WHY
RURAL WATER?
Rural communities are home to agriculture, energy, and supply chains that fuel the national economy. Looking exclusively at rural counties, every $1 million invested in water infrastructure generates:
$1.4+ million
in economic output
$437,000
in labor income
$700,000
of GDP contribution
8 jobs
In more than 80% of states, rural per-capita needs are higher than urban.
Why Invest in Water?
Rural households are hit hardest by service outages, often paying twice as much as urban households to secure basic daily water needs. Single-staff and volunteer-run systems — common in rural areas — are aging.
When these systems fail, communities face public health risks and economic decline.
Investing in rural water infrastructure means creating local jobs in construction and operations, promoting healthier and safer families, and fostering stronger agricultural and small-business economies. Still, the benefits of water investment in rural America extend far beyond county lines.
Investing in rural water infrastructure is a necessity. By closing the rural water gap, we can safeguard livelihoods, support agriculture, and give small communities a fair chance to thrive.
Rural communities face particularly significant water cost burdens. On a per capita basis, water infrastructure needs in rural counties average $13,800 over 20 years (excluding adjustments for stormwater, PFAS, and lead service line replacement needs, for which data were not available to differentiate between urban and rural). That is almost twice the $7,800 per capita need in urban counties. With rural per-capita income averaging $35,000 in 2023, the investment required amounts to more than one-third of annual income.
Read the full report, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure, at www.thevalueofwater.org
$13,800 is the average rural water and wastewater need per person. That’s nearly double the $7,800 per capita need in urban counties.
Over the past four decades, the federal role in funding water infrastructure has steadily declined, leaving states and utilities to increase their contributions to meet growing needs. Historically, states and local governments have borne 37% to 100% of capital investments in water infrastructure—costs they may finance with other public or private funding and that ultimately flow to customers through their water bills.
Federal investment, once the backbone of water funding, has steadily declined from covering more than half of costs in the 1970s to about 7% today. The temporary infusion of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was a critical step forward, but it only scratches the surface of what is required.
Meeting the Need
Meeting rural America’s 2025 funding need of $11.6 billion, as reported in U.S. EPA’s 2023 drinking water and 2024 clean watersheds needs surveys, would:
— increase GDP by more than $8 billion,
— create nearly 90,000 jobs,
— generate more than $16.7 billion in economic output
CALL TO ACTION -
CALL TO ACTION -
Fund Water Infrastructure - Stand Up for USDA Rural Development
Rural Development will continue to play a vital role in modernizing, preserving, and protecting rural America’s infrastructure and public health. You can help secure its future today by signing the pledge and writing to your Congressional representatives today.
Providing adequate support and resources necessary to protect and enhance the environment, public health, sustainability of utilities, and economic vitality of rural America with clean, affordable, and safe water service is a primary responsibility for our federal elected officials.