How hard is your water? Published hardness for 45 U.S. cities
Find your city's water hardness exactly as its utility publishes it, with the source and date. Then compare softeners, filters and reverse osmosis, and request a written quote from one local company.
45cities covered
40with a published hardness figure
21read as very hard at the top of their published range
Figures are copied from utility reports and checked October 27, 2026. Classes follow the U.S. Geological Survey. We are not a water utility.
Taking requests in: Phoenix East Valley, Las Vegas Valley, San Antonio area, Kansas City, Phoenix, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego.
Hard water by city
| City | State | Hardness, as published | USGS class | Source and period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandler | AZ | 173-288 mg/L (10.1-16.8 grains per gallon) | Hard to very hard | City of Chandler, Calendar year 2025 |
| Gilbert | AZ | Average 10.79 grains per gallon (184.44 mg/L), range 6.61-17.54 grains per gallon | Moderately hard to very hard | Town of Gilbert, Calendar year 2025 |
| Mesa | AZ | 2 figures, see the city page | Very hard | City of Mesa, Calendar year 2025 |
| Phoenix | AZ | 172-302 ppm (10-17.6 grains per gallon), range only | Hard to very hard | City of Phoenix, Calendar year 2025 |
| Scottsdale | AZ | 3 figures, see the city page | Very hard | City of Scottsdale, Calendar year 2025 |
| Tucson | AZ | "Hard to very hard" (no number given) | n/a | Tucson Water, Undated document |
| Los Angeles | CA | 6 figures, see the city page | Moderately hard to very hard | LADWP, Calendar year 2025 |
| Riverside | CA | Average 197 mg/L (12 grains per gallon), range 180-210 mg/L | Hard to very hard | Riverside Public Utilities, Calendar year 2025 |
| San Diego | CA | 4 figures, see the city page | Soft to very hard | City of San Diego Public Utilities, Calendar year 2025 |
| San Francisco | CA | Average 62 ppm, range 8.1-112 ppm | Soft to moderately hard | SFPUC, Calendar year 2025 |
| Denver | CO | 2 figures, see the city page | Soft to hard | Denver Water, Calendar year 2025 |
| Washington | DC | Average 139 ppm (8 grains per gallon), range 84-194 ppm | Moderately hard to very hard | DC Water, Calendar year 2025 |
| Jacksonville | FL | No published figure found | n/a | n/a |
| Miami | FL | No published figure found | n/a | n/a |
| Orlando | FL | Average 129 ppm (7 grains per gallon) | Hard | OUC, Undated web page |
| Tampa | FL | 2 figures, see the city page | Hard to very hard | Tampa Water Department, Calendar year 2024 |
| Atlanta | GA | No published figure found | n/a | n/a |
| Chicago | IL | 129 to 158 mg/L | Hard | Chicago Department of Water Management, Three 2014 quarterly samplings (March, June and August 2014) |
| Indianapolis | IN | Average 317 ppm (19 grains per gallon), range 148-460 ppm | Hard to very hard | Citizens Energy Group, Calendar year 2025 |
| Boston | MA | 2 figures, see the city page | Soft | MWRA (for Boston Water and Sewer Commission), Undated web page |
| Baltimore | MD | 2 figures, see the city page | Moderately hard | Baltimore City DPW (Montebello laboratory), Calendar year 2022 |
| Detroit | MI | Average 107 ppm, range 96-142 ppm | Moderately hard to hard | Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Calendar year 2025 |
| Minneapolis | MN | Average 94 ppm, range 80-113 ppm | Moderately hard | Minneapolis Water Treatment and Distribution, Calendar year 2025 |
| St. Louis | MO | Average 129 ppm, range 80-206 ppm | Moderately hard to very hard | City of St. Louis Water Division, Calendar year 2025 |
| Kansas City | MO/KS | 4 figures, see the city page | Moderately hard to very hard | BPU (Kansas City, KS), Jan.-Dec. 2025 |
| Charlotte | NC | Average 32 ppm, range 27-35 ppm | Soft | Charlotte Water, Calendar year 2025 |
| Jersey City | NJ | Range 62-103 ppm | Moderately hard | Veolia Jersey City, Calendar year 2022 |
| Henderson | NV | Typically 304 parts per million (18 grains per gallon) | Very hard | City of Henderson, 2026 report (2025 data) |
| Las Vegas | NV | 280 parts per million (16 grains per gallon) | Very hard | Las Vegas Valley Water District, Calendar year 2025 |
| New York City | NY | Average 32 mg/L (2 grains per gallon), range 18-100 mg/L | Soft to moderately hard | NYC DEP, Calendar year 2025 |
| Cincinnati | OH | 2 figures, see the city page | Hard | Greater Cincinnati Water Works, Undated FAQ on the page for the 2025 report |
| Oklahoma City | OK | No published figure found | n/a | n/a |
| Allentown | PA | Average 15.0 grains per gallon, range 10.5-16.6 grains per gallon | Hard to very hard | Lehigh County Authority, Calendar year 2025 |
| Philadelphia | PA | 3 figures, see the city page | Moderately hard to very hard | Philadelphia Water Department, 2025 report year |
| Pittsburgh | PA | "Moderately hard" (no number given) | n/a | Pittsburgh Water, Undated web page |
| Nashville | TN | 2 figures, see the city page | Moderately hard to hard | Metro Water Services, 2023 data, in the 2025 report |
| Austin | TX | Average 93 ppm (5.4 grains per gallon), range 70-126 ppm | Moderately hard to hard | Austin Water, Calendar year 2025 |
| Dallas | TX | Average 119 mg/L, range 92-167 mg/L | Moderately hard to hard | Dallas Water Utilities, Calendar year 2003 |
| Fort Worth | TX | 76.5 to 175 ppm (5 to 10 grains per gallon), range only | Moderately hard to hard | Fort Worth Water, Calendar year 2024 |
| Houston | TX | Average 135.5 ppm, range 43.5-229 ppm | Soft to very hard | Houston Public Works, Calendar year 2025 |
| McAllen | TX | No published figure found | n/a | n/a |
| New Braunfels | TX | 13.7 to 17.4 grains per gallon, described as "very hard" | Very hard | New Braunfels Utilities, Undated web page (the same range appears as 2017 data in NBU's 2018 report) |
| San Antonio | TX | 15 to 20 grains per gallon | Very hard | San Antonio Water System, Undated FAQ page |
| Seattle | WA | 2 figures, see the city page | Soft | Seattle Public Utilities, Single sample, May 2026 |
| Madison | WI | 3 figures, see the city page | Very hard | Madison Water Utility, Undated FAQ |
Full table with every utility and period ยท Data as JSON
What should I compare?
Water softenerFor scale and hard water.Whole-home filterFor chlorine taste and odor.Reverse osmosisFor drinking water at one tap.
How does it work?
- Check your ZIP code.
- Read your city's published water facts.
- Send a request to the one local company named for your area.
- Get an assessment and a written quote. Booking is not a purchase.