For the ninth consecutive year, bottled water is the number one beverage, by volume, in the United States. Bottled water’s total consumption volume in 2024 was 16.4 billion gallons, with a growth rate of 2.9%. Carbonated soft drinks (11.9 billion gallons) grew by a mere 0.2% and energy drinks by 1.6%, while sports drinks fell by -2.7%, ready to drink coffee by -2.3, fruit beverages by -2.5%, and both value-added water and ready to drink tea fell by -1.3%.
Bottled water retail sales reached $50.6 billion, up 3.7% from 2023.
“Though sometimes regarded as competing with tap water, bottled water actually achieved its position as the biggest beverage category by enticing consumers away from other packaged beverages. Some consumers may have transitioned away from regular, full-calorie sodas in favor of their diet (or ‘zero-sugar’) iterations, but many others opted for bottled water instead. And as some consumers grew leery of artificial sweeteners, they moved away from diet sodas as well as regular versions,” says John G. Rodwan, Jr., BMC’s editorial director.
“Bottled water’s zero-calorie status and its lack of artificial ingredients appeal to many consumers. Even where tap water may be safe and readily available, people may prefer bottled water,” says Rodwan. “The availability of packaged water wherever beverages are sold also differentiates bottled water from tap.”
“Whether consuming refreshing, high-quality water from a 3- or 5-gallon jug and watercooler or picking up a convenient, resealable, grab-and-go PET container, bottled water offers a healthy and smart choice,” says Jill Culora, IBWA’s vice president of communications. “Consumers who choose bottled water know both options can lessen their personal environmental footprints when they choose water over other packaged drinks. Watercoolers provide thirst-quenching water from 3- and 5-gallon containers that are collected, cleaned, sanitized, and reused 35-plus times before being recycled. And the market’s most popular, individual-sized PET plastic bottle is not only the most recognized as being recyclable but also the most common item in curbside bins (53%), making it easy for consumers to make the right choice and recycle rather than trash empty bottles.
PET bottled water containers are also ultralight in weight, using nearly 1/3 less plastic than PET soda bottles, which require thicker plastic due to carbonation.
Increasingly, bottled water companies are using post-consumer recycled plastic to make new bottles, instead of using virgin plastic, which drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
