Water consumption in the US

 FACT SHEET ABOUT WATER CONSUMPTION IN THE UNITED STATES

• In 1995, total water consumption in the United States was 185 cubic kilometers (km³). By 2025, consumption will be 191 km³ and nearly two-thirds will be for irrigation.
• Total household water consumption in the United States was 24 km³ in 1995, and is projected to be 29 km³ by 2025. The United States will be responsible for more than ten percent of the global household water consumption in 2025.
• The South Atlantic-Gulf basin has the highest levels of household water consumption in the United States of the regional basins analyzed. In 1995, it was 3.9 km³, and it will increase to 4.8 km³ by 2025.
• Of the U.S. regional basins, the Mississippi Upstream and Great Lakes basins have the lowest levels of total water consumption. In 1995, rates were 5.3 km³ and 6.6 km³, respectively. This trend is expected to continue through 2025, when rates will be 5.5 km³ and 6.9 km³.
• In 1995, the United States had 4.3 million hectares under irrigated cultivation for corn, producing an average 9.2 metric tons per hectare. While the area under irrigated cultivation for corn in the United States will only expand by 335,000 hectares by 2025, yield will increase to 13.4 metric tons per hectare, nearly 4.8 more metric tons per hectare above the projected world average in 2025.
• Rainfed cultivation of corn covers 24.2 million hectares in the United States.

Other United States Facts

• In 2000, the average life expectancy in the United States was 77 years (United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2002).
• One hundred percent of the U.S. population has access to improved water sources and uses adequate sanitation facilities, compared to slightly more than half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNDP, Human Development Report 2002).
• Twenty-three percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas (World Bank, World Development Indicators 2002).

Source: http://www.ifpri.org/media/water_countries.htm#usa