State ranking · Share of city reports with PFAS above the federal limit
PFAS in Tap Water by State: Share of Cities Above the Limit (2026)
50 states ranked by share of city reports with pfas above the federal limit, from public EPA records (EPA UCMR 5 (2024)). Updated 2026-09-24. It ranks the published record, not which water is safest.
A ranking is not a safety verdict
This compares one published measure across states. It does not summarize everything about a place, and it is not the water at a household tap.
Snapshot 2026-09-24 · cutoff EPA UCMR 5 (2024) A snapshot is immutable: its ordering belongs to the stated date, data cutoff, methodology, and exclusions.
Methodology and limitations
How this snapshot is built
For each state, the share of PurityMap city reports where at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) was measured above its 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing. States are ordered by that share, highest first, then by count.
Reading the order
UCMR 5 sampled larger public systems; a state share reflects the cities on record, not every private well or small system. Levels at a tap depend on the local supplier and plumbing.
Exclusions
1 excluded. States with fewer than 4 city reports on record are excluded rather than shown with an unstable percentage.
The rankingEach row links to its full report. Rows appear in the snapshot’s published order: a comparison of one measure (share of city reports with pfas above the federal limit), not an overall safety order.
| # | State | Share of city reports with PFAS above the federal limit | On record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey140 city reports | 63% (88 of 140) | 88 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 2 | Delaware9 city reports | 56% (5 of 9) | 5 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 3 | Connecticut20 city reports | 55% (11 of 20) | 11 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 4 | Florida182 city reports | 49% (90 of 182) | 90 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 5 | South Carolina73 city reports | 48% (35 of 73) | 35 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 6 | North Carolina127 city reports | 45% (57 of 127) | 57 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 7 | New Hampshire16 city reports | 44% (7 of 16) | 7 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 8 | Massachusetts166 city reports | 42% (69 of 166) | 69 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 9 | Alabama129 city reports | 36% (47 of 129) | 47 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 10 | Rhode Island14 city reports | 36% (5 of 14) | 5 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 11 | Pennsylvania99 city reports | 32% (32 of 99) | 32 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 12 | Nevada14 city reports | 29% (4 of 14) | 4 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 13 | West Virginia19 city reports | 26% (5 of 19) | 5 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 14 | California342 city reports | 25% (87 of 342) | 87 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 15 | Alaska4 city reports | 25% (1 of 4) | 1 city above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 16 | Georgia121 city reports | 25% (30 of 121) | 30 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 17 | Nebraska15 city reports | 20% (3 of 15) | 3 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 18 | Arizona36 city reports | 19% (7 of 36) | 7 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 19 | Texas363 city reports | 18% (67 of 363) | 67 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 20 | Maine11 city reports | 18% (2 of 11) | 2 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 21 | New York123 city reports | 17% (21 of 123) | 21 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 22 | Ohio115 city reports | 17% (19 of 115) | 19 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 23 | Tennessee147 city reports | 16% (24 of 147) | 24 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 24 | Iowa37 city reports | 16% (6 of 37) | 6 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 25 | Oklahoma44 city reports | 16% (7 of 44) | 7 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 26 | Washington115 city reports | 15% (17 of 115) | 17 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 27 | Maryland29 city reports | 14% (4 of 29) | 4 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 28 | Virginia61 city reports | 13% (8 of 61) | 8 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 29 | Minnesota93 city reports | 13% (12 of 93) | 12 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 30 | Indiana72 city reports | 13% (9 of 72) | 9 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 31 | Kentucky75 city reports | 12% (9 of 75) | 9 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 32 | New Mexico29 city reports | 10% (3 of 29) | 3 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 33 | Montana10 city reports | 10% (1 of 10) | 1 city above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 34 | Oregon66 city reports | 9% (6 of 66) | 6 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 35 | Louisiana67 city reports | 9% (6 of 67) | 6 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 36 | Wisconsin95 city reports | 8% (8 of 95) | 8 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 37 | Wyoming13 city reports | 8% (1 of 13) | 1 city above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 38 | Colorado94 city reports | 7% (7 of 94) | 7 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 39 | Kansas30 city reports | 7% (2 of 30) | 2 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 40 | South Dakota15 city reports | 7% (1 of 15) | 1 city above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 41 | Illinois193 city reports | 5% (10 of 193) | 10 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 42 | Missouri63 city reports | 5% (3 of 63) | 3 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 43 | Idaho21 city reports | 5% (1 of 21) | 1 city above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 44 | Mississippi44 city reports | 5% (2 of 44) | 2 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 45 | Utah66 city reports | 3% (2 of 66) | 2 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 46 | Michigan131 city reports | 2% (2 of 131) | 2 cities above the federal PFAS limit | |
| 47 | Arkansas53 city reports | 0% (0 of 53) | No city above the PFAS limit in 2024 testing | |
| 48 | Vermont8 city reports | 0% (0 of 8) | No city above the PFAS limit in 2024 testing | |
| 49 | North Dakota8 city reports | 0% (0 of 8) | No city above the PFAS limit in 2024 testing | |
| 50 | Hawaii11 city reports | 0% (0 of 11) | No city above the PFAS limit in 2024 testing |
Comparable does not mean complete.
This ranking compares states on one measure. It never replaces a full system report, a city-resolution check, or a certified household test, and missing monitoring is excluded, never scored as favorable.