Millions of people in the United States live within a short walk or drive of fossil fuel infrastructure that they may barely notice, yet that proximity can quietly shape their health and daily lives. A growing body of research now estimates that nearly 47 million Americans reside within a mile of wells, refineries, storage tanks, or other facilities tied to oil and gas. I want to unpack what that number really means, who is most affected, and why these largely hidden sites are emerging as a central public health and environmental justice concern.
The scale of a hidden fossil fuel footprint
The headline figure is stark: nearly 47 million Americans live close enough to fossil fuel infrastructure that emissions, leaks, and routine operations could influence the air they breathe and the water they drink. That estimate comes from a nationwide analysis that mapped residential locations against a sprawling network of wells, refineries, pipelines, compressor stations, and storage sites, then counted how many people fall within a one mile radius of at least one of those facilities. The result is a portrait of a country where fossil fuel operations are not confined to remote oil fields or offshore platforms but are instead woven into the same landscapes as homes, schools, and workplaces.
Researchers describe this network as both vast and often unseen, because many of the facilities are small, scattered, or tucked behind fences and tree lines that make them easy to overlook in daily life. Yet the analysis shows that more than 14 percent of the population in the contiguous United States lives within that one mile buffer, a share that translates into tens of millions of people whose exposure risk is shaped by where energy infrastructure was built long before they arrived. One summary of the work notes that a nationwide analysis uncovered how this infrastructure sits surprisingly close to millions of Americans, underscoring how deeply fossil fuels are embedded in the country’s physical and social geography.
How researchers mapped who lives within 1.6 km
To move beyond anecdotes and local case studies, researchers needed a systematic way to measure who lives near fossil fuel sites and how close those homes actually are. A team led by the School of Public Health approached this by combining detailed facility databases with high resolution population data, then calculating how many people live within 1.6 km of at least one piece of fossil fuel infrastructure. That 1.6 km threshold, which corresponds to roughly one mile, became the core metric for estimating potential exposure to emissions and other hazards from nearby operations.
The study, described as a first time look at populations living within that 1.6 km radius, relied on geospatial analysis to overlay infrastructure locations with census based population counts, allowing the researchers to identify not just the total number of people affected but also patterns by region, race, and income. According to a summary published on Nov 16, 2025, the work was led by experts at the School of Public Health who specialize in environmental health and spatial epidemiology, and it framed the 1.6 km buffer as a conservative distance within which pollutants from routine operations and accidental releases are likely to travel. One overview notes that a new study led by School of Public Health researchers offered this first time look at populations living within 1.6 km of fossil fuel infrastructure, grounding the national conversation in hard numbers rather than guesswork.
What counts as fossil fuel infrastructure
When people picture fossil fuel facilities, they often think of towering refinery stacks or offshore drilling platforms, but the infrastructure that shapes exposure risk is far more varied and dispersed. The analysis that identified nearly 47 million Americans living within a mile of fossil fuel sites included oil and gas wells, refineries, processing plants, compressor stations, storage tanks, and transportation hubs that move fuels by pipeline, rail, or ship. Each of these facility types can release different mixtures of pollutants, from volatile organic compounds and sulfur dioxide to fine particulate matter and hazardous air toxics, and the cumulative effect of living near several facilities at once can be greater than the impact of any single site.
Researchers also emphasized that many of these installations are relatively small or visually unobtrusive, which is part of why they are described as hidden. A single well pad tucked behind a subdivision, a tank farm on the edge of a small town, or a compressor station along a rural highway may not draw much attention, yet each can contribute to local air and noise pollution. A detailed summary of the work notes that the analysis cataloged a wide range of infrastructure types, including refining and transportation facilities, and found that more than 20 million people live near those particular operations. That figure appears in a report explaining that More than 20 million are estimated to live near refining and transportation sites, highlighting how exposure risks extend well beyond drilling fields.
Health hazards linked to living within a mile
Living within a mile of fossil fuel infrastructure is not just a cartographic curiosity, it is a public health concern rooted in decades of research on air pollution and toxic exposures. Facilities that extract, process, or transport oil and gas can emit a mix of pollutants that have been linked to respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, adverse birth outcomes, and certain cancers. When researchers mapped the 1.6 km buffer around these sites, they were effectively drawing a circle within which residents are more likely to encounter elevated levels of those pollutants, whether through chronic low level emissions or occasional leaks and flares.
The School of Public Health team framed their findings in terms of potential exposure to health hazards, emphasizing that the nearly 47 million people living within that one mile radius are not all experiencing the same risk but are part of a population that warrants closer monitoring and targeted protections. Their analysis pointed to specific pollutants of concern, including compounds that can irritate the lungs, trigger asthma attacks, and contribute to long term cardiovascular stress. A summary of the research explains that the study offered a first time national estimate of populations living within 1.6 km of fossil fuel infrastructure and highlighted the potential for exposure to harmful emissions near some of these facilities, a point underscored in the description that nearly 47 million Americans could potentially be exposed to health hazards because they live within a mile of such infrastructure.
Unequal burdens and environmental justice
The national numbers are striking on their own, but the distribution of risk is even more telling. The analysis found that certain communities, particularly low income neighborhoods and communities of color, are more likely to live within the 1.6 km buffer around fossil fuel sites. This pattern reflects decades of land use decisions, zoning practices, and infrastructure siting choices that have concentrated industrial facilities in areas with less political power and fewer resources to resist new projects. As a result, the health burdens associated with fossil fuel emissions are not evenly shared but fall disproportionately on people who already face other social and economic stressors.
Researchers at the School of Public Health and affiliated institutes have framed these findings squarely in the context of environmental justice, arguing that any policy response must account for who is most exposed, not just how many people are affected overall. Their work shows that the same communities that have long lived near highways, landfills, and other polluting facilities are also more likely to be surrounded by fossil fuel infrastructure, compounding the cumulative impact on health. A detailed description of the project notes that the analysis was supported by experts at the Institute for Global Sustainability and that it highlighted how vulnerable populations are clustered near some of these facilities, a point captured in the summary that a new study led by School of Public Health researchers and the Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) documented these disparities.
Why so many sites stay out of sight
One reason the scale of this issue has remained underappreciated is that much of the infrastructure in question is physically and psychologically easy to ignore. Wells may be located on private land behind locked gates, compressor stations can be tucked into wooded lots, and storage tanks often sit on the industrial edges of towns that residents rarely visit. Over time, these facilities become part of the background, especially in regions where oil and gas development has been present for generations, and their presence can fade from public debate even as new homes and schools are built nearby.
The nationwide analysis that identified nearly 47 million people living near fossil fuel sites sought to cut through that invisibility by systematically cataloging facilities and mapping their proximity to homes. The researchers described the resulting network as sprawling and often hidden, a phrase that captures both the physical dispersion of sites and the lack of public awareness about how close they are to everyday life. A summary of the work notes that a nationwide analysis has uncovered how sprawling fossil fuel infrastructure sits surprisingly close to millions of Americans, suggesting that the first step toward addressing the associated health risks is simply making the full footprint visible.
Pollutants and pathways from facilities to front doors
Understanding the health stakes of living near fossil fuel infrastructure requires a closer look at what actually travels from these sites into surrounding neighborhoods. Facilities can release a mix of gases and particles during normal operations, including methane, benzene, toluene, and fine particulate matter, as well as sulfur and nitrogen compounds that contribute to smog and acid rain. Accidental releases, flaring events, and maintenance activities can add short term spikes in emissions on top of this baseline, and residents living within 1.6 km are more likely to experience these fluctuations in real time.
Researchers involved in the national mapping effort highlighted these pollutants as key pathways linking infrastructure proximity to health outcomes, noting that many of the compounds released are known respiratory irritants or carcinogens. They also pointed out that emissions can interact with local weather patterns and topography, sometimes trapping pollutants in valleys or low lying neighborhoods where people already face other environmental stressors. A detailed description of the study explains that a new analysis led by environmental health experts examined how emissions from fossil fuel infrastructure can include volatile organic compounds and other harmful pollutants, a point reflected in the summary that a new analysis led by researchers documented volatile organic compounds and other harmful pollutants associated with these facilities.
Policy gaps and the challenge of regulating proximity
The revelation that nearly 47 million Americans live within a mile of fossil fuel infrastructure raises difficult questions about how well existing regulations protect people who share neighborhoods with these sites. In many states, setback rules that dictate how close new wells or facilities can be to homes and schools are either minimal or riddled with exemptions, and older infrastructure is often grandfathered in under outdated standards. Monitoring requirements can be limited, leaving residents without clear information about what they are breathing, and enforcement resources are frequently stretched thin, especially in rural areas with a high density of wells and pipelines.
Public health researchers argue that the new mapping work should serve as a wake up call for regulators, because it provides a concrete baseline for evaluating whether current rules align with the scale of potential exposure. They point out that knowing how many people live within 1.6 km of fossil fuel sites, and where those clusters are located, can help target stronger protections such as expanded buffer zones, more frequent air monitoring, and stricter controls on emissions during routine operations. A summary of the national findings notes that the analysis was conducted in Nov and released on Nov 17, 2025, providing timely evidence for policymakers who are weighing how to balance energy development with community health, as described in the report that a new analysis led by researchers highlighted the need to consider harmful pollutants when setting such rules.
What comes next for communities and researchers
For the nearly 47 million people living within a mile of fossil fuel infrastructure, the new analysis does not instantly change daily life, but it does provide a powerful tool for organizing, advocacy, and local planning. Community groups can use the maps and population estimates to press for more robust air monitoring, demand transparency about facility operations, and push for zoning changes that prevent new homes and schools from being built in the shadow of existing sites. Local officials, in turn, can draw on the data to prioritize investments in health services, green buffers, and infrastructure upgrades in neighborhoods that face the highest cumulative exposure risks.
Researchers are already looking ahead to the next phase of work, which will likely involve linking the proximity data to specific health outcomes and tracking how changes in infrastructure, such as well closures or refinery upgrades, affect exposure over time. The School of Public Health team and their collaborators have framed the Nov 16, 2025 findings as a starting point rather than an endpoint, a baseline that can be refined as new data and methods become available. A summary of the project notes that the study was conducted in Nov and that it opened the door to more detailed investigations of how living within 1.6 km of fossil fuel infrastructure shapes health, a trajectory captured in the description that Nov research has begun to map these risks at a national scale.
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