Washington: US household drinking water bills have risen 62 percent over the past decade, outpacing inflation, grocery prices and household incomes, according to a new study.
The Food & Water Watch analysis examined 2025 billing data from the 500 largest community water systems in the US. Those systems serve about 155 million people, or 45 percent of the country’s population. The study compared the figures with data from a similar survey conducted in 2015. Wastewater and storm water charges were not included because those services are often billed separately.
A household using 60,000 gallons of water paid an average of $531 for drinking water service in 2025. Annual bills varied sharply across systems. Costs ranged from $133 at the cheapest system to $1,416 at the most expensive.
Water prices increased 1.6 times faster than overall inflation between 2015 and 2025. Consumer prices rose 39 percent during that period while water bills increased 62 percent. Water costs also grew more than twice as fast as grocery prices, which rose 30 percent while Egg prices increased 28 percent.
Water bills also rose 19 percent more than the national median household income between 2014 and 2024. Some states recorded much steeper increases. New Hampshire saw water bills rise 177 percent over the decade. Oregon recorded a 114 percent increase while West Virginia saw a 95 percent rise.
The study also found a substantial gap between public and corporate-owned systems. Corporate utilities charged an average household $823 a year compared with $494 at publicly owned systems. The $329 difference represented 67 percent.
Corporate systems made up 11 percent of the 500 systems analysed but accounted for 44 percent of the 25 most expensive systems. 70 percent of the 10 most expensive systems were owned by for-profit corporations.
California accounted for 52 percent of the 25 most expensive systems. All 25 of the least expensive systems were publicly owned. About 60 percent of those systems were located in the South, including Florida and Georgia.
Affordability has been a particular concern for low-income households. Water bills exceeded the study’s affordability threshold in 93 percent of systems. Costs were above 1.5 percent of income for the poorest fifth of households. Only Idaho and Utah remained below the threshold.
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) pointed to infrastructure renewal, resilience and regulatory requirements as key factors increasing costs. The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) noted that it had not reviewed the study but highlighted the growing expense of maintaining water systems.
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