What Americans Drink: Water, Coffee, Soda & More

From NHANES, the CDC’s national survey that records everything participants ate and drank over 24 hours.

1. 44 oz

   US adults drink an average of 44 ounces of plain water a day, about 5½ cups.

   Adults 20 and older, NHANES 2015–2018. Plain water: tap, fountain, cooler, bottled and spring water. Other drinks and food also supply water.

   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024Copy statLink

2. 51%

   Water accounted for 51.2% of all the nonalcoholic beverages US adults aged 20 and over drank in 2015–2018.

   NHANES 2015–2018. Women: 54.0%; men: 48.2%.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2020Copy statLink

3. 34%

   Plain water made up only 34% of US women’s total daily water intake (food and drinks combined) in 2009–2012, and 30% of men’s.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2016Copy statLink

4. 7%

   In a national survey, 7% of US adults said they usually drink no bottled or tap water at all in a day.

   Food Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (National Cancer Institute), 3,251 adults 18+, October–December 2007; self-reported usual intake. Published 2013.

   CDC, Preventing Chronic Disease, 2013Copy statLink

5. 117 fl oz

   US men aged 20 and over took in an average of 3.46 liters (about 117 fl oz) of total water a day from food and drinks in 2009–2012.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2016Copy statLink

6. 93 fl oz

   US women aged 20 and over took in an average of 2.75 liters (about 93 fl oz) of total water a day from food and drinks in 2009–2012.

   NHANES 2009–2012; excludes pregnant and breastfeeding women.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2016Copy statLink

7. 20%

   About 20% of the water people take in comes from food rather than drinks, according to the National Academies.

   National Academies, 2004Copy statLink

Sugar-sweetened beverages include regular soda, fruit drinks, sports and energy drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, and flavored waters with added sugar.

1. 1 in 2

   About half of US adults aged 20 and over (49%) drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage on a given day in 2011–2014.

   NHANES 2011–2014. Women: 45.1%; men: 53.6%.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2017Copy statLink

2. 63%

   Nearly two in three US children and teens aged 2–19 (63%) drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage on a given day in 2011–2014.

   NHANES 2011–2014. Girls: 61.3%; boys: 64.5%.

   CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2017Copy statLink

3. 24%

   Sugar-sweetened beverages are the single largest source of added sugars in the American diet, supplying 24% of added sugars for Americans ages 1 and older.

   NHANES 2013–2016. Sweetened coffee and tea are a separate category (11%).

   U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020Copy statLink

The myth that coffee dehydrates you persists. The guidelines say otherwise, within sensible caffeine limits.

1. Coffee counts

   The National Academies found that caffeinated drinks contribute to daily total water intake, like other beverages.

   National Academies, 2004Copy statLink

2. 400 mg

   The FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day, about two to three 12-fl-oz cups of coffee, as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most adults.

   U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2024Copy statLink

3. Thirst

   The National Academies concluded that most healthy people meet their daily water needs by letting thirst guide them, along with drinks at meals.

   National Academies, 2004Copy statLink

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Fast Facts: Data on Water Consumption (NHANES 2015–2018).
2. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2020). Nonalcoholic Beverage Consumption Among Adults: United States, 2015–2018 (NCHS Data Brief No. 376).
3. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2016). Daily Water Intake Among U.S. Men and Women, 2009–2012 (NCHS Data Brief No. 242).
4. CDC, Preventing Chronic Disease (2013). Behaviors and Attitudes Associated With Low Drinking Water Intake Among US Adults, Food Attitudes and Behaviors Survey, 2007.
5. National Academies (2004). Report Sets Dietary Intake Levels for Water, Salt, and Potassium to Maintain Health and Reduce Chronic Disease Risk.
6. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2017). Sugar-sweetened Beverage Consumption Among U.S. Adults, 2011–2014 (NCHS Data Brief No. 270).
7. CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2017). Sugar-sweetened Beverage Consumption Among U.S. Youth, 2011–2014 (NCHS Data Brief No. 271).
8. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2020). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025.
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024). Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?.