Home Safety Score
Get a comprehensive safety grade for your ZIP code based on 10 risk categories — water quality, lead, radon, flood, air quality, and more.
- Composite safety score across 10 risk categories (water quality, lead, radon, flood, air quality, and more)
- Category-level breakdown showing which risks are elevated
- Prioritized action plan with specific steps to reduce your household risk
What Is the Home Safety Score?
The Home Safety Score is a 0-100 composite rating that evaluates your ZIP code across 10 environmental and infrastructure risk categories. It combines data from the EPA, FEMA, CDC, USGS, Census Bureau, and other federal sources into a single, easy-to-understand grade.
How Grades Work
| Grade | Score | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| A | 80-100 | Excellent — your area scores above most U.S. ZIP codes across all categories |
| B | 65-79 | Good — minor risks in 1-2 categories worth monitoring |
| C | 50-64 | Fair — moderate risks in several categories deserve attention |
| D | 35-49 | Below average — multiple elevated risk categories, action recommended |
| F | 0-34 | Poor — significant risks across multiple categories, immediate action recommended |
Risk Breakdown by Category
Your Action Plan
Score Category Weights
How Your Score Is Calculated
The Home Safety Score combines eight weighted risk categories into a single 0–100 composite. Each category is scored independently using federal data (EPA, FEMA, CDC, USGS, Census Bureau), then weighted by its potential health impact. A higher weight means that category has a greater influence on your final score. The weights were calibrated using CDC health-outcome data and peer-reviewed environmental epidemiology studies.
| Category | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Water Quality | 25% | EPA violation history, contaminant detections, health-based violations |
| Lead Risk | 20% | 90th-percentile lead levels, lead service line inventory, housing age |
| Radon | 15% | EPA radon zone classification (Zone 1 = highest risk, >4 pCi/L) |
| Flood | 10% | FEMA flood insurance claims density and flood zone designations |
| Wildfire | 10% | USFS Wildfire Hazard Potential classification |
| Earthquake | 5% | USGS peak ground acceleration probability |
| Infrastructure | 10% | Median year built (Census ACS), pipe material, system age |
| Mold | 5% | CDC climate data (humidity, precipitation) combined with housing age |
Categories like PFAS detection, air quality (AQI), and contaminant count act as penalty modifiers: they reduce the composite score when thresholds are exceeded but do not carry a fixed weight in the base calculation.
Score Ranges & What They Mean
Your composite score maps to a letter grade. Each range reflects how your ZIP code compares to national benchmarks across all weighted categories.
All major categories score well below concern thresholds. Clean water, low natural disaster exposure, modern infrastructure. No immediate action needed.
Most categories are at or below national averages. One or two areas may warrant monitoring. Consider targeted improvements for any flagged categories.
Moderate risks in several categories. Water testing, radon kits, or flood insurance may be appropriate. Review the category breakdown and prioritize the lowest-scoring areas.
Multiple elevated risk categories. Action is recommended: test your water, check for radon, and review your flood zone designation. Filtration and mitigation can meaningfully reduce household exposure.
Significant risks across multiple categories. Immediate attention recommended. Common in areas with aging infrastructure, active EPA violations, and high natural hazard exposure. Professional inspection advised.
How Your ZIP Compares
Home Safety Scores are calculated relative to national averages across all 41,000+ U.S. ZIP codes in our database. The national average score is approximately 67 out of 100 (Grade C), meaning the typical American ZIP code has moderate but manageable risks in at least two or three categories.
A score above 67 means your area outperforms the national baseline. A score below 67 means one or more risk categories are pulling your composite down. The percentile bar shown with your results tells you exactly where your ZIP ranks: a 75th-percentile score means your area is safer than 75% of all ZIP codes evaluated.
Keep in mind that regional patterns exist. Coastal ZIP codes tend to score lower on flood risk, western ZIPs on wildfire, and older industrial cities on lead and infrastructure. No single category determines your grade — it is the weighted combination that matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Home Safety Score?
A score of 80-100 (Grade A) means your ZIP code scores above most U.S. areas across all risk categories. Scores of 65-79 (Grade B) are good with minor risks worth monitoring. Below 50 indicates multiple elevated risk categories where action is recommended.
How often is the data updated?
The underlying data comes from federal agencies (EPA, FEMA, CDC, USGS, Census) that publish updates on varying schedules. EPA water violation data is updated quarterly. FEMA flood data is updated annually. Census housing data follows the American Community Survey release cycle. Our system pulls the latest available data from each source.
Can I improve my Home Safety Score?
The score reflects area-level conditions for your ZIP code, not your individual home. You cannot change the score itself, but you can address the specific risks it identifies. For example, if lead exposure is flagged, installing a certified water filter directly reduces your household risk even though the area-level data remains the same.
How is the score different from individual tools?
The Home Safety Score aggregates 10 risk categories into one composite grade. Individual tools (Lead Risk, Radon Risk, Water Filter Matcher, etc.) go deeper into a single topic with more detailed data, visualizations, and specific recommendations. Start with the Home Safety Score for an overview, then use individual tools to investigate flagged risks.
Can realtors and homebuyers use this for due diligence?
Yes. The Home Safety Score is commonly used by homebuyers evaluating properties and by real estate professionals providing disclosure information. The score covers environmental risks, infrastructure age, natural disaster exposure, and water quality that are difficult to assess from a standard home inspection.
Data Sources & Methodology
Data Sources
- EPA SDWIS — Water system violations, contaminant detections, and compliance history
- EPA Lead & Copper Data — 90th percentile lead levels from utility tap water testing
- EPA Radon Zone Map — County-level radon zone classifications (Zone 1-3)
- FEMA Flood Data — Flood zone designations and historical insurance claim density
- CDC Environmental Health Tracking — Air quality indices, health outcome data, and environmental exposure metrics
- USGS Seismic Hazard Data — Peak ground acceleration probabilities by location
- U.S. Census ACS — Housing age, infrastructure vintage, and community demographics
Methodology
Each of 10 risk categories is scored 0-10 using federal data benchmarked against national distributions. Scores are weighted by health impact severity and combined into a 0-100 composite grade. Letter grades (A-F) correspond to percentile ranges against all U.S. ZIP codes. Category weights: water quality (15%), lead exposure (12%), flood risk (12%), air quality (12%), radon (10%), infrastructure age (10%), with remaining categories at 5-8% each.