Updated August 2026

US beaches that exceed bacteria limits most often

Pleasure Beach-Bridgeport in Fairfield County, Connecticut currently sits at the top — Grade F, 95.4% of samples over the EPA limit across 414 results. 486 graded beaches earn a D and 352 earn an F. The top 50 span 7 states, led by Florida with 17. A high rate flags a pattern, not a same-day closure.

#	Grade	Beach	State	County	% over limit	Samples
1	F	Pleasure Beach-Bridgeport	Connecticut	Fairfield	95.4%	414
2	F	Mission Bay, De Anza Cove - Mb-070	California	San Diego	94.7%	113
3	F	Belleair Beach - Morgan Drive	Florida	Pinellas	92.2%	128
4	F	Seabright Beach	Connecticut	Fairfield	91.4%	255
5	F	Tecolote Shores - Mb-041	California	San Diego	91.3%	115
6	F	Shell Road Access #1	Florida	Sarasota	89.7%	136
7	F	Seaside Park Beach	Connecticut	Fairfield	87.8%	246
8	F	Imperial Beach Municipal Beach, Other - Ib-050	California	San Diego	84.9%	4,015
9	F	Walnut Beach	Connecticut	New Haven	83.4%	229
10	F	Honeymoon Island Causeway (South)	Florida	Pinellas	83.2%	416
11	F	Coronado Cays (Nr) - EH-576	California	San Diego	82.7%	2,114
12	F	Ben T. Davis North	Florida	Hillsborough	82.4%	1,095
13	F	Harbor Island Beach	New York	Westchester	81.9%	226
14	F	Mission Bay, Riviera Shores - Mb-111	California	San Diego	81.3%	75
15	F	Bayside Park	California	San Diego	78.8%	156
16	F	Bird Key Park A.K.A Ringling Causeway	Florida	Sarasota	78.6%	1,099
17	F	Spanish Landing Park - EH-160	California	San Diego	76.7%	60
18	F	Coconut Point Park	Florida	Brevard	76.3%	97
19	F	Dunedin Marina Beach	Florida	Pinellas	76.2%	210
20	F	Mission Bay, Ventura Cove - Mb-223	California	San Diego	75.7%	226
21	F	Coronado North Beach - EH-060	California	San Diego	74.6%	3,125
22	F	Compo Beach	Connecticut	Fairfield	74.2%	233
23	F	Leucadia - EH-435	California	San Diego	72.4%	221
24	F	Mission Bay, North Pacific Passage - Mb-042	California	San Diego	72.1%	222
25	F	Silver Strand State Beach - Ib-068	California	San Diego	71.3%	1,076
26	F	Siesta Key Public Beach	Florida	Sarasota	70.2%	114
27	F	Collins Cove	Massachusetts	Essex	69.7%	66
28	F	Courtney Campbell Causeway	Florida	Pinellas	68.7%	460
29	F	Southport Beach	Connecticut	Fairfield	65.5%	458
30	F	Sandy Beach (Danvers)	Massachusetts	Essex	65.1%	109
31	F	Burying Hill Beach	Connecticut	Fairfield	64.6%	161
32	F	Oceanside Harbor - Riv San Luis Rey	California	San Diego	64%	683
33	F	Eastern Point Beach	Connecticut	New London	63.1%	179
34	F	Treasure Island Beach	Florida	Pinellas	62.8%	188
35	F	Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge - Ib-040	California	San Diego	62.5%	2,561
36	F	Carlsbad State Beach - EH-460	California	San Diego	61.8%	319
37	F	Des Moines Marina	Washington	King	61.1%	72
38	F	White	Massachusetts	Essex	60.8%	102
39	F	Mission Bay, San Juan Cove - Mb-140	California	San Diego	60.7%	61
40	F	Willow Avenue	Massachusetts	Essex	60.6%	66
41	F	Redfish Point	Florida	Santa Rosa	60.4%	96
42	F	5th Avenue South Beach	Florida	Collier	59.8%	224
43	F	Dane Street	Massachusetts	Essex	59.8%	92
44	F	Canova Beach Park	Florida	Brevard	58.4%	154
45	F	George English Park	Florida	Broward	57.1%	1,650
46	F	Brackenbury	Massachusetts	Essex	57.1%	84
47	F	Private Shoreline Beach-East Arm S/W Corner	Michigan	Grand Traverse	56.8%	361
48	F	Stickney Point Access #12	Florida	Sarasota	55.9%	118
49	F	Venice Public Beach	Florida	Sarasota	55.7%	230
50	F	17th Avenue South Beach	Florida	Collier	55.4%	260

Grade labels: Excellent (A) through Failing (F). A letter is a multi-year bacteria record, not a same-day swim clearance.

The inverse list — beaches whose samples almost never cross the limit — is the cleanest beaches in the US. State-by-state rankings live under beaches by state.

States on this list

Frequently Asked Questions

Pleasure Beach-Bridgeport in Fairfield County, Connecticut currently ranks first, with 95.4% of 414 samples over the EPA Beach Action Value (Grade F).

It means a large share of routine bacteria samples came back above the Beach Action Value — the threshold at which water managers typically post a swimming advisory. A Grade F beach exceeds that limit a large share of the time across the monitored years. It does not mean the water is unsafe every day.

Of 3,000 graded beaches, 486 earn a D and 352 earn an F. This table shows the 50 high-confidence records with the highest exceedance rates.

A high exceedance rate is a planning signal, not a permanent closure. Many of these beaches are under advisory more often after rain or near storm-drain outfalls. Check the official advisory the day you go, and prefer open, well-flushed water after storms.

Know before you go

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