PlainCompare
Home / Rankings /

Cleanest Environment by State

Ranked by number of EPA Superfund sites. Fewer is better.

Top 15 cleanest states by EPA Superfund sites

EPA Superfund National Priorities List site count, fewer is cleaner

  1. 1
    American Samoa 1 sites
  2. 2
    District of Columbia 1 sites
  3. 3
    Northern Mariana Islands 1 sites
  4. 4
    Guam 2 sites
  5. 5
    Nevada 2 sites
  6. 6
    North Dakota 2 sites
  7. 7
    U.S. Virgin Islands 2 sites
  8. 8
    Wyoming 3 sites
  9. 9
    Hawaii 4 sites
  10. 10
    South Dakota 4 sites
  11. 11
    Alaska 9 sites
  12. 12
    Idaho 12 sites
  13. 13
    Arizona 13 sites
  14. 14
    Rhode Island 13 sites
  15. 15
    Mississippi 14 sites

Source EPA ECHO, Superfund National Priorities List

The bar to make this list

Superfund site count across all 56 ranked states

14 Among the most affordable more affordable than 73% of 56 US states

0–20: 24 US states (43%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 17 US states (30%). Above this entry. 40–60: 7 US states (13%). Above this entry. 60–80: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. #15 cutoff 0 160 every ranked state, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EPA ECHO, Superfund National Priorities List

# State Superfund Sites EPA Facilities Water Violations
1 American Samoa 1 1 293
2 District of Columbia 1 12 38
3 Northern Mariana Islands 1 8 168
4 Guam 2 10 12
5 Nevada 2 186 1,021
6 North Dakota 2 104 185
7 U.S. Virgin Islands 2 8 108
8 Wyoming 3 78 730
9 Hawaii 4 38 31
10 South Dakota 4 124 1,217
11 Alaska 9 57 4,843
12 Idaho 12 135 2,331
13 Arizona 13 355 5,259
14 Rhode Island 13 93 192
15 Mississippi 14 383 2,079
16 Vermont 14 44 1,111
17 West Virginia 14 207 2,508
18 Alabama 16 661 538
19 Maine 16 96 832
20 Arkansas 17 428 5,952
21 Connecticut 17 312 801
22 Oklahoma 18 485 29,177
23 Montana 19 79 1,604
24 Nebraska 19 233 2,305
25 Kansas 20 403 3,819
26 Kentucky 20 489 1,864
27 New Mexico 21 111 8,034
28 Oregon 21 335 2,683
29 New Hampshire 22 147 1,444
30 Georgia 23 867 2,771
31 Colorado 24 316 5,561
32 Utah 24 246 1,172
33 Iowa 25 546 742
34 Delaware 26 65 160
35 Maryland 26 210 556
36 Puerto Rico 26 121 2,862
37 Tennessee 26 740 1,192
38 Louisiana 29 467 14,536
39 South Carolina 34 660 720
40 Virginia 35 520 1,933
41 Missouri 39 621 6,737
42 Massachusetts 41 461 1,140
43 North Carolina 42 924 3,120
44 Wisconsin 46 991 2,317
45 Minnesota 49 592 1,033
46 Ohio 50 1,546 1,500
47 Indiana 53 1,028 1,514
48 Illinois 56 1,145 3,029
49 Washington 69 367 2,879
50 Texas 70 2,342 35,693
51 Florida 81 864 2,736
52 Michigan 90 918 1,120
53 California 116 1,426 17,705
54 New York 122 697 5,536
55 Pennsylvania 127 1,261 5,292
56 New Jersey 153 423 1,206

Source: EPA ECHO, Superfund National Priorities List