Report: US Water Bills Rose 62% Over Last Decade

US household drinking water bills increased 62% from 2015 to 2025, according to a report released Tuesday by Food & Water Watch, an environmental NGO in Washington DC.

The Details: Food & Water Watch (FWW) analyzed billing data from the 500 largest community water systems and found that water bills increased 1.6 times faster than inflation, twice as fast as grocery prices and 19% faster than median household income over the decade. Increases varied between state. Some of the findings include:

• New Hampshire bills rose the most at 177%, Oregon at 114% and West Virginia at 95%.
• Corporate water companies, including American Water, Essential Utilities and California Water Service Group, charged households an average of 67% more than publicly owned water systems.
• California had more than half (52%) of the most expensive water systems (13 of the 25).
• Sixty percent of the least expensive systems were in the south, including many in Florida and Georgia.

The water systems analyzed provide water for about 45% of the US population or 155 million people.

For-Profit Companies: Outlets on the left emphasized findings that for-profit water companies were a key factor driving up costs. They also included FWW's calls for the federal government to ban water privatization and improve water infrastructure. Gizmodo (Lean Left bias) included a quote from that report that said federal action was needed to "rein in corporate water abuses and hold polluters accountable" and that "Every level of government must take action to ensure safe, affordable, locally controlled water for all." Common Dreams (Left) quoted FWW's water policy director who said, "Rampant corporate control of our water systems and federal disinvestment in aging infrastructure are driving up bills, forcing households to pick up the tab."

Data Centers: The Daily Caller (Right) didn't mention the role of for-private companies. It, instead, focused on water usage from data centers and reported on efforts by state leaders to prevent passing costs onto consumers. The outlet focused more on California writing that "Californians are getting hit particularly hard" and cited data from the report that showed San Jose Water Company had rates more than twice the national average. The Daily Caller also noted struggles that people face due to water shortages, including residents "ration[ing] showers and haul[ing] buckets from a creek" in Western Maryland.

Climate Change: Gizmodo also reported on the impacts that climate change has on water prices, writing "Most of the U.S. is currently grappling with drought" and that "a historically snowless winter…was made four times more likely by climate change." It cited a report from the American Water Works Association that found between $2.1 and $2.4 trillion is needed for drinking water infrastructure needs over the next 25 years.

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