As Americans Focus on Water Quality, These States Boast the Best and Worst -

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As Americans Focus on Water Quality, These States Boast the Best

Water season has arrived. Whether it’s a condensation-soaked glass on a hot day, a glistening pool filled to the brim, or a cleansing shower after hours at the beach, summer is a time when Americans interact the most with the water from their taps.

As the United States approaches Summer 2023, the quality of drinking water has become a hot topic. Years after water crises in various U.S. cities, federal regulators are now taking unprecedented action in cracking down on PFAS chemicals to ensure safer, higher-quality water for residents.

Of course, some states are further ahead in that fight than others. And even though some have to contend with a number of factors – from varying availability of natural resources to different water sources – many utilities are working hard to ensure quality water that is delivered reliably and billed easily, all from a utility that communicates well with its customers.

Methodology

To determine which states have the best tap water, J.D. Power analyzed feedback from customers of water utilities regarding their experiences in six factors: quality and reliability; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service. Of those six factors, this analysis focuses on customers’ feedback on which states have the best quality and reliability. The study tracked customers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To be eligible to be ranked, the states represented must have a water utility that serves a minimum of 400,000 residential customers as well as a minimum of 100 survey respondents.

In the study, the relative importance of each attribute on overall quality and reliability is derived using J.D. Power proprietary index methodology. These importance weights are then applied to customer ratings to create a score that ranges from 100 to 1,000 points.

The Blue (Water?) State

After analyzing the data, Kentucky ranks highest with a score of 768 (on a 1,000-point scale). A hallmark of the Blue Grass State’s success: Kentucky’s performance at the tap was so good that Louisville Water was able to trademark its tap water (called Louisville Pure Tap®), a feat some states would not dare attempt.

Kentucky	808
Washington	808
New York	801
Oregon	796
Kansas	795
Massachusetts	793
Connecticut	789
Minnesota	788
Virginia	785
Hawaii	782

Washington State finishes in a virtual tie with Kentucky, as residents made note of their willingness to drink tap water. More than half (55%) of Washington State residents said they always drink tap water, which ranks among the highest in the country. New York places third, thanks in large part to recent infrastructure improvements made throughout the Empire State.

Bottom of the Barrel

Unfortunately, not every state’s utility is hitting those high marks when it comes to overall satisfaction with public water supplies. While most of the lower-ranked states were close to the meaty part of the satisfaction curve, there is a precipitous drop toward the bottom of the list. Alabama, which had a quality and reliability score of 701, was the lowest-ranking state in the analysis, struggling in virtually every category evaluated.

Indiana	756
Arizona	750
Mississippi	750
Ohio	748
Pennsylvania	748
Texas	737
New Mexico	731
Oklahoma	726
Maryland	721
Alabama	701

Glass Half Full

As more Americans have become dedicated to conservation efforts, there has been renewed customer interest in the quality of the water in their home. For example, refillable water bottles have become a fixture in homes and offices around the country, but those are only as good as the water that goes in them. Even with the help of filters from the likes of Britta and ZeroWater, customers must know that their utility is working for them to provide as pure of a water supply as they can while offering clear communication, billing, and reliable overall service.

There are plenty of states that are achieving those standards, but some remain woefully behind. With regulators starting to shine a microscope on water quality, now has never been a better time for utilities to ask the tough questions about how they can improve and rise to the occasion to deliver a better product.

Find Out More

This Utilities Intelligence Report is based on responses from 36,833 residential water utility customers nationwide and was fielded from June 2022 through March 2023. It was authored by Ramah Vaughn, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power. Please contact us at the numbers below to connect with Mr. Vaughn or to learn more about the underlying research.

Media Contacts

Brian Jaklitsch; East Coast; 631-584-2200; [email protected]
Geno Effler, J.D. Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]