Cities Where Americans Have the Highest Water Bills

As recently affirmed in a Mississippi federal appeals court, clean water is not a constitutional right in the United States. Still, thanks in part to the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, the U.S. purportedly has some of the safest and most reliable drinking water supplies anywhere in the world. But access to safe, clean drinking water from the tap is coming at an increasingly high price. 

According to a recent report from Food and Water Watch, a non-profit advocacy group, household water bills have increased by an average of 62% in the last decade—1.6 times Consumer Price Index over the same period, double the relative increase in the price of groceries, and nearly 20% faster than the national median household income. The rapid increase in water prices is due in part to aging infrastructure. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that national drinking water systems will need at least $625 billion in investment over the next 20 years to comply with statutory water quality standards. Estimates from the American Water Works Association suggest that the cost of necessary upgrades may be closer to $1 trillion. 

Currently, water utility bills vary widely across the country, from less than $200 per year in some major markets, to well over $1,000 in others. Regional cost variations depend in large part on the supplier. Private, for-profit water utility companies, for example, charged an average of $823 per household in 2025, while public-sector municipal providers charged an average of $494. Still, in many of the U.S. cities with the highest water prices, public utilities are charging as much or more than many private-sector companies. 

Using data from Food and Water Watch, Climate Crisis 247 identified the cities with the highest average water bills. We ranked all large-market water utility companies with available data on average annual household water utilities bills in 2025. Estimates assume 60,000 gallons in annual household water usage. Supplemental data on populations served by each water utility on this list are as reported by the Environmental Working Group. 

10. San Jose Municipal Government (San Jose, California)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,242.04
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +228%
• Population served by water utility: 98,198 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Public

9. Marin Municipal Water District (Corte Madera, California)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,294.68
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +202%
• Population served by water utility: 193,937 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Public

8. Santa Barbara Municipal Government (Santa Barbara, California)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,316.06
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +147%
• Population served by water utility: 98,420 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Public

7. Aqua Pennsylvania (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,351.09
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +73%
• Population served by water utility: 747,460 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private

6. American Water – Pittsburgh (McMurray, Pennsylvania)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,355.71
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +71%
• Population served by water utility: 686,000 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private

5. American Water – Lake Scranton (Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,355.71
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +71%
• Population served by water utility: 134,570 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private

4. Escondido Municipal Government (Escondido, California)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,359.60
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +100%
• Population served by water utility: 137,941 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Public

3. American Water – Kanawha Valley (Charleston, West Virginia)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,369.57
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +93%
• Population served by water utility: 207,319 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private

2. American Water – Huntington (Huntington, West Virginia)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,396.96
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +97%
• Population served by water utility: 84004 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private

1. San Jose Water Company (San Jose, California)

• Avg. annual household water bill: $1,416.09
• Change in water avg. household water bill, 2015-2025: +163%
• Population served by water utility: 1,007,514 people 
• Ownership of water utility: Private