PurityMap
Search city, ZIP, contaminant⌘KFind my water
Updated 2026-09-16
State water report

North Carolina Water Quality: 127 Cities Ranked by the Records

Water quality across 127 cities in North Carolina, drawn from EPA drinking-water records. Each city page shows the measured contaminants and a reproducible Purity Score.

Finding by finding

What North Carolina's records show

Counts of cities whose serving system reported each result. There is no statewide score: PurityMap does not average local records into a statewide safety verdict. 7 cities have a past health-based violation on record.

Lead above action level

Action level

1of 127 cities

Cities whose 90th-percentile result is above 15 µg/L.

How lead is measured →

Nitrate above the MCL

MCL

0of 127 cities

Cities whose system reported nitrate above 10 mg/L.

About nitrate →

Hard or very hard

No federal limit

0of 127 cities

Above 120 mg/L as CaCO₃ (7 gpg) on the USGS scale, of 3 cities with a hardness value.

About hard water →
City rankings

North Carolina cities ranked by the records

Highest first. A summary of each serving system’s record, not a safety verdict.

  1. 1
    Winston-SalemWINSTON-SALEM, CITY OF · NC0234010
    Report →
  2. 2
    WilmingtonCFPUA-WILMINGTON · NC0465010
    Report →
  3. 3
    ApexAPEX, TOWN OF · NC0392045
    Report →
  4. 4
    HendersonvilleHENDERSONVILLE, CITY OF · NC0145010
    Report →
  5. 5
    HickoryHICKORY CITY OF · NC0118010
    Report →
  6. 6
    Cleveland CountyCLEVELAND COUNTY WATER · NC0123055
    Report →
  7. 7
    MooresvilleMOORESVILLE TOWN OF · NC0149015
    Report →
  8. 8
    WilsonWILSON, CITY OF · NC0498010
    Report →
  9. 9
    New BernNEW BERN, CITY OF · NC0425010
    Report →
  10. 10
    MorgantonMORGANTON CITY OF · NC0112015
    Report →

Showing the top 10 of 127 scored cities.

See all 127 in the table

127 cities, highest Purity Score first

  1. 1Winston-Salem
    WINSTON-SALEM, CITY OF · PWSID NC0234010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  2. 2Wilmington
    CFPUA-WILMINGTON · PWSID NC0465010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFPeA 4.4 ng/L detected, no federal or state limitDetected
  3. 3Apex
    APEX, TOWN OF · PWSID NC0392045 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    PFAS detected, none above a limitDetected
  4. 4Hendersonville
    HENDERSONVILLE, CITY OF · PWSID NC0145010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  5. 5Hickory
    HICKORY CITY OF · PWSID NC0118010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  6. 6Cleveland County
    CLEVELAND COUNTY WATER · PWSID NC0123055 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  7. 7Mooresville
    MOORESVILLE TOWN OF · PWSID NC0149015 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  8. 8Wilson
    WILSON, CITY OF · PWSID NC0498010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  9. 9New Bern
    NEW BERN, CITY OF · PWSID NC0425010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  10. 10Morganton
    MORGANTON CITY OF · PWSID NC0112015 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  11. 11Shelby
    SHELBY, CITY OF · PWSID NC0123010 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
  12. 12Beaufort Northside
    BEAUFORT CO NORTHSIDE REGIONAL WATER · PWSID NC0407035 · Purity Score 100/100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level
    No PFAS detectedNot detected
Showing 12 of 127.

Ranked by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, highest first. Scores belong to water systems; there is no state score. The score is computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record, so this ranks the record, not which city's water is safest. How the score works. See how North Carolina compares with other states.

By contaminant

PFAS, lead and hard water in North Carolina

Counties

North Carolina counties

49 counties with city reports
Show all 49 counties
Suppliers

Largest water systems

  • CHARLOTTE WATERCharlotte · NC0160010 · 1,163,701 served
  • RALEIGH, CITY OFRaleigh · NC0392010 · 650,000 served
  • WINSTON-SALEM, CITY OFWinston-Salem · NC0234010 · 391,900 served
  • DURHAM, CITY OFDurham · NC0332010 · 333,490 served
  • GREENSBORO, CITY OFGreensboro · NC0241010 · 319,588 served
  • CARY, TOWN OFCary · NC0392020 · 227,300 served
All water systems →
Full indexAll 127 North Carolina city reports, A–Z
Next step

State patterns can’t tell you what reaches your tap.

Find my water
Learn

Learn your supplier

Resolve your address to the one public water system that serves it.

Find my water →
Test

Test your own tap

Plumbing inside a building can add lead and change what reaches your glass.

How to test →
Solve

Treat by concern

Only after a city report names a finding, match a treatment certified for it.

Treatment options →
Questions

North Carolina water, frequently asked

FOLLOW NORTH CAROLINA WATER RECORDS

Get North Carolina updates

We'll email you when North Carolina records change, such as new PFAS or lead results.

Double opt-in: we email a confirmation link. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam.

How does North Carolina tap water compare across cities?

PurityMap ranks 127 cities in North Carolina by the Purity Score of each city's main water system, computed only from contaminants measured in the published EPA record. Scores belong to water systems, not to cities. The highest published score is Winston-Salem's main water system: WINSTON-SALEM, CITY OF · PWSID NC0234010 · Purity Score 100 (Excellent) · Confidence: moderate · Assessed at the water-system level. The ranking compares the records, not which city's water is safest, and your own tap can differ with household plumbing.

How many North Carolina cities have PFAS above the federal limit?

58 cities of 127 had at least one regulated PFAS (PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS) measured above the 2024 federal limit in EPA's UCMR 5 testing, including Greensboro (PFOS 35.6 ng/L), Robeson County (PFOA 30 ng/L), Fayetteville Comm (PFOS 21.8 ng/L). PFAS were detected at any level in 72.

Is there lead in North Carolina tap water?

Utilities report lead as a 90th-percentile result from home taps. 9 of 127 North Carolina cities reported a value above zero, and 1 city was above the 15 µg/L federal action level. Lead usually comes from a building's own pipes and fixtures, so only a test at your tap tells you what you drink.

Have North Carolina water systems had drinking-water violations?

7 cities in North Carolina have a health-based violation in the federal SDWIS record within about the last ten years. Each city report lists the contaminant, year and whether it was resolved.

Does North Carolina have hard water?

Hardness is published in utility water-quality reports for 3 North Carolina cities on record; the hardest is Charlotte at 1.9 grains per gallon. Hardness affects scale and appliances; it is not a health finding.

Limits, sources and corrections

A statewide page cannot tell you what reaches a specific address. Water quality varies by supplier, sampling period and household plumbing; open a city report for the evidence behind a local result.

Sources: EPA UCMR 5 (PFAS, 2024), SDWIS Lead and Copper Rule 90th-percentile results and health-based violations, and utility Consumer Confidence Reports where on file. Every city report links its dated source records.

Updated 2026-09-16. How PurityMap analyzes water data · Report an error