montgomery VA 44 C+
364 Ouachita Parish LA 44 C+
365 New Castle DE 44 C+
366 Pima AZ 44 C+
367 Marathon WI 44 C+
368 Mayes OK 44 C+
369 Hopewell (city) VA 44 C+
370 Elkhart IN 44 C+
371 Warren MS 44 C+
372 Madison TN 44 C+
373 Richland SC 44 C+
374 Middlesex NJ 44 C+
375 St. Lawrence NY 44 C+
376 Berks PA 44 C+
377 Pueblo CO 44 C+
378 Mclennan TX 44 C+
379 Isle Of Wight VA 44 C+
380 Mecklenburg NC 44 C+
381 Escambia AL 44 C+
382 Catawba NC 44 C+
383 Jackson MO 44 C+
384 Tuscarawas OH 44 C+
385 Marion OH 44 C+
386 Jo Daviess IL 44 C+
387 Vermillion IN 44 C+
388 Elko NV 43 C+
389 White Pine NV 43 C+
390 Calhoun TX 43 C+
391 Kern CA 43 C+
392 Ashtabula OH 43 C+
393 Jefferson OH 43 C+
394 De Soto Parish LA 43 C+
395 Bladen NC 43 C+
396 Shelby TN 43 C+
397 Lucas OH 43 C+
398 Ford KS 43 C+
399 York SC 43 C+
400 Duval FL 43 C+
401 Allegan MI 43 C+
402 Greene MO 43 C+
403 Chatham GA 43 C+
404 Early GA 43 C+
405 Butler OH 43 C+
406 Titus TX 43 C+
407 Hempstead AR 43 C+
408 Morgan CO 43 C+
409 Lander NV 42 C+
410 Tooele UT 42 C+
411 Jefferson TX 42 C+
412 Sandusky OH 42 C+
413 Peoria IL 42 C+
414 Garfield OK 42 C+
415 Jefferson KY 42 C+
416 Morgan AL 42 C+
417 Georgetown SC 42 C+
418 Knox TN 42 C+
419 Chesterfield VA 42 C+
420 Marengo AL 42 C+
421 Coffee AL 42 C+
422 Lawrence SD 42 C+
423 Saline NE 42 C+
424 Colfax NE 42 C+
425 Harris TX 41 C+
426 Brazoria TX 41 C+
427 Carroll KY 41 C+
428 Galveston TX 41 C+
429 Cuyahoga OH 41 C+
430 Plaquemines Parish LA 41 C+
431 Madison IL 41 C+
432 Coshocton OH 41 C+
433 Smith TN 41 C+
434 Decatur GA 41 C+
435 St. Clair MI 41 C+
436 Will IL 41 C+
437 Polk FL 41 C+
438 Rock Island IL 41 C+
439 Cass IL 41 C+
440 Dakota MN 41 C+
441 Louisa IA 41 C+
442 Whiteside IL 41 C+
443 Dorchester MD 41 C+
444 Jefferson Parish LA 40 C+
445 Allen OH 40 C+
446 Mccurtain OK 40 C+
447 Wyandotte KS 40 C+
448 Clark NV 40 C+
449 Contra Costa CA 40 C+
450 Floyd GA 40 C+
451 Somerset ME 40 C+
452 Choctaw MS 40 C+
453 Leake MS 40 C+
454 Escambia FL 39 B
455 Marion IN 39 B
456 Marquette MI 39 B
457 Ohio KY 39 B
458 Columbus NC 39 B
459 Stewart TN 39 B
460 Clear Creek CO 39 B
461 Laurens GA 39 B
462 Haywood NC 39 B
463 Minidoka ID 39 B
464 Lake IN 38 B
465 Union NJ 38 B
466 Ottawa MI 38 B
467 Linn OR 38 B
468 Wayne MI 37 B
469 Westmoreland PA 37 B
470 Mississippi AR 37 B
471 Woodbury IA 37 B
472 Stark OH 37 B
473 Cassia ID 37 B
474 Robertson TX 37 B
475 Bertie NC 37 B
476 Autauga AL 37 B
477 Salt Lake UT 36 B
478 Nye NV 36 B
479 Cook IL 36 B
480 Jackson IN 36 B
481 Clinton IA 36 B
482 Portage WI 36 B
483 Ascension Parish LA 35 B
484 Montgomery TN 35 B
485 Richmond GA 35 B
486 Oliver ND 35 B
487 Jefferson AR 35 B
488 Hawkins TN 35 B
489 Power ID 35 B
490 Los Angeles CA 34 B
491 Porter IN 34 B
492 Washington IL 34 B
493 Benton WA 34 B
494 Kings CA 34 B
495 Spencer IN 33 B
496 Lancaster SC 33 B
497 Humboldt NV 32 B
498 Teller CO 32 B
499 Iron MO 30 B
500 Reynolds MO 29 B+

How Environmental Justice Screening Works

What is environmental justice screening?

Environmental justice screening identifies communities that face disproportionate environmental and health burdens. It combines indicators like toxic chemical releases, water quality violations, Superfund contamination, and carcinogen exposure to assess overall environmental burden at the county level.

How is the environmental burden score calculated?

The score uses percentile ranking across four indicators: total reported toxic releases (35% weight), water quality violations per water system (25%), total Superfund sites (20%), and carcinogen facility ratio (20%). A score of 100 means the county is in the highest percentile for total reported environmental burden. Note: the release and Superfund indicators reflect total reported counts, not population-normalized rates.

What data sources are used?

EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) for chemical releases, EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) for water violations, EPA Superfund/NPL data for contaminated sites, and TRI chemical classifications for carcinogen identification.

Data from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This screening tool is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the federal government.