Hard Water Map

Alabama Water Hardness by County

Water in Alabama has a median hardness of 48.4 mg/L as CaCO₃ — "soft" on the USGS scale — based on 54,809 measurements at 8,722 monitoring stations. Jefferson County has the state's hardest measured water (145.5 mg/L); Randolph County the softest (11). Rank: #36 of the 50 states and D.C.

Alabama water hardness map — what the numbers mean. Data verified 2026-07-22.

Of Alabama's 67 measured counties, 1 hard, 17 moderately hard, and 49 soft. The hardest are Jefferson County (145.5 mg/L), Walker County (106), and Jackson County (104). Randolph County is the softest at 11 mg/L (soft).

About 13% of Alabama's roughly 5.1 million residents in counties with gate-passing hardness data live where tap water is hard or worse.

Statewide, Alabama's median works out to 2.8 grains per gallon and ranks #36 of the 50 states and D.C. Across 54,809 measurements at 8,722 stations — 26,750 of them since 2000 — the middle 80% of readings fall between 9 and 171 mg/L. The public record runs from 1927 to 2026.

See where Alabama sits nationally on the national map, or what its number means on the hardness scale.

Download the Alabama water hardness map (PNG) — Water hardness by county in Alabama: 67 counties mapped from USGS/EPA data, statewide median 48.4 mg/L (soft); darker counties have harder water.

By county

Water hardness by county

The table lists all 67 measured Alabama counties, hardest first. Their medians span 145.5 mg/L in Jefferson County to 11 in Randolph County — a 13.2× range.

County water hardness, hardest first — median mg/L as CaCO₃.
CountyMedianBandResultsSitesNewest
Jefferson County145.5Hard3,0701942025
Walker County106Moderately hard722902025
Jackson County104Moderately hard1,0331082025
Lawrence County102Moderately hard610672024
Shelby County91.8Moderately hard1,540802025
Franklin County91Moderately hard217532023
Colbert County90Moderately hard5091032025
Calhoun County87.6Moderately hard3291012025
Morgan County85.6Moderately hard357402024
Madison County83.7Moderately hard1,9402542024
Talladega County80Moderately hard925642026
Bibb County76.7Moderately hard6301252024
St. Clair County73Moderately hard759492025
Blount County70Moderately hard7001312025
Etowah County69.8Moderately hard580482025
Marengo County62Moderately hard431782025
Lauderdale County61Moderately hard6391082025
Marshall County60.2Moderately hard467512025
Limestone County58.4Soft593772025
Cherokee County57.7Soft1,626632025
Choctaw County56.7Soft1,6581292025
Lowndes County54Soft305532023
Butler County52.1Soft1981312022
Clarke County50Soft4611262025
Coffee County49.1Soft2001122024
Greene County48.2Soft6962342025
Wilcox County48Soft6391262023
Hale County47.2Soft7583202024
Mobile County46Soft5,9914522026
Baldwin County45Soft3,1292812025
Dallas County45Soft9542812023
Sumter County44Soft9941852025
Chilton County42Soft4491082025
Washington County39.3Soft3351232025
Houston County39Soft4881482025
Elmore County37.5Soft9991612025
Montgomery County37Soft9012342023
Lee County36.7Soft482532024
Monroe County36Soft1,1841052023
Crenshaw County35Soft457872024
Tuscaloosa County34Soft3,2244222025
Macon County32.7Soft301352023
Bullock County32.5Soft80302024
Pike County32.4Soft167232024
Geneva County32.1Soft2861052025
Covington County29.3Soft5471302025
Conecuh County28Soft3491262024
Pickens County28Soft9953822025
Barbour County25.2Soft3861472024
Dale County25Soft5221682024
Chambers County24.9Soft74182024
Perry County24.3Soft102212024
DeKalb County22.6Soft4941352025
Russell County22.6Soft391532026
Marion County21Soft7482262025
Cullman County20.2Soft1,2342192025
Henry County20Soft2461172024
Winston County18.9Soft7201092024
Fayette County18.3Soft3471552025
Clay County16.4Soft2381142025
Coosa County15Soft5441232025
Escambia County15Soft1,328922025
Cleburne County14Soft4691182025
Tallapoosa County12Soft1,0111422023
Autauga County11.6Soft145262023
Lamar County11.4Soft2611132025
Randolph County11Soft645402025

ZIP codes

ZIP codes in Alabama

The ZIP codes below are grouped by the Alabama county each mostly falls within (by land area). Each ZIP takes that county's measured median — shown in the group header — so this is a ZIP-to-county guide, not a separate reading for every ZIP. To check the water system serving a specific address, use the lookup.

