Is California tap water hard or soft?
Yes, mostly. 69 % of the 336 cities with published data in California have hard or very hard water (over 120 mg/L). The median is 9.5 gpg, from 0.5 gpg in Tulare to 37.8 gpg in Piru.
We have published hardness data for 336 cities in California. The median is 9.5 gpg; the hardest water is in Piru (37.8 gpg), the softest in Tulare (0.5 gpg).
69 % of these cities have hard or very hard water (over 120 mg/L).
USGS classes: soft 0–60, moderately hard 61–120, hard 121–180, very hard >180 mg/L.
Largest places, hardest first
| gpg | mg/L | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Redondo Beach | 29.3 | 502 | very hard |
| Santa Maria | 26.9 | 460 | very hard |
| Torrance | 26.8 | 459 | very hard |
| Davis | 26.3 | 450 | very hard |
| Oxnard | 22.8 | 390 | very hard |
| Monterey Park | 22.2 | 380 | very hard |
| Brentwood | 21.8 | 373 | very hard |
| Glendale | 21 | 360 | very hard |
| Pleasanton | 20.4 | 350 | very hard |
| Livermore | 19.9 | 340 | very hard |
| Cupertino | 19.9 | 340 | very hard |
| Santa Clarita | 19.6 | 335 | very hard |
| Anaheim | 19.5 | 333 | very hard |
| Garden Grove | 18.5 | 316 | very hard |
| Hemet | 18.1 | 310 | very hard |
| Orange | 18 | 308 | very hard |
| Tustin | 17.9 | 307 | very hard |
| Norwalk | 17.6 | 302 | very hard |
| Burbank | 17.5 | 300 | very hard |
| Simi Valley | 17.4 | 298 | very hard |
| La Habra | 16.9 | 290 | very hard |
| Salinas | 15.8 | 271 | very hard |
| Santa Clara | 15.8 | 270 | very hard |
| Murrieta | 15.8 | 270 | very hard |
| Compton | 15.8 | 270 | very hard |
| Mountain View | 15.5 | 266 | very hard |
| Downey | 15.5 | 266 | very hard |
| Pomona | 15.5 | 265 | very hard |
| Lynwood | 15.5 | 265 | very hard |
| El Monte | 15.2 | 260 | very hard |
| Yorba Linda | 15 | 258 | very hard |
| Inglewood | 14.9 | 255 | very hard |
| San Ramon | 14.8 | 253 | very hard |
| Whittier | 14.6 | 250 | very hard |
| Santa Cruz | 14.5 | 248 | very hard |
| Westminster | 14.4 | 246 | very hard |
| Bellflower | 14.2 | 243 | very hard |
| Arcadia | 14.2 | 243 | very hard |
| San Bernardino | 14.2 | 243 | very hard |
| Cathedral City | 14 | 240 | very hard |
| San Diego | 14 | 240 | very hard |
| Gilroy | 13.8 | 237 | very hard |
| Lake Forest | 13.8 | 236 | very hard |
| Santa Ana | 13.5 | 231 | very hard |
| Oceanside | 13.4 | 230 | very hard |
| South Gate | 13.4 | 229 | very hard |
| South San Francisco | 13 | 223 | very hard |
| Fullerton | 12.9 | 221 | very hard |
| Hawthorne | 12.9 | 220 | very hard |
| Fountain Valley | 12.7 | 218 | very hard |
| San Clemente | 12.6 | 216 | very hard |
| Escondido | 12.3 | 210 | very hard |
| Chino | 12.3 | 210 | very hard |
