These College Towns Have the Best (and Worst) Drinking Water

Before you ship your college kid back to campus, you might consider the quality of water coming out of their dorm or apartment taps. In partnership with ZeroWater, Culligan has released the first-ever ranking of US college towns based on tap water quality, grading the largest college towns in each state on a scale of A to F for lead and PFAS (“forever chemicals”). The timing is notable with back-to-school season approaching and water quality a growing concern for college-aged adults.

The Best Water Filter Pitchers, Tested by CNET

This year’s incoming class is shaping up to be the most health-conscious yet — nearly 30% of Gen Z and Millennials surveyed say wellness matters more to them now than it did a year ago.

Results suggest most college towns have work to do

PFAS concerns: Roughly one-third of towns scored a “C” or worse on PFAS contamination.

Widespread water contamination: Nearly all college towns evaluated by Culligan — 92% — showed at least one harmful contaminant in their water supply. New York City was the sole town to receive an “F” for lead levels.

Alarming lead levels: Just 8 of the 50 college towns had water quality meeting EPA lead standards.

College towns with the best water (Overall)

• Albuquerque, NM — University of New Mexico
• Blacksburg, VA — Virginia Tech
• Boise, ID — Boise State
• Durham, NH — University of New Hampshire
• Morgantown, WV — West Virginia University

College towns with the worst water (Overall)

• Columbia, SC — University of South Carolina
• Tempe, AZ — Arizona State
• Newark, DE — University of Delaware
• New York City, NY — NYU
• New Brunswick, NJ — Rutgers

See the full list here.

Why it matters

Nearly 30% of Gen Z and millennials noted that wellness matters more to them this year than last, including water quality. The ranking gives incoming students a simple way to check what’s really coming out of the tap in their new college town and decide if some form of filtration is necessary.

Why testing is important

CNET spoke to a water-quality expert while testing countertop filters earlier this year. Dr. Eric Roy explained that the most harmful contaminants, including lead and PFAS, rarely affect the taste or smell of water, underscoring the importance of having your local water tested, especially if it comes from a well. TapScore is one of the leading at-home water quality services with lab testing for around $299.

Testing methodology

Culligan ZeroWater analyzed public water quality data for the largest university’s water system in each state (per 2024 IPEDS enrollment data), grading lead levels against the EPA’s 10 ppb action threshold and five PFAS chemicals (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, GenX) against UCMR5 monitoring data collected from 2023 to 2025.

David Watsky

Managing Editor / Home and Kitchen

David lives in Brooklyn where he’s spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

David earned his BA from Northeastern and has toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now he’s likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or tinkering with a toaster. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.

See full bio