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Water and sewer affordability in the United States: a 2019 update
Author(s) -
Teodoro Manuel P.,
Saywitz Robin Rose
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
awwa water science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2577-8161
DOI - 10.1002/aws2.1176
Subject(s) - sample (material) , wage , work (physics) , economics , low income , water industry , business , labour economics , demographic economics , water supply , environmental science , engineering , environmental engineering , mechanical engineering , chemistry , chromatography
This study uses contemporary metrics and data from an original, representative sample of water and sewer utilities in the United States to calculate the affordability of basic single‐family residential water and sewer services for low‐income households in 2019. Results show that affordability conditions have worsened on average since the last such study in 2017: low‐income households must spend an average of 12.4% of their disposable income (up from 10.9%) and/or work 10.1 h at minimum wage (up from 9.9 h) to pay for basic monthly water and sewer services. Analysis suggests that rising prices combine with underlying economic trends to exacerbate affordability.