Comparing Home-Safety Evidence Across U.S. Metro Areas
Data source: EPA SDWIS and ECHO, EPA AirNow, U.S. Census ACS, and the ZipCheckup Home Safety Score contract
Updated August 6, 2026. ZipCheckup withdrew the earlier quantitative edition of this article during a full data-trust rebuild. Old rankings, totals, correlations, and cost estimates are not carried forward unless they can be reproduced from accepted source-bound evidence.
What this page answers now
A source-aware guide to comparing metro areas without turning incomplete ZIP data into a false safest-or-riskiest ranking.
The primary evidence family for this topic is EPA SDWIS and ECHO, EPA AirNow, U.S. Census ACS, and the ZipCheckup Home Safety Score contract. Used within its published definitions, that evidence can compare the same measured indicators across places when their coverage and vintage match.
What the data does not establish
The same records cannot prove that one metro is universally safer than another or fill missing source records with reassuring values. A nearby record is not automatically a property-level finding. A missing match is an unknown state, not a measured zero. Different geographic units must not be joined as if they described the same population.
A safer review sequence
- Identify the exact address, utility, facility, monitor, tract, or other unit that the source measures.
- Check the record date, reporting period, units, qualifiers, and coverage. “ND” means not detected at the stated reporting limit; it is not the numeric value zero.
- Keep source disagreement visible. If two official sources report different values, retain both with their dates instead of silently choosing one.
- Use the record as a screening lead, then compare coverage first, open the underlying ZIP records, and verify property-level conditions before making a housing decision.
- Do not treat a ZIP-level pattern as an inspection, diagnosis, legal determination, insurance decision, or guarantee.
Where the Home Safety Score fits
This topic may appear elsewhere on ZipCheckup as context, but it is not automatically a weighted score component. The current Home Safety Score uses four required inputs across three equally weighted domains: drinking-water compliance, with PFAS inside that domain; radon; and annual AQI. Missing required evidence produces an unavailable score, not a zero or an inferred value.
Why the previous numbers were removed
The retired edition mixed older data releases, legacy Home Safety Score logic, and derived aggregates whose complete input trail could not be reproduced under the current standard. Replacing one old headline number with another would repeat the same error. This edition therefore keeps only claims that remain valid without those retired calculations.
Data status
This page is a revalidated methodology and interpretation guide, updated 2026-08-06. It is not a new national ranking. Any future quantitative edition must publish its source versions, as-of dates, measured denominators, treatment of missing data, exact calculation method, and a reproducible release identifier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can comparing home-safety evidence across u.s. metro areas establish?
It can compare the same measured indicators across places when their coverage and vintage match. The conclusion is limited to the source, geography, period, units, and coverage shown with the record.
What does a missing record mean?
It means the source did not provide a matched measurement in the reviewed scope. It does not mean zero risk, no event, or a clean result.
How should I use this information for a home?
Use it as a screening lead: compare coverage first, open the underlying ZIP records, and verify property-level conditions before making a housing decision.