Populations Receiving Optimally Fluoridated Public Drinking Water — United States, 1992–2006
MMWR Weekly, July 11, 2008 / 57(27);737-741
“In 2006, 69.2% of the U.S. population served by community water systems received optimally fluoridated water (Table 1), an increase from 62.1% in 1992, and from 65.0% in 2000 (Table 2)… Overall, approximately 184 million persons served by community water systems received fluoridated water; of that number, approximately 8 million persons received water with sufficient naturally occurring fluoride concentrations…”
TABLE 1. Estimated number and percentage of persons served by community water systems who received optimally fluoridated water,* by state/area – United States, 2006
MMWR Weekly, July 11, 2008 / 57(27);737-741
| Rank (added by FAN) |
State/Area | No. served by community water systems | No. receiving optimally fluoridated water | % |
| United States | 265,794,252 | 184,028,038 | 69.2 | |
| 1. | District of Columbia + | 581,530 | 581,530 | 100 |
| 2. | Kentucky + | 4,206,074 | 4,199,519 | 99.8 |
| 3. | Illinois | 11,484,994 | 11,355,747 | 98.9 |
| 4. | Minnesota | 3,956,659 | 3,905,754 | 98.7 |
| 5. | North Dakota | 574,346 | 552,785 | 96.2 |
| 6. | Georgia + | 9,393,941 | 8,974,302 | 95.8 |
| 7. | Indiana | 4,550,057 | 4,327,916 | 95.1 |
| 8. | South Dakota | 691,333 | 657,022 | 95.0 |
| 8. | Virginia | 6,135,847 | 5,830,328 | 95.0 |
| 9. | South Carolina | 3,545,617 | 3,355,873 | 94.6 |
| 10. | Maryland | 4,847,653 | 4,549,055 | 93.8 |
| 11. | Tennessee | 5,220,410 | 4,889,987 | 93.7 |
| 12. | Iowa | 2,558,575 | 2,363,277 | 92.4 |
| 13. | West Virginia | 1,360,193 | 1,247,301 | 91.7 |
| 14. | Michigan | 7,335,365 | 6,664,706 | 90.9 |
| 15. | Wisconsin | 3,868,775 | 3,471,706 | 89.7 |
| 16. | Ohio | 10,021,630 | 8,948,975 | 89.3 |
| 17. | Connecticut | 2,691,412 | 2,393,487 | 88.9 |
| 18. | North Carolina | 6,498,294 | 5,689,906 | 87.6 |
| 19. | Rhode Island | 977,261 | 826,863 | 84.6 |
| 20. | Alabama + | 4,599,030 | 3,814,295 | 82.9 |
| 21. | Missouri | 4,928,689 | 3,928,100 | 79.7 |
| 22. | Maine | 630,136 | 501,290 | 79.6 |
| 23. | Texas | 21,731,824 | 16,979,975 | 78.1 |
| 24. | Florida | 16,729,803 | 13,006,128 | 77.7 |
| 25. | New Mexico | 1,567,857 | 1,207,034 | 77.0 |
| 26. | Colorado | 4,190,698 | 3,085,319 | 73.6 |
| 26. | Delaware | 819,176 | 603,207 | 73.6 |
| 27. | Oklahoma | 3,392,725 | 2,493,521 | 73.5 |
| 28. | New York | 17,471,590 | 12,733,582 | 72.9 |
| 29. | Nevada | 2,422,152 | 1,744,984 | 72.0 |
| 30. | Nebraska | 1,420,624 | 991,292 | 69.8 |
| 31. | Kansas | 2,563,505 | 1,669,657 | 65.1 |
| 32. | Arkansas | 2,561,312 | 1,648,317 | 64.4 |
| 33. | Washington | 5,628,782 | 3,542,948 | 62.9 |
| 34. | Alaska | 519,379 | 308,801 | 59.5 |
| 35. | Massachusetts + | 6,437,193 | 3,802,732 | 59.1 |
| 36. | Vermont | 529,441 | 310,953 | 58.7 |
| 37. | Arizona | 5,611,581 | 3,147,245 | 56.1 |
| 38. | Utah | 2,242,897 | 1,216,980 | 54.3 |
| 39. | Pennsylvania | 10,390,234 | 5,610,873 | 54.0 |
| 40. | Mississippi + | 2,910,540 | 1,480,601 | 50.9 |
| 41. | New Hampshire | 832,656 | 354,637 | 42.6 |
| 42. | Louisiana + | 4,287,768 | 1,731,807 | 40.4 |
| 43. | Wyoming | 446,323 | 162,396 | 36.4 |
| 44. | Idaho | 1,011,949 | 316,350 | 31.3 |
| 44. | Montana | 794,563 | 248,850 | 31.3 |
| 45. | Oregon | 3,069,204 | 839,727 | 27.4 |
| 46. | California +§ | 36,457,549 | 9,881,390 | 27.1 |
| 47. | New Jersey | 7,839,608 | 1,771,324 | 22.6 |
| 48. | Hawaii +§ | 1,285,498 | 107,684 | 8.4 |
| * | Defined as a fluoride concentration of 0.7-1.2 ppm, depending on the average maximum daily air temperature in the area | |||
| + | State’s estimated population served by community water systems exceeded the U.S. Census intercensal state population estimate; therefore, number of persons receiving optimally fluoridated water was reduced by the ration of the intervensal population estimate to the community water systems population estimate. | |||