Key: a † after a ZIP means it has no mapped community water system — usually a private-well area. Plain ZIPs are served by a mapped community water system.

Jefferson County · 145.5 mg/L · Hard

35005†35006†3502035022†35023†3503635060†350613506235064350683507135073†350913509435111†351163511735118†35119351263512735173†3518035181†352033520435205352063520735208352093521035211†3521235213352143521535216352173521835221352223522335224†352263522835229352333523435235†352433524935254

Walker County · 106 mg/L · Moderately hard

35063†35130†351483550135503†35504†35550†3557335578†35579†35580†3558435587†

Jackson County · 104 mg/L · Moderately hard

35740†35744†35745†35746†35751†35752†35764†35765†35766†3576835769†35771†35772†35774†35776†35958†35966†

Lawrence County · 102 mg/L · Moderately hard

35618†35619†35643†35650†35651†35672†35673†

Shelby County · 91.8 mg/L · Moderately hard

35007†350403504335051†35078†35080†3511435115†35124†35143†35147†3517635178†35185†35186†3524235244

Franklin County · 91 mg/L · Moderately hard

35571†3558135582†35585†35593†35653†35654†

Colbert County · 90 mg/L · Moderately hard

35616†35646†3566035661†35674†

Calhoun County · 87.6 mg/L · Moderately hard

3620136203†36205†362063620736250†36265362713627736279†

Morgan County · 85.6 mg/L · Moderately hard

356013560335621†35622†3564035670†35754†35775†

Madison County · 83.7 mg/L · Moderately hard

35741†35748†35749†3575035757†35758†35759†3576035761†35763†35773†3580135802358033580535806†358083581035811358163582435896

Talladega County · 80 mg/L · Moderately hard

35014†350323504435096†35149†3515035151†35160†36260†36268†

Bibb County · 76.7 mg/L · Moderately hard

35034†3503535042†350743518435188†36792†36793†

St. Clair County · 73 mg/L · Moderately hard

35004†35052†35054†351123512035125†35128†35131†35135†35146†35953†35987†

Blount County · 70 mg/L · Moderately hard

3501335031†35049†35079†35097†3512135133†35172†

Etowah County · 69.8 mg/L · Moderately hard

3590135903†3590435905†35906†359073595235954†35956†35972†35990

Marengo County · 62 mg/L · Moderately hard

36732†36736†36738†36742†36748†36754†36763†36764†36782†36783†

Lauderdale County · 61 mg/L · Moderately hard

35610356303563235633†35634†35645†3564835652†35677†

Marshall County · 60.2 mg/L · Moderately hard

350163517535747†35755†3595035951†35957†35976†35980†

Limestone County · 58.4 mg/L · Soft

35611†35613†35614†35615†356203564735649†3567135739†35756†

Cherokee County · 57.7 mg/L · Soft

35959†35960†35973†3598336272

Choctaw County · 56.7 mg/L · Soft

36904†36908†36910†36912†36913†36915†36916†36919†36921†36922†

Lowndes County · 54 mg/L · Soft

36032†36040†36043†36047†36752†36785†

Butler County · 52.1 mg/L · Soft

36030†36033†36037†

Clarke County · 50 mg/L · Soft

36436†3644636451†36482†36524†36540†36545†36727†36751†36784†

Coffee County · 49.1 mg/L · Soft

363233633036346†36351†36453†

Greene County · 48.2 mg/L · Soft

35443†35462†35469†35491†36740†

Wilcox County · 48 mg/L · Soft

36435†36720†36722†36723†36726†36728†36741†36753†36766†36768†36769†

Hale County · 47.2 mg/L · Soft

35441†35474†36744†36776†

Mobile County · 46 mg/L · Soft

36505†3650936512†36521†36522†36523†36525†36528365413654436560†36568†36571†3657236575†3658236587†36602366033660436605366063660736608†3660936610366113661236613366153661736618366193665236663366883669336695