| Lake Elsinore | 12.3 | 210 | very hard |
| Santee | 12 | 205 | very hard |
| Colton | 12 | 205 | very hard |
| Dublin | 11.9 | 203 | very hard |
| Alhambra | 11.7 | 201 | very hard |
| Beaumont | 11.7 | 200 | very hard |
| Newport Beach | 11.5 | 198 | very hard |
| Riverside | 11.5 | 197 | very hard |
| Palo Alto | 11.4 | 195 | very hard |
| Chula Vista | 11.3 | 193 | very hard |
| National City | 11.3 | 193 | very hard |
| Buena Park | 11.2 | 192 | very hard |
| Temecula | 11.1 | 191 | very hard |
| Gardena | 11.1 | 190 | very hard |
| Placentia | 11 | 188 | very hard |
| Modesto | 10.8 | 185 | very hard |
| Daly City | 10.7 | 184 | very hard |
| Fairfield | 10.7 | 183 | very hard |
| Huntington Beach | 10.5 | 180 | hard |
| Upland | 10.2 | 175 | hard |
| Manteca | 10.1 | 174 | hard |
| Pasadena | 10 | 171 | hard |
| Chino Hills | 9.9 | 170 | hard |
| Vacaville | 9.7 | 166 | hard |
| Santa Rosa | 9.7 | 166 | hard |
| West Covina | 9.7 | 166 | hard |
| Montebello | 9.6 | 165 | hard |
| Jurupa Valley | 9.5 | 162 | hard |
| Petaluma | 9.5 | 162 | hard |
| Eastvale | 9.5 | 162 | hard |
| Pico Rivera | 9.4 | 161 | hard |
| Rialto | 9.3 | 160 | hard |
| Tracy | 9.3 | 160 | hard |
| Santa Monica | 9.3 | 160 | hard |
| Vallejo | 9.3 | 160 | hard |
| San Jose | 8.8 | 151 | hard |
| Yucaipa | 8.8 | 150 | hard |
| Long Beach | 8.6 | 148 | hard |
| Lakewood | 8.6 | 147 | hard |
| Irvine | 8.6 | 147 | hard |
| Corona CA | 8.5 | 146 | hard |
| Fontana | 8.3 | 143 | hard |
| Ontario | 8.2 | 140 | hard |
| Thousand Oaks | 8.2 | 140 | hard |
| Porterville | 8.2 | 140 | hard |
| San Jacinto | 8.2 | 140 | hard |
| Apple Valley | 8.1 | 139 | hard |
| Ontario | 8 | 137 | hard |
| Los Angeles | 7.5 | 128 | hard |
| Rancho Cucamonga | 7.3 | 126 | hard |
| Union City | 7.3 | 125 | hard |
| Pittsburg | 7.1 | 122 | hard |
| Palmdale | 7 | 120 | hard |
| Palm Desert | 7 | 120 | hard |
| Arden-Arcade | 6.9 | 118 | moderately hard |
| Clovis | 6.9 | 118 | moderately hard |
| Chico | 6.4 | 110 | moderately hard |
| Indio | 6.4 | 110 | moderately hard |
| Costa Mesa | 6.4 | 109 | moderately hard |
| Fremont | 6.3 | 108 | moderately hard |
| Novato | 5.9 | 101 | moderately hard |
| Menifee | 5.7 | 98 | moderately hard |
| Sunnyvale CA | 5.7 | 97 | moderately hard |
| Turlock | 5.7 | 97 | moderately hard |
| Redlands | 5.5 | 95 | moderately hard |
| Victorville | 5.5 | 94 | moderately hard |
| Fresno | 5.2 | 89 | moderately hard |
| Moreno Valley | 5.1 | 87 | moderately hard |
| San Rafael | 5 | 86 | moderately hard |
| Woodland | 5 | 85 | moderately hard |
| Visalia | 4.7 | 81 | moderately hard |
| Milpitas | 4.7 | 80 | moderately hard |
| Antioch | 4.7 | 80 | moderately hard |
