Updated 2026-07-13

Is your beach safe to swim?

BeachGrade turns EPA beach-monitoring data into a plain A–F Beach Safety Grade for 3,000 monitored U.S. beaches — so you can see which ones flag swim advisories most often before you pack the car.

8,447

Beaches tracked

3,000

Graded on water quality

States & territories

352

Beaches graded F

Beaches that flag advisories most

Where bacteria samples exceeded the safe-swimming limit most often over the monitored period. A high rate doesn’t mean it’s unsafe today — check the current advisory — but it flags beaches worth a second look.

Cleanest monitored beaches

McFaddin Nwr

Jefferson County, Texas · 2% over limit A

City Of South Padre Island

Cameron County, Texas · 0.2% over limit A

Sanibel Causeway Beach

Lee County, Florida · 0.6% over limit A

San Clemente City Beach - Picod

Orange County, California · 1.1% over limit A

Boca Chica State Park

Cameron County, Texas · 1.1% over limit A

Laguna Beach - Victrau

Orange County, California · 2.8% over limit A

Emerald Bay - Olb10

Orange County, California · 2.6% over limit A

Ocean City Beach 2

Worcester County, Maryland · 1% over limit

Browse beaches by state

All states →

Washington

1,468 beaches · 124 graded

New Jersey

1,398 beaches · 288 graded

Michigan

978 beaches · 203 graded

Massachusetts

647 beaches · 326 graded

Florida

551 beaches · 338 graded

Hawaii

448 beaches · 119 graded

California

416 beaches · 245 graded

New York

403 beaches · 257 graded

North Carolina

307 beaches · 170 graded

Wisconsin

219 beaches · 119 graded

Alaska

204 beaches · 11 graded

Texas

169 beaches · 66 graded

Rhode Island

129 beaches · 53 graded

Maine

104 beaches · 53 graded

Minnesota

93 beaches · 52 graded

Oregon

92 beaches · 29 graded

Northern Mariana Islands

87 beaches · 0 graded

Maryland

80 beaches · 66 graded

Connecticut

78 beaches · 71 graded

Illinois

63 beaches · 39 graded

Ohio

62 beaches · 53 graded

Virginia

52 beaches · 44 graded

American Samoa

50 beaches · 0 graded

U.S. Virgin Islands

44 beaches · 42 graded

Georgia

42 beaches · 21 graded

Puerto Rico

37 beaches · 35 graded

Indiana

35 beaches · 23 graded

Guam

33 beaches · 30 graded

Louisiana

30 beaches · 19 graded

Delaware

25 beaches · 24 graded

South Carolina

24 beaches · 17 graded

Mississippi

24 beaches · 19 graded

Alabama

24 beaches · 22 graded

New Hampshire

17 beaches · 14 graded

Pennsylvania

14 beaches · 8 graded

Know before you go

Beach water-quality updates and swim-advisory alerts, by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

How BeachGrade works

Frequently Asked Questions

Each beach gets an A–F Beach Safety Grade based on the share of bacteria samples that exceeded the EPA Beach Action Value over multiple years. Beaches whose water rarely crosses the safe-swimming threshold score an A; those that frequently exceed it score a D or F. Grades use only real public monitoring data from the EPA Water Quality Portal and BEACON program.

High levels of fecal-indicator bacteria — Enterococcus at saltwater beaches, E. coli at freshwater and Great Lakes beaches. When bacteria exceed the Beach Action Value (about 104–235 CFU/100 mL), water managers post a swimming advisory because the risk of gastrointestinal and other illness rises. Levels spike after heavy rain, which flushes runoff into the water.

No. The grade reflects a beach’s multi-year track record; a current advisory reflects today. A beach can have a good grade and still be under a temporary advisory after a storm. Always check the official state or county advisory the day you plan to swim.