Interactive Map

Watershed Stress Index — U.S. Water Resilience by Region

Explore water resilience across all 50 states, aggregated from 42,517 ZIP codes. The Watershed Stress Index combines drought severity, groundwater availability, and water source diversity into a single 0–100 resilience score.

42,517 ZIP Codes Analyzed
66/100 National Avg Resilience
4 Stressed/Vulnerable States
RI Most Resilient (87)
FL Most Stressed (41)

Resilience Components (National Average)

68
Drought Score
53
Groundwater Score
65
Source Diversity Score
66
Overall Resilience
Loading watershed stress map…
Stressed (<30) Vulnerable (30-49) Stable (50-69) Resilient (70+)

Data: USGS groundwater monitoring, USDM drought monitor, EPA water source data. Map updated 2026-05-14.

State Resilience Rankings

All states ranked by average water resilience score. Lower scores indicate greater stress.

# State Resilience Status Drought Groundwater Source ZIPs
1 Florida 41 Vulnerable 31 43 65 1,668
2 Georgia 47 Vulnerable 41 44 66 987
3 South Carolina 48 Vulnerable 48 34 64 566
4 Arkansas 48 Vulnerable 38 55 62 712
5 Louisiana 51 Stable 60 27 65 801
6 Texas 51 Stable 53 21 69 2,727
7 New Mexico 52 Stable 53 39 67 428
8 Mississippi 53 Stable 65 26 65 565
9 North Carolina 53 Stable 45 55 68 1,132
10 New Hampshire 53 Stable 58 34 67 284
11 Oklahoma 54 Stable 48 57 65 775
12 Wyoming 56 Stable 55 50 65 195
13 Idaho 57 Stable 66 38 66 324
14 Utah 57 Stable 55 51 68 349
15 Alabama 58 Stable 66 41 61 845
16 Nebraska 59 Stable 55 58 67 624
17 Maryland 60 Stable 64 50 64 630
18 Colorado 60 Stable 58 59 68 661
19 Tennessee 61 Stable 71 45 60 791
20 Maine 62 Stable 44 88 64 504
21 Virginia 62 Stable 63 50 64 1,272
22 Oregon 63 Stable 76 37 68 483
23 Iowa 64 Stable 82 33 66 1,065
24 Illinois 64 Stable 75 45 64 1,609
25 Montana 65 Stable 64 65 65 408
26 South Dakota 66 Stable 71 58 63 397
27 Nevada 66 Stable 85 32 71 255
28 Hawaii 66 Stable 94 18 65 140
29 Missouri 67 Stable 79 45 63 1,194
30 Arizona 69 Stable 69 66 71 555
31 District of Columbia 70 Resilient 0 70 55 284
32 New Jersey 70 Resilient 74 71 60 771
33 Washington 71 Resilient 83 50 68 733
34 Connecticut 72 Resilient 0 7 65 433
35 Minnesota 73 Resilient 86 56 65 1,023
36 California 73 Resilient 99 31 69 2,672
37 Massachusetts 74 Resilient 67 91 63 743
38 Vermont 74 Resilient 80 66 65 312
39 Kansas 74 Resilient 85 63 61 754
40 Pennsylvania 76 Resilient 78 81 63 2,251
41 Indiana 77 Resilient 81 66 66 986
42 Alaska 77 Resilient 94 50 64 274
43 Kentucky 79 Resilient 97 57 56 993
44 West Virginia 79 Resilient 97 62 59 939
45 Wisconsin 79 Resilient 95 60 66 902
46 New York 80 Resilient 89 74 66 2,257
47 Ohio 80 Resilient 88 75 66 1,454
48 North Dakota 80 Resilient 99 58 63 414
49 Delaware 82 Resilient 80 97 63 104
50 Michigan 83 Resilient 99 61 65 1,178
51 Rhode Island 87 Resilient 89 96 65 94

How the Watershed Stress Index Works

The index combines three equally weighted components into a 0–100 resilience score:

  • Drought Score (0–100) — based on USDM drought monitor data. Measures the severity and duration of drought conditions. A score of 100 means no drought; 0 means extreme (D4) drought.
  • Groundwater Score (0–100) — based on USGS groundwater monitoring well data. Reflects aquifer levels and recharge rates. Areas with declining aquifers score lower.
  • Source Diversity Score (0–100) — measures how many independent water sources serve the area. Communities relying on a single source are more vulnerable to disruption.

What Watershed Stress Means for Homeowners

Areas with low resilience scores may face water rate increases, usage restrictions during droughts, or supply disruptions. If your area is stressed or vulnerable, consider water-efficient fixtures, rainwater collection (where legal), and understanding your utility's drought contingency plan.

Data Sources

USGS National Water Information System (NWIS) groundwater data, U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) water source data. Scores updated monthly with latest drought conditions.

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