From the Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

These statistics were prepared using water system data reported by states to the CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System as of December 31, 2014, and the US Census Bureau state population estimates for 2014.

National Water Fluoridation Statistics

Total US population, personsa 318,857,056
US population on community water systems (CWS), peopleb 286,756,186
Total US population on fluoridated drinking water systems, peopleb 214,213,860
Percentage of US population receiving fluoridated waterc 67.2%
Percentage of US population on CWS receiving fluoridated waterd 74.7%
Total number of CWS in United Statesb 19,089
Number of CWS providing fluoridated waterb 5,956
Number of CWS adjusting fluorideb 5,999
Number of CWS consecutive to systems with optimal fluoride levelsb 6,930
Number of CWS with naturally occurring fluoride at or above optimal levelsb,e 6,151
Population served by CWS with naturally occurring fluoride at or above optimal levelsb,e 11,914,156

State Fluoridation Percentage Calculations and States Ranked by Fluoridation Percentage

State Persons receiving fluoridated water Persons served by CWS % Rank
United States 214,213,860 286,756,186 74.7%
Alabamaf 3,812,180 4,849,377 78.6%  23
Alaska 339,415 685,165 49.5%  43
Arizonaf 3,199,068  5,536,324 57.8%  38
Arkansas 1,986,09 2,809,741 70.7%  31
Californiaf  24,699,693  38,802,500 63.7% 35
Colorado  3,963,053 5,355,866 74.0% 28
Connecticutf 2,409,333  2,691,768 89.5%  14
Delaware 712,420  818,110 87.1%  19
District of Columbiaf  595,000 595,000 100.0%
Florida 13,309,950 17,161,354 77.6%  24
Georgiaf  9,721,504 10,097,343 96.3%  6
Hawaii  166,650 1,419,516 11.7%  50
Idahof 390,344 1,220,794 32.0% 47
Illinois 12,687,788 12,880,580 98.5%  3
Indianaf  4,388,330 4,582,546 94.7%  8
Iowa 2,577,587  2,780,685 92.7%  11
Kansasf 1,716,415  2,693,999 63.7% 34
Kentucky 4,388,383 4,393,871 99.9%  1
Louisianaf 2,021,233 4,649,676 43.5%  45
Maine 527,163 666,228 79.1%  21
Marylandf 5,029,321 5,214,672 96.4%  5
Massachusetts 4,750,952 6,745,408 70.4%  32
Michiganf 7,579,494 8,264,474 91.7%  13
Minnesota 4,165,301 4,215,391 98.8%  2
Mississippif  1,795,154  2,994,079 60.0% 37
Missouri 4,013,047  5,236,187 76.6%  26
Montanaf 265,783  788,805 33.7%  46
Nebraska 1,020,358 1,425,930 71.6%  30
Nevadaf  1,873,848 2,544,079 73.7% 29
New Hampshire 406,336 872,864 46.6%  44
New Jerseyf  1,222,597 8,311,417 14.7%  49
New Mexico 1,210,877  1,571,600 77.0% 25
New Yorkf 15,006,168 19,746,227 71.4% §  27
North Carolina 6,190,022 7,077,809 87.5%  18
North Dakotaf 617,110 638,166 96.7%  4
Ohio 9,806,835 10,587,923 92.6%  12
Oklahomaf 2,235,367 3,576,005 62.5% 36
Oregon 833,557 3,688,540 22.6% 48
Pennsylvaniaf 5,943,890 10,869,278 54.7%  41
Rhode Island  902,170 1,055,173 85.5% 20
South Carolinaf  3,488,316 3,737,053 93.3%  10
South Dakota 647,954 692,042 93.6%  9
Tennesseef  5,133,626 5,829,529 88.1%  17
Texas 19,924,236  25,230,638 79.0%  22
Utahf 1,384,638 2,676,475 51.7% 42
Vermont 254,700 453,736 56.1% 40
Virginiaf 6,213,102 6,486,523 95.8%  7
Washington 3,530,835 5,525,840 63.9% 33
West Virginiaf 1,369,124 1,532,138 89.4%  15
Wisconsin  3,581,184 4,028,474 88.9%  16
Wyomingf 256,350 449,223 57.1%  39

 § – New York was initially listed at 76.0%.

Footnotes

a. Census Population Count 2014. Annual Estimates of the Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2014, (NST-EST2012-01). Source: US Census Bureau, Population Division. Release Date: December 2014. Available at http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2014/index.html.

b. Reported in CDC Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS). For purposes of this report, a water system is considered a community water system if so designated by the state drinking water administrator in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency. In general, public water systems provide water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances to at least 15 service connections, or serve an average of at least 25 people for at least 60 days a year. A community water system is a public water system that supplies water to the same population year-round. Available at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/drinkingwater/pws/factoids.cfm.

c. Fluoridated population divided by total population.

d. Fluoridated population divided by population served by community water systems.

e. The increase from 2012 to 2014 in the population served by CWS with naturally occurring fluoride at or above optimal levels likely resulted from inclusion, for the first time, of the number of persons served by these systems in California as reported in WFRS.  The total number of persons receiving fluoridated water in California was based on state data and may not fully reflect this increase derived from WFRS data

f . Population served by CWS exceeded the US Census state population estimate; number of people was reduced by the ratio of the population estimate to the CWS population estimate.

g. Complete data were not available from WFRS; state provided additional information.

Additional Resources

More detail on U.S. Census Bureau estimates can be found at Calculating Fluoridation Statistics

Historical fluoridation statistics are available at Reference Statistics

Online March 3, 2016

See also:

• Statistics by state for 2014 2012200620001992

U.S. National Fluoridation Rates by State for Various Years

U.S. Population Drinking Fluoridated water: 1992-2014

Calculating Fluoridation Statistics Fact Sheet