What does Blue Flag certification mean in United States?
A Blue Flag beach in United States has passed the four pillars of the international eco-label run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE): excellent bathing water quality, on-site environmental management, safety services like lifeguard cover and first aid, and ongoing environmental education and awareness for visitors.
Certification is reviewed annually — a beach that fails to meet the standard the following year loses its flag. The list above reflects the current 2026 season as aggregated from FEE country chapters, the Wikidata Blue Flag registry, and OnlyBeaches editorial review.
On OnlyBeaches every Blue Flag beach also gets a real-time OnlyBeaches Index (OBI) score — a 1-10 rating that combines water purity, surf and weather conditions, crowd intelligence and vibe. Blue Flag status earns an automatic +0.4 boost on the purity sub-score and a +0.3 boost on the overall OBI.