Cost of water rising faster than inflation, median household income

The cost of water spiked 62% between 2015 and 2025, outpacing inflation, grocery prices — and the median household income. According to a first-of-its-kind report from Food and Water Watch, water in New Hampshire, Louisiana, California and Maryland has become particularly expensive.

Inside Climate News reports:

Fifty-two percent of the 25 most expensive systems reviewed by Food & Water Watch were in California, despite the state’s systems representing just 18 percent of the 500 systems in the dataset. 

In Louisiana, Maryland and West Virginia, water bills grew about twice as fast as state median household incomes, the report found. 

In New Hampshire, bills grew nearly five times faster.

According to the report, the average U.S. water system now charges $531 a year per household for water, up from $336 a year in 2015, or about $457 when adjusted for inflation. A water system in San Jose, California charged the most for water in the report: $1,416 per year.