SAN DIEGO—Ahead of World Water Day last month, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Most Expensive Cities for Lawn Irrigation.
In each of the 50 major U.S. cities in the ranking, Lawn Love compared the average water bill against the typical yard size to measure residents’ average monthly utility expense on outdoor water use. They range from $0.65 to $9.49 per 1,000 square feet of lawn.
Lawn Love also considered various factors that affect the cost of landscape irrigation, such as the types of grass that grow in each city, the region’s proneness to drought, and the legality of harvesting rainwater in the state.
Check out the five priciest (and five cheapest) cities for outdoor water use below, followed by key insights from the report.
This year’s priciest cities for lawn irrigation include (from most expensive to least expensive: Fresno, Calif.; Phoenix; San Diego; Los Angeles; Riverside, Calif.
This year’s cheapest cities for lawn irrigation include Omaha, Neb.; New York City; Philadelphia; Columbus, Ohio; and Chicago.
Key Insights
- Super Soakers: California and Texas stand out in the ranking—for the wrong reasons. Texas cities ended up in the top 50 percent due to their sprawling (aka water-intensive) yards. California cities also dominated the top 10 because they bombed the financials metrics. Both states share the top positions in Cost Determinants, made up mostly of climate factors.
- East vs. West: Plotting the five most expensive and five cheapest cities on a map reveals a clear division between East and West (and North versus South). All of the cheapest cities lie east of the Missouri River and in the northern half of the United States. The most expensive are west of the river and near the border with Mexico. Familiarity with regional climates (and climate trends) leaks the reasons for these patterns: The West is currently grappling with its worst drought in over 1,200 years, whereas colder climates make it difficult to keep grass green in winter.
- Dollars and No Sense: From a purely dollar perspective, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington—in that order—are the least affordable cities for lawn irrigation despite having some of the smallest average yards in the ranking. Why? They’re among the 10 most expensive cities in which to live—period. Everything, including utilities, costs a pretty penny in these parts, so it’s no surprise that they fared worst in the Cost category.
- Water Relief: Chicagoans can rest easy knowing every drop of water that falls on their lawn goes a long way. The Windy City came in last in the ranking—in other words, residents there get the most bang for their buck. The cost of water is relatively cheap in Chicago. More importantly, most of the grass types that would thrive in this city—cold-season grasses like fine and tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses—all require minimal H2O.
The full ranking and analysis can be found here:
https://lawnlove.com/blog/most-expensive-cities-lawn-irrigation/.
