Water consumption statistics describe several different things: water people drink, water in foods and beverages, water withdrawn for food production, and water that is consumed rather than returned to a water system. The measures below keep those definitions, geographies, and measurement periods separate.
Contents
- Daily total-water intake
- Plain water by age and beverage share
- Water use in the U.S. food system
- Freshwater withdrawals by food category
- Crop irrigation in the lower 48 states
- Withdrawals and consumptive use by sector
Daily total-water intake
Total-water intake includes water from foods and beverages, so it is not the same measure as plain water drunk from a glass or bottle. The National Academies adequate intake recommendation cited in the CDC report is 3.7 liters (125 ounces) per day for men and 2.7 liters (91 ounces) for women. These are reference levels, not averages from the survey. (CDC, Daily Water Intake Among U.S. Men and Women, 2009–2012)
Among U.S. adults aged 20 and older, men consumed an average of 3.46 liters (117 ounces) of total water per day during 2009–2012. Women consumed 2.75 liters (93 ounces). The survey estimates therefore sit below the cited adequate intake for men and slightly above it for women, but the recommendation and the observed averages should not be treated as interchangeable measures. (CDC, Daily Water Intake Among U.S. Men and Women, 2009–2012)
Age, race and ethnicity, and activity level were associated with different reported averages in the same period:
- Men aged 20–39 consumed 3.61 liters per day, compared with 2.92 liters among men aged 60 and older.
- Women aged 20–39 consumed 2.78 liters per day, compared with 2.51 liters among women aged 60 and older.
- Non-Hispanic White men consumed 3.60 liters per day, compared with 2.92 liters for non-Hispanic Black men.
- Non-Hispanic White women consumed 2.85 liters per day, compared with 2.41 liters for non-Hispanic Black women.
- Hispanic men consumed 3.33 liters per day, compared with 2.92 liters for non-Hispanic Black men.
- Men reporting low physical activity consumed 3.15 liters per day, while highly active men consumed 3.63 liters.
- Women reporting low physical activity consumed 2.55 liters per day, while highly active women consumed 2.98 liters.
These CDC figures are U.S. survey estimates based on dietary recall for 2009–2012. They describe reported intake for the specified groups, not a universal daily requirement for every person.
Plain water by age and beverage share
Plain-water intake is narrower than total-water intake. During 2015–2018, U.S. children and adolescents aged 2–19 drank an average of 23 ounces of plain water per day, while adults aged 20 and older drank 44 ounces. (CDC, Fast Facts: Data on Water Consumption)
The age pattern was visible within both broad groups:
| Group | Average plain water per day, 2015–2018 |
|---|---|
| Children aged 2–5 | 13 ounces |
| Children aged 6–11 | 20 ounces |
| Adolescents aged 12–19 | 31 ounces |
| Adults aged 20–39 | 51 ounces |
| Adults aged 40–59 | 43 ounces |
| Adults aged 60 and older | 36 ounces |
Water also made up a large share of nonalcoholic beverage consumption. It accounted for 51.2% of total nonalcoholic beverage consumption among U.S. adults during 2015–2018. Among non-Hispanic Asian adults, the share was 60.7%. These percentages refer to beverage consumption share, not the proportion of total dietary water that came from plain water. (CDC, Nonalcoholic Beverage Consumption Among Adults: United States, 2015–2018)
Water use in the U.S. food system
Food-system water use is an environmental and supply-chain measure rather than a measure of what an individual drinks. USDA estimates put U.S. food production water use at 39 trillion gallons in 1997 and 43 trillion gallons in 2002. In 2002, food-system water use represented 34% of all U.S. economy water use. (USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Food-Related Water Use Varies by Food Category, Supply Chain Stage, and Dietary Pattern)
The estimate then fell to 36 trillion gallons in 2007 and 34 trillion gallons in 2012. Food-system water use represented 28% of all U.S. economy water use in 2007. The 2012 estimate also separates major parts of the food system:
- Crop production accounted for 63% of U.S. food-system water use.
