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Data Packs for Journalists & Researchers

Every flagship ranking is published as a self-contained data pack: a JSON endpoint (or linked source file), a 1200×630 Open Graph image suitable for social share cards and article headers, and a copy-ready embed snippet. All artifacts are free under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to ZipCheckup.

How to Use These Packs

  • For newsrooms: Drop the OG image directly into an article, credit "Data: ZipCheckup (zipcheckup.com)" in the caption, and link the full ranking page for readers who want to verify the underlying table.
  • For researchers: The JSON endpoints are the same feeds the site renders from — stable URLs, updated on the standard ZipCheckup refresh cadence (daily for violations/alerts, weekly for ECHO/CCR, monthly for Census/BLS).
  • For embargoed access or custom cuts: Email [email protected] with the publication name, expected publish date, and the specific angle. We respond within 24 hours.

Flagship Ranking Packs (2026)

Home Safety Rankings 2026 — composite

Four EPA/FEMA dimensions combined into a single 0–100 Home Safety Score across 41,344 ZIP codes. Lebanon, NE leads the worst quartile (score 0); Washington and Alaska sweep the top.

<a href="https://zipcheckup.com/rankings/home-safety-2026/">
  <img src="https://zipcheckup.com/og/rankings/home-safety-2026.png"
       width="1200" height="630" alt="Home Safety Rankings 2026 — ZipCheckup">
</a>

Highest Safety Score — safest ZIPs in America

The 100 highest-scoring ZIP codes across all four dimensions. Concentrated in Long Island suburbs (Hicksville cluster), Alexandria VA, and coastal Washington.

Air Quality Rankings 2026

28,661 ZIP codes ranked by EPA AirNow AQI. #1 (Benton CA, AQI 1,006) anchors the Mono County PM10 dust event; Kalispell MT inversion basin; Fort Collins CO Front Range.

CO & Gas Safety Rankings 2026

42,675 ZIP codes ranked on PHMSA distribution-incident data. All 25 worst-ranked ZIPs sit in Pennsylvania (Berks and Lehigh county gas-belt clusters). 25 best are split 17 NJ / 8 CT.

Earthquake Risk Rankings 2026

FEMA National Risk Index seismic score × expected loss. LA basin sweeps the top (90001–90025 all at Seismic Score 100 with $1.35B expected loss each). Cascadia and New Madrid cohorts follow.

Flood Risk Rankings 2026

26,172 ZIP codes ranked by FEMA NFIP cumulative claims. Louisiana concentration is stark — 16 of the top 25 ZIPs are in LA; Marrero (70072) leads with 17,534 claims. Jersey Shore (Beach Haven, Ocean City, Wildwood) is the secondary cluster.

Infrastructure Risk Rankings 2026

Pipe-failure probability × housing age × EPA compliance. DC's 20317 leads (81.0% risk); Brooklyn multi-ZIP cluster; Albany NY. Kissimmee FL / The Villages anchor the lowest-risk cohort.

Environmental Justice Rankings

EPA EJScreen composite — pollution burden × vulnerable-population demographics, 30,612 ZIP codes. Gulfport MS #1; Gulf South corridor; industrial Midwest (South Bend, Terre Haute); WV Ohio River band.

Highest Energy Costs

All 100 top-ranked ZIPs are Hawaii at 39.8¢/kWh (#1 = 96701 Aiea, HI). National median: 15.9¢/kWh. Cheapest tier = PNW hydro, TVA territory, wind-driven TX.

Highest Radon Risk

EPA radon zones × measured indoor radon. Upper Midwest glacial till (IA 1,056 ZIPs, MN 731, ND 400), Reading Prong (PA 1,596, NY 1,161), Rocky Mountain uranium corridor.

Per-ZIP Badge (for any article)

Drop a live Home Safety Score badge next to any ZIP mention in an article. The badge fetches the current grade from our edge and is ~2 KB. Full configuration tool: https://zipcheckup.com/tools/embed-badge/.

<!-- Shield format — 200×240 -->
<a href="https://zipcheckup.com/report/10001/">
  <img src="https://zipcheckup.com/badge/10001.svg"
       width="200" height="240" alt="ZipCheckup Home Safety Grade for ZIP 10001">
</a>

<!-- Horizontal banner — 240×56 -->
<a href="https://zipcheckup.com/report/10001/">
  <img src="https://zipcheckup.com/badge/10001-embed.svg"
       width="240" height="56" alt="ZipCheckup Home Safety Grade for ZIP 10001">
</a>

Per-ZIP OG Image (for article share cards)

Every ZIP has an auto-generated Open Graph image showing the Home Safety Score, grade, and EPA violation counts — suitable as a Twitter/Facebook card when the article is shared.

<meta property="og:image" content="https://zipcheckup.com/og/10001.png">

Images are generated on demand, cached 7 days at the edge.

Other Data Endpoints

Endpoint Description
/api/rankings-2026.json Full composite Home Safety rankings, all 41,344 ZIPs
/api/infrastructure-risk.json Pipe-failure probability per ZIP
/api/lead-risk-data.json Lead service line risk scores
/api/lead-exposure-scores.json Childhood lead exposure composite
/api/pfas-map.json PFAS detection map (UCMR5 + state monitoring)
/api/climate-forecast.json NOAA-derived climate projections per ZIP
/api/children-env-health.json EPA ACE children's environmental health
/api/cost-estimates.json Remediation cost model output
/api/water-rates-by-city.json Water utility rates (EIA)
/api/city-data.json City-level aggregated data
/api/badge-eligible.json ZIP list eligible for badge embeds

All endpoints are JSON, served with Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * for browser use, cached 24 hours at the edge.

Citation Format

Inline: Data: ZipCheckup (zipcheckup.com).

Longer attribution (recommended for data visualizations or derived analyses):

Data: ZipCheckup, Home Safety Rankings 2026 (accessed [DATE]), zipcheckup.com/rankings/home-safety-2026/. Underlying datasets: EPA SDWIS, EPA LCR, FEMA NFIP, EPA radon zones. Licensed CC BY 4.0.

Academic / formal:

Akulov, A. (2026). ZipCheckup Home Safety Rankings 2026 [Data set]. ZipCheckup. https://zipcheckup.com/rankings/home-safety-2026/

Methodology & Limitations

Every ranking ships with its full methodology — data cut-offs, tie-breaking rules, refresh cadence, and known limitations. See Rankings Methodology v1.0 before quoting any specific grade in print. We actively want methodology linked in journalism — it makes the numbers reproducible for the reader.

Embargo, Custom Cuts & Exclusive Angles

Email [email protected] with:

  • Publication name
  • Working headline / story angle
  • Expected publish date
  • The specific cut you need (metro area, state, county, specific vertical)

Response within 24 hours. Standard embargo template is in the Press Kit.

License

All ZipCheckup ranking tables, scores, grades, and aggregate data are published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Underlying source records (EPA, FEMA, Census, NOAA, PHMSA, etc.) are public domain. The scoring, enrichment, and presentation layers are the CC BY 4.0 work.