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Which US cities have the cleanest tap water, and which state has the best water quality? This page answers both from EPA data: the 50 US cities with the best tap water in 2026, ranked by Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, Lead and Copper Rule results, UCMR5 PFAS monitoring and historical sample data, followed by the 15 states with the highest average score. Every city in the top 50 scores 100/100 or higher.
One caveat before you scroll: these grades describe utility water, not your faucet. Lead from home plumbing can show up even in a top-ranked city, so read our guide to lead in tap water and see which water filter removes what if your house predates 1986.
The 10 US cities with the best-rated tap water, ranked by EPA-based water-quality score. Tap a city for its full contaminant report.
Want the full picture? See the complete top 50 city ranking below.
As of 2026, the top 10 US cities for tap water quality are 1. Los Angeles, CA; 2. San Diego, CA; 3. Seattle, WA; 4. Lawrenceville, GA; 5. Pittsburgh, PA; 6. Perris, CA; 7. Memphis, TN; 8. Baton Rouge, LA; 9. Albuquerque, NM; 10. Long Beach, CA — each Grade A with no health-based EPA violations in five years, low lead results and no PFAS above federal limits. The top five all score 100/100 or higher. Among states, Arkansas has the best average water quality. The full top-50 city ranking and 15-state ranking are below.
Ranked from EPA records (2026), the top 10 best tap water cities are 1. Los Angeles, CA; 2. San Diego, CA; 3. Seattle, WA; 4. Lawrenceville, GA; 5. Pittsburgh, PA; 6. Perris, CA; 7. Memphis, TN; 8. Baton Rouge, LA; 9. Albuquerque, NM; 10. Long Beach, CA. Los Angeles, California is #1 at 100/100. Each earns a Grade A because EPA records show no health-based violations in the last five years, low lead 90th-percentile results and no PFAS above federal limits. Rankings update as new testing data is released, so check the table below for the current list.
Ranking every state by the average EPA-based water-quality score of the cities we track (states with at least three tracked cities), Arkansas ranks first with an average score of 99/100 across 18 cities. The top five states are Arkansas, Hawaii, Michigan, Iowa and Colorado. These states combine protected source water, strong environmental regulations, and modern treatment infrastructure. See the full 15-state ranking below.
Even in cities with excellent water quality, some residents choose filters for: 1) Removing chlorine taste and odor, 2) Protection from lead that may come from home plumbing (not the city supply), 3) Extra safety for vulnerable populations (pregnant women, infants), 4) Peace of mind. However, a filter is less essential in top-rated cities.
Most US tap water from public water systems meets EPA safety standards and is safe to drink. However, quality varies significantly by location. The 50 cities in this ranking average 100/100 and every one scores at least 100/100 with minimal contamination. Cities with lower scores may have elevated contaminant levels where filtration is recommended.
These scores come from utility-wide EPA compliance data — they describe the water leaving the treatment plant, not the water arriving at your kitchen sink. Even in a top-ranked city, lead and copper can leach from your home's own pipes after the water reaches your street — which is why many residents of clean-water cities still filter at the faucet.
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What "best water quality" means here, and how each city earns its score.
"Best water quality" isn't a matter of taste or marketing — on this site it means measurable tap water safety. Every city is scored on a 100-point scale built from public U.S. EPA records for its community water systems, then assigned a letter grade so you can compare places at a glance. A higher score means fewer detected contaminants and a stronger compliance history, not simply "good-tasting" water.
Scores are derived from EPA records for each city's water system: health-based Safe Drinking Water Act violations in the last five years (SDWIS), the latest Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile result, PFAS detected in EPA's 2023–2026 UCMR5 monitoring, and 2012–2019 compliance samples near a limit. Cities with clean compliance histories and low lead and PFAS results rise to the top of the ranking. Learn more about the specific pollutants we track on our common contaminants guide.
Each 100-point score maps to a letter grade (A through F) so the ranking is easy to scan. The cities on this page all grade in the top tier, meaning their utility-wide data shows minimal contamination and strong EPA compliance. For a full breakdown of inputs and weighting, see our ranking methodology.
One important limit: these grades describe the water a utility delivers to the distribution system, not the water at your specific faucet. Lead and other metals can enter from household plumbing after the water leaves the treatment plant, so even a top-ranked city is a starting point, not a guarantee for your home. To see where a city falls short instead, compare against the worst water quality rankings.
States ranked by the average water-quality score of every city we track (states with at least three tracked cities). Click a state for its full city-by-city ranking.
