23 oz
Average daily plain-water intake
U.S. children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 drank an average of 23 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-2018U.S. family water facts
Kids' Water Consumption Statistics in the U.S.
Eight clear figures on how much plain water U.S. children and teens reported drinking, all drawn from the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Last updatedSeptember 15, 2026Data period: 2015 to 2018
The headline number
23 ounces a day
That was the average amount of plain water U.S. children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 drank each day in the CDC survey. The figures below make the age, gender, and household-income differences easy to reference.
The figures
Eight stats, ready to cite.
13 oz
Ages 2 to 5
Children ages 2 to 5 drank an average of 13 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201820 oz
Ages 6 to 11
Children ages 6 to 11 drank an average of 20 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201831 oz
Ages 12 to 19
Adolescents ages 12 to 19 drank an average of 31 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201824 oz
Boys ages 2 to 19
Boys drank an average of 24 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201823 oz
Girls ages 2 to 19
Girls drank an average of 23 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201821 oz
Households below 130% of the federal poverty level
Children and adolescents in these households drank an average of 21 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-201827 oz
Households at or above 350% of the federal poverty level
Children and adolescents in these households drank an average of 27 ounces of plain water per day.
Source: CDC, 2015-2018How to read these figures
What counts as plain water?
The CDC includes tap water, drinking-fountain water, cooler water, bottled water, and spring water. These are population averages from a single 24-hour dietary recall, not a target for any individual child.
The survey is nationally representative of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population. Each statistic on this page uses the CDC's 2015 to 2018 estimates.
Sources and citation
Share the data with the source attached.
Suggested citation: MyColourCup, “Kids' Water Consumption Statistics in the U.S.,” updated September 15, 2026. https://mycolourcup.com/kids-water-statistics
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