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Best for Water Quality

Cleanest drinking water per EPA SDWIS — fewest violations, highest safety scores.

Top 100 Cities

  1. #1
    B

    Charleston, SC

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 71

  2. #2
    C

    Dallas, TX

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 65

  3. #3
    B

    Frisco, TX

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 74

  4. #4
    B

    Greenville, SC

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 71

  5. #5
    B

    Kenosha, WI

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 71

  6. #6
    C

    Lincoln, NE

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 68

  7. #7
    C

    Montgomery, AL

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 67

  8. #8
    B

    San Jose, CA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 78

  9. #9
    C

    Bellevue, WA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 68

  10. #10
    B

    Charlotte, NC

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 73

  11. #11
    B

    Chattanooga, TN

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 77

  12. #12
    A

    Cincinnati, OH

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 81

  13. #13
    C

    Clarksville, TN

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 63

  14. #14
    C

    Concord, CA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 69

  15. #15
    A

    Fayetteville, AR

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 80

  16. #16
    B

    Fremont, CA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 77

  17. #17
    B

    Grand Rapids, MI

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 74

  18. #18
    C

    Henderson, NV

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 69

  19. #19
    C

    Huntsville, AL

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 66

  20. #20
    C

    Lafayette, LA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 66

  21. #21
    B

    Little Rock, AR

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 74

  22. #22
    B

    Marietta, GA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 75

  23. #23
    B

    Memphis, TN

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 71

  24. #24
    C

    Newport News, VA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 63

  25. #25
    B

    North Las Vegas, NV

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 72

  26. #26
    B

    Oakland, CA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 71

  27. #27
    B

    Oklahoma City, OK

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 73

  28. #28
    B

    Plano, TX

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 77

  29. #29
    B

    Reno, NV

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 78

  30. #30
    B

    Virginia Beach, VA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 72

  31. #31
    A

    Aurora, IL

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 82

  32. #32
    B

    Davenport, IA

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 70

  33. #33
    A

    Delaware, OH

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 87

  34. #34
    B

    Eugene, OR

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 72

  35. #35
    A

    Grand Island, NE

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 81

  36. #36
    C

    Gulfport, MS

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 69

  37. #37
    B

    Louisville, KY

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 70

  38. #38
    A

    Rochester, MN

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 92

  39. #39
    A

    Rogers, AR

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 82

  40. #40
    C

    South Bend, IN

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 69

  41. #41
    B

    Springdale, AR

    Best for Water Quality score 100 · MoveScore 70

  42. #42
    B

    Milwaukee, WI

    Best for Water Quality score 97 · MoveScore 75

  43. #43
    C

    Tallahassee, FL

    Best for Water Quality score 97 · MoveScore 67

  44. #44
    C

    Worcester, MA

    Best for Water Quality score 97 · MoveScore 68

  45. #45
    B

    Baton Rouge, LA

    Best for Water Quality score 97 · MoveScore 76

  46. #46
    B

    Racine, WI

    Best for Water Quality score 97 · MoveScore 73

  47. #47
    B

    Hartford, CT

    Best for Water Quality score 95 · MoveScore 74

  48. #48
    C

    Fresno, CA

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 61

  49. #49
    C

    Albuquerque, NM

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 69

  50. #50
    C

    Evansville, IN

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 68

  51. #51
    C

    Decatur, GA

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 68

  52. #52
    B

    Detroit, MI

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 70

  53. #53
    B

    Lexington, KY

    Best for Water Quality score 94 · MoveScore 74

  54. #54
    B

    Wichita, KS

    Best for Water Quality score 93 · MoveScore 76

  55. #55
    C

    Everett, WA

    Best for Water Quality score 91 · MoveScore 67

  56. #56
    B

    Minneapolis, MN

    Best for Water Quality score 91 · MoveScore 76

  57. #57
    B

    Cambridge, MA

    Best for Water Quality score 91 · MoveScore 76

