Insights—States and Cities with the Best Drinking Water

Here is a list of all the insights pages on the site.

Since we have info about food by state, it only made sense to add water as well. There are rankings of drinking water both by state and by city in the US; we'll cover a bit of each.

Top 5 states for drinking water:

1. Hawaii
2. Massachusetts
3. Tennessee
4. Alabama
5. South Carolina

Bottom 5 states for drinking water:

1. Alaska
2. Maine
3. Montana
4. West Virginia
5. Wyoming

Besides Hawaii, which is known for its pristine environment, and Massachusetts, which is known for its tough regulations, this list is a bit counterintuitive. The South, which is known for its poverty and poor infrastructure, does well due to natural springs (particularly Alabama) and strong filtration systems. On the other hand, permafrost thaw in Alaska releases metals into the water, while oil, gas and mining have teamed up to contaminate what is thought of as the unspoiled environments of Montana and Wyoming.

The full list and methodology can be found here.

Top 10 cities for drinking water:

1. Cary, North Carolina
2. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
3. Yonkers, New York
4. Bellevue, Washington
5. Clarksville, Tennessee
6. Arlington, Virginia
7. Murfreesboro, Tennessee
8. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9. North Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Frisco, Texas

Bottom 10 cities for drinking water:

1. Bridgeport, Connecticut
2. Fresno, California
3. Shreveport, Louisiana
4. Akron, Ohio
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico
6. Palmdale, California
7. Tucson, Arizona
8. Los Angeles, California
9. Stockton, California
10. Toledo, Ohio

Besides LA, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Chicago, and Detroit also perform poorly among big cities. Minneapolis, Boston, Seattle, and Charlotte are among the best. The source for this data is here.

Data about drinking water isn't in our free quiz that gives you a personalized list of places you'd love to live. But many other factors are. Take the quiz now!