Turfgrass statistics span household lawns, golf facilities, fertilizer use and changing landscapes. The available evidence covers a 79-household residential study, projected U.S. golf-course data, historical 2000 nitrogen estimates and golf-property surveys, so the measures below are not interchangeable or national averages unless explicitly labeled that way.
Key Turfgrass Statistics
The most broadly useful figures include:
- In the growing season, residential lawns in the study’s humid-city subset used 0.6–1.3 millimeters of water per day across 79 U.S. households in six cities.
- In the study’s hot, dry cities, residential lawns used 2.2–3.6 millimeters of water per day during the growing season.
- Across six U.S. metropolitan areas, measured daily lawn evapotranspiration ranged from about 0.9±0.4 to 2.9±0.7 millimeters per day during the growing season.
- Estimated household lawn evapotranspiration ranged from approximately 0 to more than 2,000 liters per day in the 79-household U.S. study.
- Projected U.S. golf-facility water application was 2,378,558 acre-feet in 2005.
- Projected U.S. golf-facility water application was 1,686,269 acre-feet in 2020.
- Projected golf-facility water application declined 29.1% between 2005 and 2020 in the United States.
- Median applied water per U.S. golf facility was 66.3 acre-feet in 2020.
- Median applied water per irrigated acre was 1.01 acre-feet in 2020 at U.S. golf facilities.
- Projected irrigated golf-course acreage was 1.04 million acres in 2020, 11.6% below 2005.
- Wells supplied 531,274 acre-feet of golf-course irrigation water in the United States in 2020.
- Recycled water supplied 351,364 acre-feet to U.S. golf facilities in 2020.
- Recycled water accounted for 34% of applied water in the Southwest U.S. golf region in 2020.
- The share of U.S. golf facilities applying recycled water was 12.6% in 2020.
- The EPA’s historical 2000 estimate put U.S. turfgrass area at 12.6 million hectares.
- Across three listed U.S. turf categories, estimated nitrogen use totaled 1.11 Tg per year in 2000.
- High-maintenance U.S. golf and sports turf received an estimated 390 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per year in 2000.
- Water bodies covered approximately 11 acres, or 7% of acreage, on an average 18-hole U.S. golf facility.
- Since 1996, 44% of U.S. golf facilities reported increased non-turfgrass landscape acreage.
Contents
- Residential turfgrass water use by climate
- U.S. golf-course water-use trends
- Regional turfgrass irrigation data
- Turfgrass water sources and recycled-water adoption
- Turfgrass fertilizer nitrogen statistics
- Turfgrass acreage, water bodies and landscape change
Residential Turfgrass Water Use by Climate
The peer-reviewed USDA Forest Service study, Evapotranspiration of Residential Lawns Across the United States, measured lawn evapotranspiration, or ET, rather than irrigation application. Its sample covered 79 households in six U.S. cities, and the study reported growing-season results in 2023.
| Residential measure | Result | Population or geography |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn water use in humid-city subset | 0.6–1.3 mm/day | 79 households in six U.S. cities |
| Lawn water use in hot, dry-city subset | 2.2–3.6 mm/day | Same study; hot/dry cities |
| Instantaneous/daily ET range | About 0.9±0.4 to 2.9±0.7 mm/day | Six U.S. metropolitan areas |
| Estimated household lawn ET volume | Approximately 0 to more than 2,000 L/day | 79 household lawns |
The paper’s daily ET range was about 0.9±0.4 millimeters per day in mesic cities and 2.9±0.7 millimeters per day in arid cities. These are measured or calculated study values, not irrigation totals and not a national household average.
The estimated household volume was calculated from measured ET and each yard’s lawn area. Because the sample is small and city selection and participation affect generalization, the range should be read as household-level evidence across the study locations.
U.S. Golf-Course Turfgrass Water-Use Trends
The official 2022 Water Use and Management Practices on U.S. Golf Courses reports survey-based projections and medians for golf facilities, a defined subset of all turfgrass. The 2020 survey was distributed to 14,145 facilities and received 1,575 responses; the years do not use identical respondents.
| Year | Projected applied water | Median per facility | Median per irrigated acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2,378,558 acre-feet | 86.8 acre-feet | 1.31 acre-feet/acre |
| 2013 | 1,859,021 acre-feet | 69.6 acre-feet | 1.10 acre-feet/acre |
| 2020 | 1,686,269 acre-feet | 66.3 acre-feet | 1.01 acre-feet/acre |
The source reports a 29.1% decline in projected application from 2005 to 2020 and a 9.3% decline from 2013 to 2020. Median applied water per facility fell from 86.8 acre-feet in 2005 to 66.3 acre-feet in 2020, while median applied water per irrigated acre fell from 1.31 to 1.01 acre-feet.
