Infrastructure Debt in Hispanic-Majority ZIP Codes — 2026
ZIP-level cross-reference of Census ACS Hispanic/Latino population data with EPA, FEMA, CDC, and ZipCheckup compound-risk metrics. 1,508 Hispanic-majority ZIP codes covering 36.5 million residents face 80% higher hidden environmental cost than the national median.
Executive summary
1,508 Hispanic-majority ZIP codes (≥50% Hispanic or Latino population per Census ACS 2019-2023) home to 36,523,435 residents face a median compound annual environmental cost of $2,470 per household — 80.3% higher than the national median of $1,370. They are also 5× more likely to face high wildfire smoke exposure than national average, with 147 ZIPs in compound 'triple cargo' status (high risk + currently-poor daily safety).
Findings
State breakdown
Top 10 states by Hispanic-majority ZIP code count, with median annual hidden cost, high-lead ZIP count (lead exposure index ≥70), and old-infrastructure ZIP count (housing pre-1980 ≥50%).
| State | Hispanic-maj. ZIPs | Population | Median cost | High lead | Old infra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 438 | 8,383,357 | $2,200 | 15 | 303 |
| CA | 387 | 12,654,566 | $3,140 | 17 | 313 |
| NM | 131 | 853,434 | $1,050 | 3 | 96 |
| FL | 95 | 3,307,948 | $7,660 | 0 | 52 |
| AZ | 57 | 1,289,372 | $2,040 | 3 | 37 |
| NJ | 41 | 1,168,953 | $4,370 | 5 | 40 |
| NY | 38 | 1,683,756 | $4,645 | 11 | 37 |
| CO | 30 | 536,237 | $990 | 1 | 22 |
| WA | 25 | 309,283 | $1,190 | 0 | 18 |
| IL | 24 | 1,067,651 | $2,332 | 17 | 24 |
Top 5 cities by Hispanic-majority high-risk concentration
Cities ranked by count of Hispanic-majority ZIP codes classified high, very high, or critical risk tier.
Top 25 Hispanic-majority ZIP codes by composite exposure
Ranked by Hispanic share × annual hidden cost. Click any ZIP to see the full home safety report.
| ZIP | State | County | % Hispanic | Population | Annual cost | Risk tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33165 | FL | Miami-Dade | 91.8% | 50,471 | $9,380 | critical |
| 33184 | FL | Miami-Dade | 92.4% | 19,618 | $8,860 | critical |
| 33175 | FL | Miami-Dade | 91.8% | 49,611 | $8,860 | critical |
| 33182 | FL | Miami-Dade | 92.3% | 12,685 | $8,710 | critical |
| 33172 | FL | Miami-Dade | 90.7% | 39,465 | $8,860 | critical |
| 33174 | FL | Miami-Dade | 85.3% | 35,056 | $9,130 | critical |
| 33193 | FL | Miami-Dade | 88% | 46,519 | $8,710 | critical |
| 33144 | FL | Miami-Dade | 93.5% | 26,288 | $8,180 | critical |
| 33012 | FL | Miami-Dade | 96.4% | 69,408 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33126 | FL | Miami-Dade | 94.9% | 47,038 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33013 | FL | Miami-Dade | 94.4% | 29,100 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33183 | FL | Miami-Dade | 84.1% | 33,811 | $8,860 | critical |
| 33010 | FL | Miami-Dade | 93.7% | 42,132 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33014 | FL | Miami-Dade | 92.3% | 40,742 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33125 | FL | Miami-Dade | 91.7% | 55,449 | $7,930 | critical |
| 33185 | FL | Miami-Dade | 84% | 29,124 | $8,530 | critical |
| 33016 | FL | Miami-Dade | 94.9% | 45,285 | $7,510 | critical |
| 33018 | FL | Miami-Dade | 93.5% | 56,395 | $7,510 | critical |
| 33196 | FL | Miami-Dade | 80.6% | 53,846 | $8,710 | critical |
| 33030 | FL | Miami-Dade | 76.1% | 35,957 | $9,130 | critical |
| 33187 | FL | Miami-Dade | 79.7% | 18,575 | $8,710 | critical |
| 33155 | FL | Miami-Dade | 84.1% | 43,133 | $8,180 | critical |
| 33173 | FL | Miami-Dade | 74.6% | 32,042 | $9,130 | critical |
| 33177 | FL | Miami-Dade | 76% | 58,097 | $8,710 | critical |
| 33166 | FL | Miami-Dade | 81.9% | 26,925 | $7,930 | critical |
Methodology
We cross-referenced 7 federal data sources by ZIP code tabulation area (ZCTA), filtered to ZIPs where Census ACS B03002 reports ≥50% Hispanic or Latino population, and computed cohort statistics versus the national baseline. Lead exposure index threshold: 70. Infrastructure-old threshold: 50% housing built before 1980. Compound risk and triple-cargo classifications come from the ZipCheckup compound-risk model and anomaly engine.
Data sources
Data frequency
Census demographics refreshed annually (5-year ACS). EPA SDWIS + LCR refreshed daily. FEMA NRI refreshed quarterly. Compound-risk and anomaly engines recomputed on every site build.
Open data
All raw federal data is mirrored to public open-data platforms with CC BY 4.0 licensing. The cohort cross-reference is reproducible from the published methodology.
Cite this report
Open data, CC BY 4.0. Attribution required.
@techreport{zipcheckup2026_infrastructure_debt_in_h,
author = {Akulov, A.},
title = {Infrastructure Debt in Hispanic-Majority ZIP Codes — 2026},
institution = {ZipCheckup},
year = {2026},
url = {https://zipcheckup.com/reports/hispanic-zip-risk-2026/},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20022133}
}
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