EPA/State Comparative Maps & Dashboards Home

Key Links

The performance and trends area of ECHO focuses on environmental compliance and enforcement trends on a state and national level. The EPA/State Comparative Maps provide a quick cross country look at key environmental compliance and enforcement indicators. These maps link to EPA/State Dashboards that provide details over time by state/territory.

Data shown in the EPA/ State Comparative Maps and Dashboards reflect current EPA required reporting and may not reflect the full state of noncompliance or activities in the regulated universe (see State Compliance Monitoring Expectations). State environmental agencies may have more information on noncompliance and activities within their state. See links to Health and Environmental Agencies of U.S. States and Territories for more information.

State performance is a complex and difficult matter to analyze and explain. Data alone cannot provide a complete picture of performance. Many states have issues with data completeness and accuracy, and without investigation and program knowledge, data can be misleading or misinterpreted. Often, there is important context around data that must be taken into account to provide an accurate picture. For example, not all activities and violations may be reported, some states are not authorized to run programs, current year data may still be in the process of being reported, and states may have alternative inspection plans. EPA uses data, like the information here, as a starting point for assessing state performance, but not as the sole measure of performance. More in-depth program reviews (see State Review Framework Reports) are used to identify needed state program improvements. While file reviews and management discussions can add to our understanding, the many layers of context and information make it difficult to portray performance in a consistent and transparent way.

On this page:

 Beneficial Uses of the EPA/State Comparative Maps & Dashboards

A dashboard is a data interface designed for easy reading. It allows multiple metrics to be monitored and displayed at a summary level, while offering the supporting data at a more granular level. The dashboards on the ECHO website are specialized to track both facility and agency performance as they relate to compliance with and enforcement of environmental standards and support EPA's transparency efforts. The dashboards in ECHO include charts, tables, and links to additional information and can be tailored by users based on their preferences.

 Overview of the Data Presented on the EPA/State Comparative Maps & Dashboards

The data on the dashboards are presented as a national view or by state or territory. The most recent ten-year trend is always displayed. The fiscal year refers to the federal fiscal year, October 1 to September 30. Data for the current fiscal year in progress are shown as “year-to-date,” while data from the previous fiscal years are complete. Please note that the current year's data are updated weekly for Air, Hazardous Waste, and Water and updated quarterly, with a three-month lag, for Drinking Water. The specific data sources and programs for each dashboard are listed on the individual help pages.

Related Topics

For more information about each program, visit the dashboard and comparative map help pages:

View the training webinar about EPA/State Dashboards.

 EPA/State Comparative Maps & Dashboards Caveats

Activities: Data shown in the EPA/State Dashboards are based on data reported to EPA and may not reflect all compliance monitoring/inspections, enforcement, or the full extent of noncompliance within a state. State environmental agencies may have more information on activities and noncompliance within their state on their agency websites. See links to Health and Environmental Agencies of U.S. States and Territories for more information.

Current year: The most recent federal fiscal year may not show a complete dataset because it has not yet been verified or the year is not completed.

Authorization: Some states and territories do not have authorization/delegation to enforce some or all of the regulations implemented under the CAA, CWA, SDWA, FIFRA, or RCRA. In these instances, it may appear that no compliance monitoring or enforcement activities, or significantly fewer activities when compared to other agencies, were conducted by a state, territorial, or local agency.

As an example, if a user were to select "Iowa" under the "Activity State" Filter button in the EPA/State Hazardous Waste Dashboard, they would see that "State" is greyed out under the Filter button for "Lead Agency." This is because Iowa is not authorized to implement the RCRA Hazardous Waste program. However, EPA "Lead Agency" activities can be seen in the dashboard because EPA directly administers these Federal environmental regulations in states/territories that do not have authorization.

To learn more about authorization of certain regulatory programs in the states, territories, and tribes, users of the EPA/State Comparative Maps and Dashboards are encouraged to review the following resources: