Where does Springfield rank among cities with lead paint exposure risks?

A new report that measures the most populous U.S. cities by their risk to lead paint exposure puts Springfield in the top half.

Springfield is No. 137 out of the 500 biggest U.S. cities in the report from Home Gnome, a home services provider. The report's methodology considers exposure risk and lack of mitigation, along with the number and share of homes built in years when lead paint was commonly used, as well as access to lead paint abatement firms and reports of lead paint violations, among other metrics. 

With an overall score of 38.96 out of a possible 100, Springfield tied for first in lack of mitigation rank and scored 141st in exposure risk rank.

St. Louis is No. 1 on the list, with an overall score of 65.29, exposure risk rank of No. 2 and lack of mitigation rank of No. 468.

"Older cities in the Northeast and Midwest, such as St. Louis (No. 1), Chicago (No. 2) and Philadelphia (No. 5), face the highest risk for lead paint in homes. Over half of single-family homes in our five most vulnerable cities were built during eras when lead paint was commonly used," Home Gnome officials said in the report.