State water index

New York water hardness

Search 55 indexed communities and 132 ZIP profiles, then compare the underlying utility, source, distance, and reporting context.

Median indexed hardness

120PPM

Moderately Hard

Indexed range 7.2–290 PPM

ZIP profiles: 132
Cities: 55
Matched utilities: 56
Counties: 32

Understanding New York

Why local comparisons matter here

New York includes the Catskill and Delaware reservoir system, Great Lakes and major rivers, Adirondack watersheds, and productive groundwater including Long Island aquifers.

In this index, very hard is the largest category, covering 49 of 132 profiles with hardness data. The state median is 120 PPM, but the full indexed range is 7.2–290 PPM.

State distribution

Hardness across indexed ZIPs

Counts describe published ZIP profiles, not a population-weighted statewide sample.

Soft · 0–60 PPM32

Moderately hard · 61–120 PPM35

Hard · 121–180 PPM16

Very hard · 181+ PPM49

Evidence coverage

What the current records support

Hardness estimate: 100%
Lead 90th percentile: 100%
Copper 90th percentile: 16%

Low-confidence hardness profiles

Nearest site more than 25 miles away

Reported source water

Utility source mix

Surface water: 47
Groundwater: 9

Highest medians

Hardest indexed cities

Lowest medians

Softest indexed cities

City directory

Explore New York by city

Search by city or county, then sort by name, hardness, or ZIP coverage.

55 cities · 132 ZIP profiles

Search city or county

County

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55 cities found

Page 1 of 3

Albany

Albany County · 9 ZIPs

15PPM

Range 13.3–18.7No active flag

Auburn

Cayuga County · 2 ZIPs

188PPM

Range 183–193.5No active flag

Beacon

Dutchess County · 1 ZIP

91PPM

County	Median	Range	ZIP profiles
Monroe County	286 PPM	265.5–290	17
Niagara County	241 PPM	233–265.5	8
Erie County	233 PPM	219–233	17
Ontario County	194 PPM	191–196	2
Oswego County	192 PPM	191–193.5	2
Seneca County	191 PPM	191–191	1
Cayuga County	188 PPM	183–193.5	2
Ulster County	162 PPM	161.5–161.5	1
Schenectady County	161 PPM	140–161	4
Onondaga County	158 PPM	99.4–175	12
Washington County	132 PPM	132–132	1
Cattaraugus County	121 PPM	121–121	1

Why local comparisons matter here

Hardness across indexed ZIPs

What the current records support

Utility source mix

Hardest indexed cities

Softest indexed cities

Explore New York by city

Albany

Auburn

Beacon

Buffalo

Cambridge

Canandaigua

Cohoes

Corning

Cornwall-On-Hudson

Dunkirk

Elmira

Fort Drum

Fulton

Geneva

Glen Cove

Glens Falls

Hornell

Hurley

Irvington

Ithaca

Lewiston

Little Falls

Lockport

Long Beach

Highest indexed county medians