- Households accounted for 16%.
- Energy services accounted for 13%.
- Livestock production accounted for 6%.
The percentages are shares of the 2012 food-system estimate, while the historical totals are reported for their respective years. USDA describes these values as reported estimates or models, so they should not be read as direct measurements of household drinking behavior. (USDA Economic Research Service, Tracking the U.S. Domestic Food Supply Chain’s Freshwater Use Over Time)
Freshwater withdrawals by food category
For food at home in 2012, the USDA reported category-level freshwater withdrawals in billions of gallons. Withdrawals are water removed from a source; they are distinct from consumptive use and from dietary intake.
| Food-at-home category | Freshwater withdrawals, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Fresh vegetables | 5,145 billion gallons |
| Beef, pork, and other meats | 2,534 billion gallons |
| Fresh fruits | 1,885 billion gallons |
| Nonalcoholic beverages | 1,355 billion gallons |
| Poultry | 964 billion gallons |
| Fats and oils | 784 billion gallons |
| Processed dairy products | 681 billion gallons |
| Fresh milk | 339 billion gallons |
| Eggs | 314 billion gallons |
| Fish and seafood | 79 billion gallons |
Fresh vegetables had the largest listed withdrawal total at 5,145 billion gallons, followed by food-at-home beef, pork, and other meats at 2,534 billion gallons. Fish and seafood had the smallest listed total at 79 billion gallons. These totals describe freshwater withdrawals attributed to the food categories in the USDA analysis; they do not measure the volume of water contained in the foods or the water an individual consumes with a meal. (USDA Economic Research Service, Tracking the U.S. Domestic Food Supply Chain’s Freshwater Use Over Time)
Crop irrigation in the lower 48 states
In 2020, crop irrigation in the lower 48 states withdrew about 110,904 million gallons of water per day. About 72% of those withdrawals were classified as consumptive use. Surface-water withdrawals totaled 40,470 million gallons per day, while groundwater withdrawals totaled 70,434 million gallons per day. (U.S. Geological Survey, Irrigation Water Use)
The USGS regional estimates show substantial geographic variation. The California–Nevada hydrologic region withdrew 27,242 million gallons per day for crop irrigation in 2020. The Columbia–Snake region withdrew 15,407 million gallons per day. The Northeast region withdrew about 123 million gallons per day.
Seasonality also mattered. Lower-48 crop irrigation withdrawals were highest in August, when they reached 337,259 million gallons per day in 2020. This August figure is a monthly high and should not be substituted for the annual-period figure of about 110,904 million gallons per day. The lower-48 scope excludes Alaska and Hawaii.
Withdrawals and consumptive use by sector
Across the conterminous United States during water years 2010–20, average freshwater withdrawals for crop irrigation, public supply, and thermoelectric power were 223,594 million gallons per day. Including saline water, the average for those sectors was 244,817 million gallons per day. (USGS, Water use across the conterminous United States, water years 2010–20)
The sector averages below distinguish withdrawals from consumptive use:
| Sector | Average withdrawals, million gallons/day | Average consumptive use, million gallons/day |
|---|---|---|
| Crop irrigation | 105,497 | 75,698 |
| Public supply | 35,440 | 4,219 |
| Thermoelectric power, freshwater | 82,656 | 2,904 |
Crop irrigation had the largest average withdrawal and the largest average consumptive use among these sectors. Public supply withdrawals averaged 35,440 million gallons per day, with 4,219 million gallons per day classified as consumptive use. Freshwater withdrawals for thermoelectric power averaged 82,656 million gallons per day, while thermoelectric freshwater consumptive use averaged 2,904 million gallons per day.
The comparison covers the conterminous United States and water years 2010–20. Its sector totals are USGS estimates, and the definitions of freshwater withdrawal, saline-inclusive withdrawal, and consumptive use differ from the CDC dietary measures and the USDA food-system estimates above. Keeping those measures separate is essential when interpreting water consumption statistics.