  58. #58
    B

    Kansas City, KS

    Best for Water Quality score 91 · MoveScore 74

  59. #59
    B

    Ann Arbor, MI

    Best for Water Quality score 89 · MoveScore 70

  60. #60
    C

    Jacksonville, FL

    Best for Water Quality score 89 · MoveScore 63

  61. #61
    B

    Aurora, CO

    Best for Water Quality score 88 · MoveScore 76

  62. #62
    B

    Columbia, MO

    Best for Water Quality score 88 · MoveScore 70

  63. #63
    C

    Knoxville, TN

    Best for Water Quality score 88 · MoveScore 68

  64. #64
    B

    Naperville, IL

    Best for Water Quality score 88 · MoveScore 71

  65. #65
    C

    Southaven, MS

    Best for Water Quality score 88 · MoveScore 63

  66. #66
    B

    Boston, MA

    Best for Water Quality score 87 · MoveScore 72

  67. #67
    C

    Buffalo, NY

    Best for Water Quality score 87 · MoveScore 60

  68. #68
    A

    Madison, WI

    Best for Water Quality score 87 · MoveScore 80

  69. #69
    C

    Indianapolis, IN

    Best for Water Quality score 87 · MoveScore 69

  70. #70
    B

    Springfield, MO

    Best for Water Quality score 86 · MoveScore 70

  71. #71
    C

    Bowling Green, KY

    Best for Water Quality score 86 · MoveScore 69

  72. #72
    C

    Colorado Springs, CO

    Best for Water Quality score 85 · MoveScore 68

  73. #73
    B

    Birmingham, AL

    Best for Water Quality score 85 · MoveScore 70

  74. #74
    C

    Salem, OR

    Best for Water Quality score 85 · MoveScore 64

  75. #75
    B

    Medford, OR

    Best for Water Quality score 83 · MoveScore 74

  76. #76
    B

    Broken Arrow, OK

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 75

  77. #77
    C

    Cedar Rapids, IA

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 63

  78. #78
    D

    Lansing, MI

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 59

  79. #79
    B

    Pensacola, FL

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 70

  80. #80
    B

    Alpharetta, GA

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 77

  81. #81
    B

    Nashville, TN

    Best for Water Quality score 82 · MoveScore 75

  82. #82
    B

    Omaha, NE

    Best for Water Quality score 81 · MoveScore 79

  83. #83
    C

    Las Vegas, NV

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 69

  84. #84
    C

    New Haven, CT

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 64

  85. #85
    C

    San Antonio, TX

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 69

  86. #86
    C

    Tucson, AZ

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 64

  87. #87
    C

    Tulsa, OK

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 68

  88. #88
    C

    Garland, TX

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 68

  89. #89
    A

    Green Bay, WI

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 80

  90. #90
    A

    Provo, UT

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 83

  91. #91
    B

    Raleigh, NC

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 74

  92. #92
    D

    Rochester, NY

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 58

  93. #93
    C

    West Jordan, UT

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 63

  94. #94
    B

    Westminster, CO

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 72

  95. #95
    C

    Carson City, NV

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 68

  96. #96
    C

    Columbia, MD

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 63

  97. #97
    C

    Lawton, OK

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 64

  98. #98
    A

    Olathe, KS

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 81

  99. #99
    B

    St Louis, MO

    Best for Water Quality score 80 · MoveScore 70

  100. #100
    D

    Charleston, WV

    Best for Water Quality score 79 · MoveScore 51

Other Rankings

Best Overall Cities

Highest MoveScore composite — safest overall balance of all six livability dimensions.

Best for Safety

Lowest crime rates per FBI UCR — best for families sensitive to violent and property crime.

Best for Air Quality

Cleanest air per EPA AQS — lowest median AQI and fewest unhealthy days.

Best for Public Schools

Strongest public school performance per NCES/EDFacts — highest average proficiency.

Best Fiscal Health

Strongest municipal fiscal health per Census ASPEP — sustainable per-capita spending.

Best for Hospital Care

Highest-rated hospitals per CMS HCAHPS — best patient experience scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the top-ranked US city for water quality?

The top-ranked city on Best for Water Quality is Charleston, SC with a sub-score of 100/100. All rankings use federal government data only.

How is this ranking calculated?

Cleanest drinking water per EPA SDWIS — fewest violations, highest safety scores. Sub-scores are normalized to 0-100, then cities are ordered from highest to lowest. See the methodology page for the full formula.

Where does the data come from?

MoveScore blends six federal data streams: FBI UCR, EPA SDWIS, EPA AQS, NCES CCD + EDFacts, Census ASPEP, and CMS HCAHPS. A city is included only if at least three of the six sources have a record for it.

Sources: FBI UCR, EPA SDWIS, EPA AQS, NCES, Census ASPEP, CMS HCAHPS
Last updated:

Ranking uses the individual water sub-score, normalized to 0-100.