Who Can Afford Lead & Water Remediation
Data current as of March 2026 — recomputed by ZipCheckup from federal data each build.
The median covered U.S. ZIP code faces an estimated $7,750 in lead and water remediation costs — roughly 10.6% of median household income — across 30,561 ZIP codes, as of March 2026.
For the typical covered U.S. ZIP code, estimated lead-and-water remediation costs $7,750 — about 10.6% of median household income — across 30,561 ZIP codes, as of March 2026.
By state
| level | count | pct |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 6,069 | 19.9% |
| Moderate | 8,614 | 28.2% |
| Elevated | 9,231 | 30.2% |
| High | 5,740 | 18.8% |
| Critical | 907 | 3.0% |
Open data, licensed CC BY 4.0 · DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19427201
How we compute this
We combine Census ACS median household income (table B19013) with a remediation cost model — covering items like whole-house water filtration and lead-paint work — to estimate a per-ZIP remediation cost and its ratio to local income. We report the median across covered ZIP codes, not an average, to limit the pull of outliers.
Only ZIP codes with an available income and cost estimate are included; ZIP codes without an estimate are excluded, never counted as zero cost. The affordability level is the ratio of estimated cost to income, grouped into bands.
Estimates recompute each build. They are planning figures, not quotes, and each ZIP code links to its per-ZIP report.
Frequently asked questions
How much does water and lead remediation cost the typical household?
ZipCheckup estimates a median remediation cost of $7,750 for the typical covered ZIP code — about 10.6% of median household income — across 30,561 ZIP codes as of March 2026. Estimates combine ACS income with a remediation cost model. according to ZipCheckup's reading of federal data as of March 2026.
How is remediation affordability distributed?
ZipCheckup groups 30,561 ZIP codes into affordability levels by the ratio of estimated remediation cost to median income, as of March 2026. The table lists each level with its ZIP-code count and share.