New research reveals that more American cities – even those seen as affluent – are home to people living without running water as people are being squeezed by unaffordable housing and the cost-of-living crisis.

Phoenix is one of several metro areas, along with Portland, Oregon, that saw an increase in the percentage change of households without running water between 2000 and 2021. In the Phoenix metro area, the number of households without running water increased from 5,800 in 2000 to 6,300 households in 2021.

The new findings by researchers from King's College London and the University of Arizona, published in the journal Nature Cities, reveal how plumbing poverty across the U.S. has worsened following changes to the housing market triggered by the 2008 global crash. And since 2017, the researchers said, it has been "expanding in scope and severity" to affect a broader array of U.S. cities. 

The issue is also racialized: In 12 of the 15 largest cities, people of color were disproportionately affected by a lack of household water. Specifically, the study found people of color represent the majority of individuals without access to running water in many U.S. cities, including Los Angeles (82%), Miami (79%), San Francisco (74%) and Houston (71%) in 2021.

"Our results underscore that the success in reducing plumbing poverty in select U.S. cities over the past 20 years is uneven, with households of color often left behind," said study co-author Jason R. Jurjevich, assistant professor in the U of A School of Geography, Development and Environment, in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Lead researcher Katie Meehan with King's College London said people can find themselves living without running water for a range of reasons and, in most cases, people are working but not earning enough to make ends meet. 

Some households might have been disconnected from water service after falling behind with bills or had to "downgrade" to housing without any water access because other expenses take priority. Others might be in homes that have been poorly maintained by the landlord but cannot afford to move out, some might be living in buildings such as sheds or warehouses not designed to be homes, while others could be experiencing homelessness.

"The compound pressures of high housing costs and expenditures mean that more low-income, asset-limited people are living without running water in these expensive cities," Meehan said. "Far too many people, especially those of color, are now in such extreme poverty they are being pushed into homes that do not meet the basic standard for human dignity and life."

The study is the first to track the problem over a 51-year period in the 50 largest U.S. cities. In the 1970s, according to Census data, 3.5 million U.S. households lacked running water and by 2021 this overall number had decreased, but half a million households – or 1.1 million people – still lacked household access to running water. This is equivalent to 1 out of 245 households living without running water. The team believes this is likely to be an underestimate of the true number because of limitations in U.S. Census data.

Another key finding from the study is that from 1990, plumbing poverty shifted from being a mainly rural to an urban issue. The latest figures show 71% of those in plumbing poverty now live in cities. 

The authors said not enough attention is being given to how the housing crisis is shaping people's access to running water. They recommend reform and improvements to the U.S. Census Bureau's capacity to collect nationwide data about household water access and the extent of water service shut-offs, in order to monitor and meet the United Nations sustainable development goals. 

They also said local water utilities and water boards must revisit and overhaul low-income assistance programs in light of the expanding cost-of-living and housing expenses, which are "squeezing" people's ability to pay for water services.