Indiana Water Systems Serving the Most Disadvantaged Populations — 2026
Indiana community water utilities serving populations with the highest combined percent of non-white residents and households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (Census ACS 2019-2023, aggregated via EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3).
ranked
with demographic data
vintage
boundaries (March 2026)
These 50 Indiana water utilities serve populations with the highest combined percent of non-white residents and households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Within-size-class percentile rankings neutralize the confound of system size; no geographic cap is applied at the state level because all utilities are within a single state.
| Rank | Water System | State | Pop served | Equity score | % PoC served | % Below 200% FPL | Unresolved violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Chicago Water Works | Indiana | 19,040 | 98.4 | 93% | 56% | — |
| 2 | Hammond Water Works Department | Indiana | 56,731 | 88.4 | 68% | 42% | — |
| 3 | South Bend Water Works | Indiana | 91,600 | 77.2 | 42% | 40% | — |
| 4 | Whiting Water Department | Indiana | 4,074 | 76.6 | 52% | 35% | — |
| 5 | City of Lawrence Utilities | Indiana | 40,194 | 75.9 | 59% | 33% | 3 |
| 6 | Purdue Univ. Water Works | Indiana | 10,197 | 75.4 | 31% | 45% | — |
| 7 | Indiana American Water - West Lafayette | Indiana | 49,364 | 75.3 | 31% | 45% | — |
| 8 | Elkhart Public Works and Utilities | Indiana | 55,679 | 72 | 36% | 38% | — |
| 9 | Logansport Municipal Utility-Well Field | Indiana | 17,548 | 70.5 | 30% | 40% | — |
| 10 | Michigan City Department of Water Works | Indiana | 31,361 | 68.6 | 33% | 37% | — |
| 11 | Indiana American Water - Northwest | Indiana | 187,851 | 65.7 | 52% | 37% | — |
| 12 | Anderson Water Department | Indiana | 52,901 | 64.8 | 24% | 40% | — |
| 13 | Marion City Water Works | Indiana | 27,324 | 63.5 | 20% | 42% | — |
| 14 | Lafayette Water Works | Indiana | 77,418 | 63.4 | 26% | 37% | — |
| 15 | Ligonier Water Works | Indiana | 4,354 | 63.2 | 36% | 31% | — |
| 16 | Indiana American Water - Muncie | Indiana | 68,625 | 62.4 | 18% | 45% | — |
| 17 | Indiana American Water - Terre Haute | Indiana | 65,439 | 62.2 | 18% | 44% | — |
| 18 | Frankfort Water Works | Indiana | 14,668 | 58.9 | 27% | 33% | — |
| 19 | Goshen Water Utility | Indiana | 32,784 | 58.8 | 31% | 31% | — |
| 20 | Indiana American Water - Richmond | Indiana | 37,787 | 58.8 | 18% | 40% | — |
| 21 | Washington Water Works | Indiana | 12,506 | 56.8 | 19% | 37% | — |
| 22 | City of Bloomington Utilities | Indiana | 94,024 | 56.1 | 19% | 37% | — |
| 23 | Indiana American Water - Kokomo | Indiana | 55,158 | 54.4 | 18% | 37% | — |
| 24 | Griffith Water Department | Indiana | 11,145 | 52.4 | 39% | 23% | — |
| 25 | Mishawaka Utilities | Indiana | 49,382 | 51.8 | 21% | 32% | — |
| 26 | Citizens Water - Indianapolis | Indiana | 968,718 | 50.4 | 44% | 32% | — |
| 27 | Peru Water Department | Indiana | 10,799 | 49 | 13% | 37% | — |
| 28 | Natural Public Supply, Inc. | Indiana | 21,041 | 48.9 | 26% | 27% | — |
| 29 | Hartford City Water Works | Indiana | 5,414 | 48.1 | 4% | 49% | — |
| 30 | Peru Utilities/Grissom | Indiana | 4,719 | 48.1 | 15% | 34% | — |
| 31 | Highland Water Works | Indiana | 21,159 | 48 | 33% | 23% | — |
| 32 | Southern Monroe Water Authority | Indiana | 4,761 | 47.2 | 18% | 31% | — |
| 33 | Columbus Municipal Utility | Indiana | 46,313 | 46.9 | 23% | 27% | — |
| 34 | Watson Rural Water Company | Indiana | 20,560 | 46.6 | 23% | 27% | — |
| 35 | Gas City Water Department | Indiana | 5,553 | 46.6 | 14% | 35% | — |
| 36 | Fort Wayne - 3 Rivers Filtration Plant | Indiana | 265,547 | 45.6 | 34% | 34% | — |
| 37 | Scottsburg Water Department | Indiana | 6,933 | 45.1 | 8% | 40% | — |
| 38 | Huntingburg Municipal Water | Indiana | 5,707 | 44.8 | 26% | 24% | 1 |
| 39 | Rockville Light & Water | Indiana | 3,391 | 44.5 | 7% | 40% | — |
| 40 | Indiana American Water - Sullivan | Indiana | 5,424 | 44 | 5% | 42% | — |
| 41 | Indiana American Water - Crawfordsville | Indiana | 16,112 | 43.6 | 12% | 34% | — |
| 42 | Plymouth Water Department | Indiana | 9,787 | 43.2 | 19% | 28% | — |
| 43 | Salem Water Works | Indiana | 5,316 | 43.1 | 4% | 41% | 5 |
| 44 | Connersville Utilities | Indiana | 12,937 | 42.4 | 7% | 39% | — |
| 45 | Linton Municipal Water Utility | Indiana | 5,125 | 42.2 | 4% | 40% | — |
| 46 | New Castle Utilities | Indiana | 17,303 | 41.8 | 10% | 35% | — |
| 47 | Madison Water Department | Indiana | 12,776 | 41.6 | 9% | 36% | — |
| 48 | Indiana American Water - Warsaw | Indiana | 16,194 | 41.4 | 19% | 26% | — |
| 49 | Elwood Water & Sewage | Indiana | 8,217 | 41.4 | 6% | 39% | — |
| 50 | Princeton Water Department | Indiana | 7,891 | 41.1 | 15% | 30% | — |
How to read this ranking
Each row links to a full utility profile with violation history, lead testing results, and service-area ZIPs. The demographic context columns are from independent data sources (ACS, not EJScreen) and are provided for readers who want to examine equity patterns alongside the operational data.
See the full methodology for calculation details, data vintages, and known limitations.
Frequently asked questions
What does the "equity score" mean?
A 0-100 composite that combines two within-size-class percentile ranks: (1) percent of population served that is non-white (Census ACS B03002), and (2) percent below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (Census ACS C17002). Within-size-class comparison (small, medium, large) is used because small rural systems and large urban systems have structurally different demographic profiles; mixing them in a single ranking produces a methodologically weak list dominated by size rather than disparity.
Why is the list capped at 5 systems per state?
Without a cap, the list concentrates in states with large numbers of historically disadvantaged small-to-medium systems (Texas, California). A geographic diversity cap produces a more nationally-representative snapshot. Per-state rankings, if available, show the full within-state comparison without a cap.
Does this claim discrimination?
No. It reports a demographic fact: these water utilities serve populations that are more non-white and lower-income than the national median, after controlling for system size. Causation — why that pattern exists — is a separate research question requiring different data and methods.
ZipCheckup is an independent public-data tool. We are a referral service and do not provide water testing, remediation, or utility services. Rankings reflect publicly-available federal data and are provided for informational purposes. For issues with your specific water system, contact your local water utility or state drinking water program.