| Citrus Heights | 4.5 | 77 | moderately hard |
| Elk Grove | 4.5 | 77 | moderately hard |
| Napa | 4.4 | 76 | moderately hard |
| Hesperia | 4.4 | 75 | moderately hard |
| Camarillo | 4.4 | 75 | moderately hard |
| Concord | 4.3 | 74 | moderately hard |
| San Francisco | 3.6 | 62 | moderately hard |
| Lodi | 3.6 | 62 | moderately hard |
| Hayward | 3.5 | 60 | moderately hard |
| Stockton | 3.4 | 58 | soft |
| Santa Barbara | 3.1 | 53 | soft |
| West Sacramento | 2.9 | 50 | soft |
| Sacramento | 2.8 | 49 | soft |
| Redding | 2.3 | 40 | soft |
| Roseville | 1.8 | 32 | soft |
| Oakland | 1.6 | 27 | soft |
| Berkeley | 1.6 | 27 | soft |
| San Leandro | 1.6 | 27 | soft |
| Folsom | 1.5 | 25 | soft |
| Delano | 1.4 | 24 | soft |
| Rocklin | 1.3 | 22 | soft |
| Walnut Creek | 1.1 | 18 | soft |
| Hanford | 0.7 | 12 | soft |
| Tulare | 0.5 | 8 | soft |
Other places (186)
- Adelanto 8.5 gpg
- Agoura Hills 8.3 gpg
- American Canyon 5.4 gpg
- Anderson 4.6 gpg
- Antelope 6.1 gpg
- Arroyo Grande 20.4 gpg
- Artesia 8.6 gpg
- Arvin 3.8 gpg
- Atascadero 18.1 gpg
- Auburn 0.9 gpg
- Avenal 5.7 gpg
- Azusa 8.2 gpg
- Banning 8.2 gpg
- Barstow 15.8 gpg
- Bell 12.3 gpg
- Bell Gardens 8.2 gpg
- Benicia 4.9 gpg
- Beverly Hills 8.5 gpg
- Big Bear Lake 18.4 gpg
- Bishop 3.4 gpg
- Blythe 36.8 gpg
- Brawley 19.3 gpg
- Buellton 28.3 gpg
- Burlingame 3.6 gpg
- Calexico 18.7 gpg
- California City 5.7 gpg
- Campbell 7 gpg
- Capitola 15.2 gpg
- Carpinteria 20.9 gpg
- Ceres 2.8 gpg
- Cerritos 10.3 gpg
- Chowchilla 3.2 gpg
- Chualar 10.6 gpg
- Claremont 12 gpg
- Clearlake 10.4 gpg
- Cloverdale 9.2 gpg
- Coachella 3.2 gpg
- Coalinga 6.4 gpg
- Coarsegold 9.3 gpg
- Colfax 0.6 gpg
- Commerce 9.6 gpg
- Corcoran 2.7 gpg
- Corning 7.2 gpg
- Corte Madera 5 gpg
- Cotati 6.4 gpg
- Covina 13.4 gpg
- Crescent City 3.4 gpg
- Culver City 11.9 gpg
- Cypress 13.8 gpg
- Diamond Bar 9.7 gpg
- Dinuba 6.4 gpg
- Dixon 10.5 gpg
- Duarte 8.4 gpg
- Dunnigan 16.9 gpg
- East Palo Alto 2 gpg
- East Pasadena 5.2 gpg
- El Centro 20.2 gpg
- El Cerrito 1.6 gpg
- El Paso de Robles (Paso Robles) 13.1 gpg
- Emeryville 1.3 gpg
- Escalon 4.5 gpg
- Exeter 9.3 gpg
- Farmersville 4 gpg
- Fillmore 24.4 gpg
- Foster City 3.6 gpg
- Fowler 2 gpg
- Fruitridge Pocket 10 gpg
- Galt 1.1 gpg
- Glendora 8.2 gpg
- Goleta 22.2 gpg
- Gonzales 19 gpg
- Grass Valley 0.6 gpg
- Greenfield 7.3 gpg
- Grover Beach 11.7 gpg
- Guadalupe 24.5 gpg
- Healdsburg 9.1 gpg
- Hercules 1.3 gpg
- Hermosa Beach 29.3 gpg
- Hidden Hills 18.5 gpg
- Hollister 8.6 gpg
- Hughson 6.4 gpg
- Huntington Park 13.1 gpg
- Isleton 0.9 gpg
- King City 11.5 gpg
- Kingsburg 9.9 gpg
- La Cañada Flintridge 16.4 gpg
- La Habra Heights 17.9 gpg
- La Mirada 10.5 gpg
- La Palma 8.5 gpg
- La Puente 13 gpg
