Daily U.S. public water supply per capita use by key state 2015

Idaho had one of the largest per capita uses of the public water supply in the United States, totaling 184 gallons per day, followed by Utah with 169 gallons and Wyoming at 156 gallons. The public supply of water refers to water that is withdrawn by both public and private suppliers and is delivered to domestic, commercial, thermoelectric, irrigation, and industrial users. Overall, the most populous states tend to be the largest consumers of water. Sources of public supply water can include desalinated seawater and treated brackish groundwater. California and Texas withdrew 5.15 billion gallons and 2.89 billion gallons per day, respectively, for public supply in 2015. Almost 90 percent of the U.S. population relies on public water supplies.

U.S. Water Consumption

Water withdrawal in the United States has increased over the last decades, reaching 322 billion gallons per day in 2015. The U.S. is one of the largest per capita consumers water in the world, in addition to being one of the largest absolute consumers of water. The average U.S. family uses some 400 gallons of water per day. However, a large share of water is lost or wasted through leaky pipes or just evaporation and over-watering landscapes. Minor changes such as fixing a leaky faucet, using a dishwasher, upgrading to a water-efficient toilet, or taking showers instead of baths can help save conserve water.