Projected irrigated golf-course acreage was 1.04 million acres in 2020, 11.6% below 2005. The 2020 median irrigated acreage per facility was 60.9 acres, a facility-level median rather than a national acreage total.
Regional Turfgrass Irrigation Statistics and Applied Water
Regional conditions produce large differences in golf-course applied water. The figures below are 2020 survey medians or regional projections from the GCSAA water report, not national averages.
| U.S. golf region | 2020 median applied water per facility |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 375.7 acre-feet |
| Upper West–Mountain | 163.2 acre-feet |
| Southeast | 111.1 acre-feet |
| Pacific | 68.4 acre-feet |
| North Central | 40.5 acre-feet |
| Transition | 38.5 acre-feet |
| Northeast | 29.0 acre-feet |
The Southwest projection was 487,332 acre-feet in 2020, and its median applied water was 4.18 acre-feet per acre. The regional median of 375.7 acre-feet per facility was the highest listed regional facility median.
These measures should not be read as evidence that every turfgrass property in a region uses the same amount of water. They describe golf facilities and retain the report’s survey-based projection and median definitions.
Turfgrass Water Sources and Recycled-Water Adoption
The peer-reviewed Water use and management practices on U.S. golf courses and the GCSAA report identify the sources behind projected golf-course irrigation volumes.
| 2020 water source | Projected volume, U.S. golf facilities |
|---|---|
| Wells | 531,274 acre-feet |
| Open lakes and ponds | 382,476 acre-feet |
| Recycled water | 351,364 acre-feet |
Wells and lakes or ponds together supplied 55% of applied golf-course water in 2020, compared with 63% in 2005. The source shares are projected survey results, and recycled-water volume is not the same measure as the share of facilities using it.
In 2020, 12.6% of golf facilities applied recycled water. Recycled water accounted for 34% of applied water in the Southwest and 28% in the Southeast, both regional projected source shares.
Among facilities not using recycled water, 51% cited having no effluent source as the top reason. Another 31% said recycled water was unnecessary because other sources were available; both percentages are respondent-reported reasons among non-users.
Turfgrass Fertilizer Nitrogen Statistics
The EPA’s Reactive Nitrogen in the United States: An Analysis of Inputs, Flows, Consequences, and Management Options uses historical year-2000 estimates based on cited underlying work. These figures are not a current turf inventory.
| Turf category | Estimated area, 2000 | Nitrogen rate | Nitrogen use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominally fertilized turf | 4.7 million ha | 73 kg N/ha/year | 0.35 Tg N/year |
| Professional lawn care | 0.93 million ha | 296 kg N/ha/year; 195–488 range | 0.27 Tg N/year |
| High-maintenance golf and sports turf | 1.26 million ha | 390 kg N/ha/year | 0.49 Tg N/year |
The EPA report used a total U.S. turfgrass area estimate of 12.6 million hectares for 2000. Across the three listed categories, estimated nitrogen use totaled 1.11 Tg per year.
EPA cited lawn nitrogen leaching losses ranging from 0% to 50% of applied nitrogen. That is a literature range whose result depends on site, management and conditions, not a measured national average or national loss total.
Turfgrass Acreage, Water Bodies and Landscape Change
The official GCSAA Non-Turfgrass Land Use Characteristics describes average 18-hole facilities and reported changes since 1996.
On an average 18-hole U.S. golf facility, water bodies covered approximately 11 acres, or about 7% of total facility acreage. Estimated water bodies across U.S. golf facilities totaled 161,183 acres.
| Water-body category | Share of golf-facility water-body area |
|---|---|
| Open water, including ponds and lakes | 70% |
| Wetlands | 12% |
| Streams and rivers | 10% |
| Drainage waterways | 6% |
| Irrigation canals | 2% |
These percentages describe the composition of water-body area, not the share of irrigation water supplied by each type. Open water such as ponds and lakes made up the largest listed category at 70%.
Since 1996, 44% of facilities reported increased non-turfgrass landscape acreage, with an average increase of 9.8 acres among those reporting an increase. Another 49% reported no change, while 6% reported reduced non-turfgrass acreage; facilities reporting a reduction reported an average decrease of 16.2 acres.
The landscape-change figures are respondent-reported categories and conditional averages. They describe golf-facility property changes and should not be generalized to residential lawns or all turfgrass acreage.