Baldwin County · 45 mg/L · Soft

36507†36511†3652636527†36530†36532†36535†3654236547†3654936550†36551†36555†365593656136562†3656436567†36574†36576†36578†36579†36580†

Dallas County · 45 mg/L · Soft

36701†36703†36759†36761†36767†36773†36775†

Sumter County · 44 mg/L · Soft

35459†35460†35464†35470†35477†36901†36907†36925†

Chilton County · 42 mg/L · Soft

35045†35046†3508535171†36091†36750†36758†36790†

Washington County · 39.3 mg/L · Soft

36513†36518†36529†36538†36539†36548†36553†36556†36558†36569†36581†36583†36584†36585†

Houston County · 39 mg/L · Soft

36301†3630336305†36312†36320†3632136343†3635236370†36376†

Elmore County · 37.5 mg/L · Soft

36020†36022†36024360253605436078†360803609236093

Montgomery County · 37 mg/L · Soft

36013†36036†36052†360573606436069†361013610436105†36106361073610836109361103611136112361133611436115361163611736130

Lee County · 36.7 mg/L · Soft

36801†3680436830†3683236849368653687036874†36877†

Monroe County · 36 mg/L · Soft

36425†3643936444†36445†3646036470†36471†36480†36481†

Crenshaw County · 35 mg/L · Soft

36009†36041†36042†36046†36049†36071†

Tuscaloosa County · 34 mg/L · Soft

35401354043540535406†35444†35446†35452†35453†35456†35457†35458†35463†3547335475†35476†35480†3548735490†35546†

Macon County · 32.7 mg/L · Soft

36031†36039†36075†36083†3608836866†

Bullock County · 32.5 mg/L · Soft

36029†36089

Pike County · 32.4 mg/L · Soft

36005†36010†36034†36035†36079†36081†36082

Geneva County · 32.1 mg/L · Soft

36313†36314†36316†36318†363403634436375†36477†

Covington County · 29.3 mg/L · Soft

36028†3603836420†36421†36442†364553646736474†3647636483†

Conecuh County · 28 mg/L · Soft

36401†36432†36454†36456†36473†36475†

Pickens County · 28 mg/L · Soft

35442†35447†35461†35466†35481†

Barbour County · 25.2 mg/L · Soft

36016†36017†36027†36048†36053†

Dale County · 25 mg/L · Soft

36311†36322†36350†3636036362†36371†36374†

Chambers County · 24.9 mg/L · Soft

36852†3685436855†36862†36863†36879†

Perry County · 24.3 mg/L · Soft

36756†36765†36786†

DeKalb County · 22.6 mg/L · Soft

35961†35962†35963†35967†35968†35971†3597435975†35978†35979†35981†35984†359863598835989†

Russell County · 22.6 mg/L · Soft

36851†3685636858†36860†3686736869†36871†36875†

Marion County · 21 mg/L · Soft

35543†35548†35552†35563†35564†35570

Cullman County · 20.2 mg/L · Soft

35019†35033†3505335055†35057†35058†3507035077†35083†35087†35098†35179†

Henry County · 20 mg/L · Soft

36310†36317†36319†36345†36353†36373†

Winston County · 18.9 mg/L · Soft

35540†35541†35553†35565†35572†35575†35577†

Fayette County · 18.3 mg/L · Soft

35542†3554535549†35554†35555†3555935594†

Clay County · 16.4 mg/L · Soft

35082†36251†36255†36266†36267†

Coosa County · 15 mg/L · Soft

35072†35089†35136†35183†36026†

Escambia County · 15 mg/L · Soft

36426†3644136502†36503†36543†

Cleburne County · 14 mg/L · Soft

36258†36262†36264†36269†36273†

Tallapoosa County · 12 mg/L · Soft

3501036256†36850†36853†36861†

Autauga County · 11.6 mg/L · Soft

36003†36006†36008†36051†3606636067†36749†

Lamar County · 11.4 mg/L · Soft

35544†35574†35576†3558635592†

Randolph County · 11 mg/L · Soft

36263†36274†3627636278†36280†

† 454 ZIP codes are not served by a mapped community water system — most are private-well areas. See well water hardness.

