Essex County, Vermont
14 ZIP codes · Avg score 66/100 · Grade C · Updated 2026-06-03
Water monitoring across Essex County's 14 ZIP codes paints a mid-range picture — solid compliance in some zones, documented concerns in others; most violations on record are concentrated in specific prior years rather than spread evenly across the full compliance history, and the overall county grade has held steady in the middle tier without major shifts in either direction.
How Essex County Compares
How Essex County Compares
Essex County scores 5 points below the Vermont state average (71/100) and 2 points below the national average (68/100).
Data: EPA SDWIS Last verified: 2026-06-03
ZIP Code Risk Map
Water Quality Map: Essex County, Vermont
Each dot represents a ZIP code. Color indicates water quality grade. Tap a dot for details.
Key Risk Factors
Health risk index: 14.8 (asthma 11.6%, diabetes 12.2%)
Estimated additional annual cost per homeowner: $804, driven primarily by energy_code_gap
Infrastructure: 0.434% avg pipe failure probability, 64% of ZIPs at high risk
70.1% of homes built before 1978 (lead paint era)
County Health Indicators vs National Average
Black markers indicate national averages. Source: CDC PLACES, Census ACS.
Infrastructure Overview
Sources: Census ACS (housing age), EPA SDWIS (infrastructure risk model), state bridge inspection data.
Compound Risk Breakdown
Estimated additional annual cost per homeowner: $804
Bar widths proportional to share of total annual risk cost. Source: compound risk model (FEMA, EPA, USGS).
Housing Age Distribution
6,035 housing units in Essex County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS B25034 (Year Structure Built).
Water Safety Affordability
How much it costs to fix water issues relative to home values in Essex County
Remediation costs are relatively manageable for most homeowners in Essex County, representing a small fraction of property value.
Remediation includes water filtration, lead abatement, radon mitigation, and flood protection where applicable. Source: Census ACS, EPA SDWIS.
Health Outcomes vs National Average
CDC PLACES data for Essex County residents
Black markers = national averages. Red = above national avg. Green = below. Source: CDC PLACES, Census ACS.
Water Systems with Most Violations
Top 5 systems in Essex County ranked by EPA violation count.
| # | Water System | Population | Violations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CANAAN FIRE DISTRICT 1 | 970 | 4 |
| 2 | Canaan Fd #2 | 350 | 4 |
| 3 | Burke Mountain Water Company | 1,058 | 3 |
| 4 | St Johnsbury Water System | 5,000 | 3 |
| 5 | Concord Estates Mhp, Llc. | 60 | 3 |
10 total water systems serve Essex County.
All ZIP Codes in Essex County
14 ZIP codes tracked in Essex County.
| # | ZIP Code | City | Safety Score | Grade | Violations | Home Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5846 | Island Pond | 83 | B | 1 | $164K |
| 2 | 5905 | Guildhall | 83 | B | 1 | $243K |
| 3 | 5906 | Lunenburg | 83 | B | 0 | $156K |
| 4 | 5837 | East Haven | 81 | B | 1 | $144K |
| 5 | 5824 | Concord | 79 | B | 3 | $169K |
| 6 | 5903 | Canaan | 77 | B | 4 | $165K |
| 7 | 5902 | Beecher Falls | 63 | C | 0 | $104K |
| 8 | 5833 | East Charleston | 53 | D | 0 | — |
| 9 | 5840 | Granby | 53 | D | 0 | $120K |
| 10 | 5853 | Morgan | 53 | D | 0 | $260K |
| 11 | 5858 | North Concord | 53 | D | 0 | $144K |
| 12 | 5901 | Averill | 53 | D | 0 | — |
| 13 | 5904 | Gilman | 53 | D | 0 | $128K |
| 14 | 5907 | Norton | 53 | D | 0 | $184K |
Recommended Buyer Guides for Essex County
Designed to find the guide that fits the county, not the other way around — the system reads EPA detections, FEMA hazard layers, and CDC lead-exposure markers, then outputs the categories that resolve those specific risks for households here, with NSF-certified products surfaced when the matching contaminant appears in the local monitoring data.
- Best Lead Paint Test Kits — 70.1% of homes built before 1978
Deep Dive Reports
Detailed analysis for Essex County, Vermont
Overview
Essex County in Vermont covers 14 ZIP codes with an average Home Safety Score of C (66/100).
5 of 14 ZIP codes have recorded EPA violations. All violations are monitoring/reporting type.
← Back to Vermont water quality report
Data Sources
- Water quality: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS)
- Home values: U.S. Census Bureau ACS (median estimates by ZCTA)
Updated daily.