- La Quinta 7 gpg
- La Verne 19.3 gpg
- Laguna Woods 13.8 gpg
- Lakeport 6.3 gpg
- Larkfield-Wikiup 6.2 gpg
- Lathrop 11.4 gpg
- Live Oak 10.6 gpg
- Loma Linda 12.6 gpg
- Lomita 16.4 gpg
- Lompoc 23.9 gpg
- Los Altos 18.1 gpg
- Los Banos 15.5 gpg
- Los Gatos 8.8 gpg
- Malibu 10.9 gpg
- Manhattan Beach 22.9 gpg
- Marina 12 gpg
- Martinez 5.8 gpg
- Marysville 12.3 gpg
- Maywood 13.1 gpg
- McFarland 0.8 gpg
- Menlo Park 2.7 gpg
- Millbrae 3.5 gpg
- Monrovia 10.8 gpg
- Montclair 7.9 gpg
- Monterey 9.3 gpg
- Moorpark 14.4 gpg
- Moraga 1.3 gpg
- Morgan Hill 14.7 gpg
- Needles 20.2 gpg
- Newman 22.8 gpg
- Norco 12.3 gpg
- Oakdale 4.6 gpg
- Oakhurst 7.5 gpg
- Oakley 7.2 gpg
- Ojai 23.9 gpg
- Orinda 1.3 gpg
- Orland 11.8 gpg
- Oroville 7.6 gpg
- Pacifica 3.6 gpg
- Palm Springs 13.4 gpg
- Palos Verdes Estates 10.9 gpg
- Paramount 10.5 gpg
- Parkway 9.7 gpg
- Patterson 22.7 gpg
- Piedmont 1.6 gpg
- Piru 37.8 gpg
- Pismo Beach 27.1 gpg
- Placerville 0.8 gpg
- Port Hueneme 12.3 gpg
- Poway 13.6 gpg
- Rancho Palos Verdes 15.8 gpg
- Rancho Santa Margarita 15 gpg
- Red Bluff 4.9 gpg
- Reedley 7.6 gpg
- Ridgecrest 3.4 gpg
- Rio Vista 3.9 gpg
- Ripon 9.3 gpg
- Riverbank 9.1 gpg
- Rohnert Park 9.3 gpg
- Rosemead 5.7 gpg
- San Bruno 9.5 gpg
- San Carlos 2.7 gpg
- San Dimas 16.4 gpg
- San Fernando 14.6 gpg
- San Gabriel 5.8 gpg
- San Juan Capistrano 12.3 gpg
- San Luis Obispo 13.1 gpg
- San Marino 8.1 gpg
- Sanger 11.1 gpg
- Santa Paula 32 gpg
- Scotts Valley 13.4 gpg
- Seal Beach 4.3 gpg
- Sebastopol 9.3 gpg
- Selma 2.9 gpg
- Shafter 7.7 gpg
- Shasta Lake 3.1 gpg
- Sierra Madre 12.1 gpg
- Signal Hill 6.7 gpg
- Solana Beach 16.1 gpg
- Solvang 34.6 gpg
- Sonoma 3.2 gpg
- Sonora 1.3 gpg
- South Pasadena 8.8 gpg
- St. Helena 6.8 gpg
- Susanville 4.6 gpg
- Tehachapi 9.9 gpg
- Truckee 3.7 gpg
- Twentynine Palms 4.1 gpg
- Ukiah 8.3 gpg
- Waterford 7.7 gpg
- Watsonville 13.2 gpg
- Wheatland 13 gpg
- Willows 9.1 gpg
- Windsor 7.7 gpg
- Woodlake 7 gpg
- Yucca Valley 7.4 gpg
FAQ
Is California water hard or soft?
Yes, mostly. 69 % of the 336 cities we cover have hard or very hard water; the median is 9.5 gpg.
Which city in California has the hardest water?
Piru, at 37.8 gpg, has the hardest water of the 336 cities with published data.
Which city in California has the softest water?
Tulare, at 0.5 gpg, has the softest water of the 336 cities with published data.
Do I need a water softener in California?
Above about 120 mg/L (7 gpg) scale builds up in water heaters, kettles and dishwashers, and a softener or at least regular descaling pays off. Look up your own city in the table: in California the values range from 0.5 gpg to 37.8 gpg.
On a private well? Well water hardness in California by county →