Water bills are up 62% in a decade. Here's what that means for your monthly budget

Americans are paying a lot more to keep the tap running. The average household drinking water bill reached $531 a year in 2025, up 62% from 2015, according to an analysis by the nonprofit advocacy group Food & Water Watch, as reported by CBS News and WaterWorld.

That increase was about 1.6 times faster than inflation over the same period and 19% faster than growth in median household income, according to the report.

## What the study measured

Food & Water Watch looked at rates from the 500 largest community water systems in the U.S., which serve about 155 million people, roughly 45% of the population, WaterWorld reported. To compare places fairly, it calculated the bill for 60,000 gallons of water a year, about what a typical household uses.

The figures cover drinking water only. Sewer and stormwater charges, which often appear on the same bill, were not included, according to CBS News.

## The math for your budget

At $531 a year, the average water bill works out to about $44 a month.

If that $531 is 62% higher than in 2015, the 2015 average would have been about $328 a year, or roughly $27 a month. That means the typical household is paying about $17 more per month, or around $200 more per year, than a decade ago. (This is a NextGen America calculation based on the report's figures.)

For renters, water is often bundled into rent or a utility fee, so the increase may show up there instead of on a separate bill.

## Where water costs the most

Bills varied widely. The lowest in the study was $133 a year in Hempstead, New York, and the highest was $1,416 a year from San Jose Water Company in California, according to the report. San Jose's bill rose 163% over 10 years, CBS News reported.

By state, Idaho had the lowest average at $286 a year and West Virginia the highest at $1,383, according to CBS News.

## Private vs. public systems

Privately owned water systems charged an average of $823 a year, compared with $494 for publicly owned systems, a gap of $329, CBS News reported.

The National Association of Water Companies, which represents private utilities, pushed back. The group said rate comparisons leave out context such as how much water people use, infrastructure needs and customer assistance programs, according to WaterWorld. It said regulated private utilities invested $43.5 billion over the past decade and supports permanent federal help for low-income households.

## Why bills are rising

The report points to aging pipes and treatment plants, new regulations, climate-related costs and lower federal funding. CBS News reported that Congress has appropriated about $1 billion less than authorized levels since 2022. The EPA has estimated drinking water systems need $625 billion in upgrades over the next 20 years, WaterWorld reported.

Food & Water Watch also found that water bills were above affordability thresholds for low-income households in 93% of the systems it studied.

## What it means for you

If your rent or utility costs have gone up, water is part of the reason, and where you live makes a big difference. A household in the most expensive system in the study pays more than 10 times as much as one in the cheapest. The industry group says customer assistance programs exist for people who struggle with bills. Check your local utility's website for current rates and any help it offers.