Click any city to see detailed water quality report including contaminants, violations, and filter recommendations.
| Rank | City | State | Score | Grade | Population Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Los Angeles | California | 100/100 | A | 3,875,566 |
| #2 | San Diego | California | 100/100 | A | 1,385,379 |
| #3 | Seattle | Washington | 100/100 | A | 1,161,961 |
| #4 | Lawrenceville | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 975,000 |
| #5 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 100/100 | A | 686,000 |
| #6 | Perris | California | 100/100 | A | 666,581 |
| #7 | Memphis | Tennessee | 100/100 | A | 659,500 |
| #8 | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 100/100 | A | 596,844 |
| #9 | Albuquerque | New Mexico | 100/100 | A | 560,326 |
| #10 | Long Beach | California | 100/100 | A | 466,772 |
| #11 | Alpharetta | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 434,517 |
| #12 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | 100/100 | A | 413,000 |
| #13 | Wichita | Kansas | 100/100 | A | 395,699 |
| #14 | Winston-Salem | North Carolina | 100/100 | A | 391,900 |
| #15 | Little Rock | Arkansas | 100/100 | A | 368,455 |
| #16 | Fremont | California | 100/100 | A | 344,000 |
| #17 | La Mesa | California | 100/100 | A | 277,668 |
| #18 | Montgomery | Alabama | 100/100 | A | 276,000 |
| #19 | Des Moines | Iowa | 100/100 | A | 246,055 |
| #20 | Fontana | California | 100/100 | A | 237,700 |
| #21 | Richmond | Virginia | 100/100 | A | 233,655 |
| #22 | Greenwood | Indiana | 100/100 | A | 210,510 |
| #23 | Lancaster | California | 100/100 | A | 208,129 |
| #24 | Oxnard | California | 100/100 | A | 200,232 |
| #25 | Salem | Oregon | 100/100 | A | 199,820 |
| #26 | Concord | California | 100/100 | A | 198,000 |
| #27 | Evansville | Indiana | 100/100 | A | 182,444 |
| #28 | Eugene | Oregon | 100/100 | A | 176,000 |
| #29 | Santa Rosa | California | 100/100 | A | 175,396 |
| #30 | Oceanside | California | 100/100 | A | 171,483 |
| #31 | Laguna Hills | California | 100/100 | A | 170,236 |
| #32 | Lafayette | Louisiana | 100/100 | A | 169,389 |
| #33 | Springfield | Massachusetts | 100/100 | A | 169,170 |
| #34 | Savannah | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 168,958 |
| #35 | Rancho Santa Margarita | California | 100/100 | A | 168,289 |
| #36 | Hayward | California | 100/100 | A | 162,954 |
| #37 | Sunnyvale | California | 100/100 | A | 157,566 |
| #38 | Roseville | California | 100/100 | A | 155,612 |
| #39 | Champaign | Illinois | 100/100 | A | 150,000 |
| #40 | Cedar Rapids | Iowa | 100/100 | A | 142,364 |
| #41 | Gainesville | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 140,000 |
| #42 | Escondido | California | 100/100 | A | 137,044 |
| #43 | Warren | Michigan | 100/100 | A | 134,056 |
| #44 | Vista | California | 100/100 | A | 132,430 |
| #45 | Santa Clara | California | 100/100 | A | 130,746 |
| #46 | Macon | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 130,024 |
| #47 | Douglasville | Georgia | 100/100 | A | 127,084 |
| #48 | Vallejo | California | 100/100 | A | 121,420 |
| #49 | Fayetteville | Arkansas | 100/100 | A | 116,398 |
| #50 | Antioch | California | 100/100 | A | 115,074 |
Cities with the best water quality share several common characteristics:
All detected contaminants are well below EPA maximum limits. Most have no concerning levels of lead, arsenic, or disinfection byproducts.
These cities have few or no EPA violations, demonstrating consistent adherence to Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.
Investment in treatment facilities, distribution systems, and regular maintenance ensures water stays clean from source to tap.
Quality source water from protected aquifers, reservoirs, or rivers with minimal agricultural or industrial contamination upstream.
Even in cities with excellent water quality, many residents choose to use water filters for:
A top-tier grade means the utility's reported data is clean, but home plumbing can still add lead or copper. A simple carbon or pitcher filter is usually enough for taste and peace of mind. Read our guide to lead in tap water if you live in an older home.
Not appearing in the top 50 doesn't mean unsafe water — it just means other cities scored higher. Look up your own city's full report by browsing by state or comparing two cities side by side.
The only way to know exactly what's in your water is to test it, then choose a filter matched to what you find. See our water filter comparison to match a filter type to your results.
Shopping for a specific household? Our safest cities for children ranking prioritizes low lead and nitrate levels, and the cleanest tap water list ranks cities purely on overall contamination.