US households are paying substantially more for drinking water than they did a decade ago, with average bills rising 62% between 2015 and 2025, according to a new analysis of the country’s largest water systems.
The study by Food & Water Watch examined billing data from 500 community water systems serving about 155 million people, or 45% of the US population. It found that a typical household using 60,000 gallons of water paid an average of $531 in 2025, although annual bills ranged from $133 to $1,416.
Water costs increased 1.6 times faster than overall inflation during the decade. Consumer prices rose 39%, while grocery prices increased 30%. Water bills also grew 19% faster than median household income between 2014 and 2024.
The burden was particularly heavy for low-income households. The study found that water bills exceeded 1.5% of income for the poorest fifth of households in 93% of the systems examined.
For-profit utilities were also more expensive on average, charging households $823 a year compared with $494 for publicly owned systems.
Researchers and water-sector groups point to ageing infrastructure, stricter water-quality requirements, climate-related pressures and the high cost of maintaining water systems as factors behind rising bills.
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