| § | Complete data were not available from the Water Fluoridation Reporting System; state provided additional information | |||
TABLE 2. Healthy People 2010 baseline estimate of the percentage of population served by community water systems who received optimally fluoridated water* in 1992, revised 2000 estimate, and percentage-point changes over time, by state/area – United States, 1992, 2000, and 2006
MMWR Weekly, July 11, 2008 / 57(27);737-741
| State/Area | Healthy People 1992 baseline % |
Revised 2000 % |
Percentage-point change (2000 to 2006) |
Percentage-point change (1992 to 2006) |
| United States + | 62.1 | 65.0 | 4.2 | 7.1 |
| Alabama + | 82.6 | 83.1 | -0.2 | 0.3 |
| Alaska | 61.2 | 55.2 | 4.3 | -1.7 |
| Arizona | 49.9 | 55.5 | 0.6 | 6.2 |
| Arkansas +§ | 58.7 | 48.1 | 16.3 | 5.7 |
| California § | 15.7 | 28.7 | -1.6 | 11.4 |
| Colorado +§ | 81.7 | 73.0 | 0.6 | -8.1 |
| Connecticut | 85.9 | 88.8 | 0.1 | 3.0 |
| Delaware | 67.4 | 80.9 | -7.3 | 6.2 |
| District of Columbia | 100.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Florida | 58.3 | 62.6 | 15.1 | 19.4 |
| Georgia | 92.1 | 92.9 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| Hawaii ? | 13.0 | 8.7 | -0.3 | -4.6 |
| Idaho | 48.3 | 45.4 | -14.1 | -17.0 |
| Illinois | 95.2 | 93.4 | 5.5 | 3.7 |
| Indiana | 98.6 | 95.3 | -0.2 | -3.5 |
| Iowa | 91.4 | 91.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Kansas | 58.4 | 62.5 | 2.6 | 6.7 |
| Kentucky | 100.0 | 96.1 | 3.7 | -0.2 |
| Louisiana + | 55.7 | 50.6 | -10.2 | 15.3 |
| Maine | 55.8 | 75.4 | 4.2 | 23.8 |
| Maryland + | 85.8 | 76.1 | 17.7 | 8.0 |
| Massachusetts +§ | 57.0 | 54.8 | 4.3 | 2.1 |
| Michigan | 88.5 | 90.7 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
| Minnesota | 93.4 | 98.2 | 0.5 | 5.3 |
| Mississippi + | 48.4 | 46.1 | 4.8 | 2.5 |
| Missouri + | 71.4 | 67.1 | 12.6 | 8.3 |
| Montana | 25.9 | 22.2 | 9.1 | 5.4 |
| Nebraska +§ | 62.1 | 69.8 | 0.0 | 7.7 |
| Nevada +§ | 2.1 | 66.2 | 5.8 | 69.9 |
| New Hampshire | 24.0 | 43.0 | -0.4 | 18.6 |
| New Jersey | 16.2 | 15.5 | 7.1 | 6.4 |
| New Mexico | 66.2 | 76.7 | 0.3 | 10.8 |
| New York +§ | 69.7 | 74.7 | -1.8 | 3.2 |
| North Carolina | 78.5 | 83.3 | 4.3 | 9.1 |
| North Dakota | 96.4 | 95.4 | 0.8 | -0.2 |
| Ohio | 87.9 | 87.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Oklahoma +§ | 58.0 | 73.1 | 0.4 | 15.5 |
| Oregon +§ | 24.8 | 17.2 | 4.7 | 2.6 |
| Pennsylvania | 29.9 | 54.2 | -0.2 | 33.1 |
| Rhode Island | 100.0 | 85,1 | -0.5 | -15.4 |
| South Carolina | 90.0 | 91.2 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| South Dakota +§ | 100.0 | 86.2 | 8.8 | -5.0 |
| Tennessee | 92.0 | 94.5 | -0.8 | 1.7 |
| Texas | 64.0 | 65.7 | 12.4 | 14.1 |
| Utah +§ | 3.1 | 1.7 | 52.6 | 51.2 |
| Vermont | 57.4 | 54.2 | 4.5 | 1.3 |
| Virginia | 72.1 | 93.3 | 1.7 | 22.9 |
| Washington +§ | 53.2 | 41.0 | 21.9 | 9.7 |
| West Virginia +§ | 82.1 | 65.3 | 26.4 | 9.6 |
| Wisconsin | 93.0 | 89.3 | 0.4 | -3.3 |
| Wyoming + | 35.7 | 29.7 | 6.7 | 0.7 |
| * | Defined as a fluoride concentration of 0.7-1.2 ppm, depending on the average maximum daily air temperature in the area. | |||
| + | Estimate for 2000 was changed from that previously reported ecause of new methodology, improvements in the quality and accuracy of Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS) data, or rounding error. Previous estimates were as follows: United States 65.8%; Alabama, 89.2%; Arkansas, 59.9%; Colorado, 76.9%; Hawaii, 9.0%; Louisiana, 53.2%; Maryland, 90.7%; Massachusetts, 55.8%; Mississippi, 46.0%; Missouri, 80.5%; Nebraska, 77.7%; Nevada, 65.9%; New York, 67.8%; Oklahoma, 74.6%; Oregon, 22.7%; South Dakota, 88.4%;Utah, 2.0%;Washington, 57.8%; West Virginia, 87.0%; Wyoming, 30.3%. | |||
| § | Complete data for 2000 were not available from WFRS; state provided additional information. | |||
See also:
• Statistics by state for 2014 – 2012 – 2006 – 2000 – 1992
• U.S. National Fluoridation Rates by State for Various Years
• U.S. Population Drinking Fluoridated water: 1992-2014
• Calculating Fluoridation Statistics Fact Sheet