Check any ZIP's utility and hardness →

Source

Groundwater vs surface water

Alabama's surface water measures harder than its groundwater — 50.2 mg/L across 45,890 samples versus 36 across 7,817, about 1.4× harder. For well owners that is the better side of a hard bargain: at 36 mg/L, Alabama groundwater is still soft, and most of the state's drinking water is pumped from it. Groundwater readings there run 8 to 180 mg/L across the middle 80% of samples. The comparison draws on 5,237 groundwater and 3,439 surface-water monitoring sites; 982 readings above 2,000 mg/L were logged but held out of the medians as outliers.

Groundwater (wells)

36 mg/L as CaCO₃ · 7,817 results at 5,237 stations.

Surface water (rivers, lakes)

50.2 mg/L as CaCO₃ · 45,890 results at 3,439 stations.

Surface water measures about 1.4× harder than groundwater here.

Chemistry

Water chemistry in Alabama

Beyond the hardness number, Alabama's water carries a fuller chemical signature — here is how its measured parameters compare to national benchmarks.

TDS

90 mg/L · n=32,139

90 mg/L — below the national county median of 226.

pH

7.3 pH · n=172,780

pH 7.3 — within the EPA secondary range of 6.5–8.5, on the alkaline side.

Alkalinity

46.2 mg/L as CaCO3 · n=47,644

46.2 mg/L — modest buffering capacity.

Calcium : Magnesium

16 : 3 mg/L ≈ 5.33 : 1 · n=14,452

Calcium is about 76% of Alabama's hardness (16 mg/L Ca to 3 mg/L Mg), a little more calcium-rich than the national ~68% calcium share.

Parameter medians may include a small share of quality-control samples; the hardness lane is fully QC-filtered.

Aquifers

Major aquifers under Alabama

3 aquifer systems supply much of Alabama's measured groundwater.

  • Mississippi embayment aquifer system — median 135 mg/L across 34 samples at 31 sites: hard.
  • Valley and Ridge aquifers — median 120 mg/L across 99 samples at 73 sites: hard.
  • Floridan aquifer system — median 120 mg/L across 105 samples at 85 sites: hard.

Together these systems account for 238 measured samples at 189 sites. Aquifer medians pool samples across a whole system and can mask local variation — see the national aquifer map for how these compare across states.

Trend

Hardness over time

1940s2020s63

Alabama's decade median moved from 23.5 mg/L in the 1940s to 49.7 in the 2020s. Over the series, the decade median peaked at 62.8 mg/L in the 1990s and bottomed at 23.5 in the 1940s. Decade medians reflect where and what agencies sampled in each era, not just changes in the water itself.

Scale

Where Alabama sits on the scale

On the USGS scale, Alabama's 48.4 mg/L is soft — 2.8 grains per gallon, below the 60 mg/L soft cutoff — among the softest water measured in the US.

SoftModerately hardHardVery hard60 · 3.5 gpg120 · 7.0 gpg180 · 10.5 gpg48.4 mg/L — Soft
Harder than 25% of the 2,977 measured county medians.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Alabama's water hard?
Alabama's median hardness is 48.4 mg/L as CaCO₃, "soft" on the USGS scale and below the national county median of 140 mg/L.
Which county in Alabama has the hardest water?
Jefferson County, with a median of 145.5 mg/L as CaCO₃ across 3,070 measurements.
Is well water harder than city water in Alabama?
Surface water measures harder here — about 1.4× the groundwater — so wells tend to run softer (groundwater 36 vs surface water 50.2 mg/L).
How do I find my exact hardness in Alabama?
Search your ZIP on the lookup tool, read your utility's Consumer Confidence Report, or test at home with a kit.
Is Alabama's water harder than the national average?
No. Alabama's median of 48.4 mg/L is below the national county median of 140 mg/L; it ranks #36 of the 50 states and D.C.

Compare

States with similar hardness

Two states measure closest to Alabama's 48.4 mg/L: Oregon at 48.1 mg/L and Vermont at 46.5 mg/L. Alabama measures harder than 30% of states. Browse the full ranking on the statistics page.

More: hardness scale · check your address · national statistics · the national map.

By . Source: USGS/EPA Water Quality Portal — 54,809 Alabama measurements. Data last verified . Methodology.

Cite this page: “Alabama Water Hardness by County.” Hard Water Map. Retrieved 2026-07-22, https://hardwatermap.com/water-hardness/alabama/