VIDEO — Water Affordability: Facts Behind the Crisis
Published Oct 29, 2026
A landmark report uncovers just how expensive drinking water has become in a decade. Learn more about the findings and how we can keep water affordable.
Everything is getting more expensive, from groceries to rent to electricity bills. But one essential has so far evaded the headlines — until now. Our new water rates report reveals the rising cost of drinking water amidst a surging affordability crisis in the United States, analyzing the 500 biggest water systems across the country. On average, water bills are rising faster than inflation, groceries, and incomes.
“Unaffordable water is like a silent emergency,” said Mary Grant, Food & Water Watch Director of Water Policy. That’s in great part because we lack a good source of comprehensive, nationwide information about what people pay for water.
So how did we assemble our report? By tracking down the individual rates of each and every one of the 500 largest water systems. “No dataset like this exists publicly or independently,” said Natalie Balbuena Chavez, the researcher who spearheaded this effort.
Thanks to this painstaking work, we now have a comprehensive look into drinking water prices nationwide. We can see how prices rose in the past decade; compare prices between publicly owned and private corporate water systems; compare costs between states; and more. (Check out the report to see if your water is in the top 500 largest systems and how its rates compare.)
The data underscored what we’ve long advocated for at Food & Water Watch. For all of us to have safe, affordable access to this essential human right, drinking water systems must be publicly owned and federally funded.
In October, we sat down with Mary and Natalie, along with Bill Ferguson, co-founder of Keep Water Affordable in Pennsylvania, to break down the report’s key findings and outline how our leaders can and must address the crisis of surging water rates.
Watch the Full Conversation!
In this video, you’ll learn about: [click to expand]
- How aging infrastructure, water privatization, pollution, and climate change impact water costs;
- Where water is most unaffordable and how high water costs burden low-income families;
- Why privately owned water systems are so much more expensive than public systems;
- Why federal funding for water systems is key for safe, affordable water, and why Congress must pass the WATER Act;
- How corporate water companies prey on communities’ water, and how to fight against water privatization in your community;
- And much more!
Read More and Take Action!
- Read our report here: Surging Water Costs Amid the US Affordability Crisis. (This report contains an interactive map you can use to learn about the 500 largest water systems in the U.S.)
- Every year by July 1, your water system is required to send you a link to your water quality report. Read our Guide to Safe Tap Water and Water Filters for directions on how to read that report, and considerations for what to do if you are looking for an additional filter.
- We need federal funding to support safe, affordable water. Sign this petition telling Congress: Support the WATER Act!
- Sign up now for our November 5 Post-Election Recap Livable Future LIVE!
- Join us for our January 27 Book of the Year Author Talk Livable Future LIVE with Zephyr Teachout!
- We’re hosting a December 9 members-only Q&A session about our anti-data center work. It only takes $20 a year or $5 a month to be a Food & Water Watch member, supporting our research and organizing work! Donate now, and you’ll receive a link to our members-only Q&A session!
- Check out our volunteer opportunities and upcoming events
- Your generosity helps fight for a livable future for all! Donate to Food & Water Watch
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