U.S. Sewage Treatment Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2025 - 2032)

U.S. Sewage Treatment Market Dynamics

Shift toward Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems Is Key Trend

• A decentralized approach to wastewater treatment enables communities to develop customized solutions for themselves.
• Decentralized wastewater treatment systems offer flexible designs for small-scale facilities, rural areas, and urban neighborhoods.
• Such systems have cost-effectiveness as their main advantage with significant reductions in both construction expenses and management costs, through their streamlined piping networks and compact facilities.
• The dispersal of wastewater treatment facilities for individual and community sites improves overall wastewater management capabilities.
• Such systems offer major environmental advantages by directly treating wastewater before its release into the environment.
• This protects water bodies from the pollution caused by leaks and system failures in centralized facilities.

Strong Focus on Improved Water Quality and Environmental Protection Drives Market

• Population growth, together with urban migration, is increasing wastewater volumes in the country, which necessitates advanced sewage treatment technologies for preserving water quality.
• As per the EPA, 34 billion gallons of wastewater is processed each day by publicly operated sewage treatment plants in the U.S.
• Advanced sewage treatment technologies are receiving substantial investments from governments under new water quality standards, accompanied by public health protective measures.
• As environmental concerns about pollution and resource scarcity gain recognition, governments are pushing municipalities and industries to enhance their wastewater management systems at existing facilities.
• The advanced treatment technologies developed recently allow more-efficient effluent removal, which addresses the growing need for clean water, along with regulatory obligations.
• The increasing concern for public health has created a need for trustworthy sewage treatment systems that prevent waterborne diseases and safeguard community wellness.

U.S. Sewage Treatment Market Segmentation Analysis

Technology Insights

The membrane bioreactor category dominates the sewage treatment market, with a revenue share of 40% in 2024. This is because of the proven ability of this technology to handle wastewater efficiently. The system combines biological processing and membrane filtration technologies for creating high-quality discharge. This system enhances contaminant removal, while requiring minimal space, hence proving adaptable for tight urban infrastructure needs.

Semi-permeable membranes inside aerated biological reactors form the fundamental operating principle of the MBR technology. The active system configuration combines organic matter breakdown with liquid–solid separation functions to eliminate the necessity for the secondary clarifiers used in activated sludge systems.

Here are the technologies studied in the report:

• Activated Sludge Process (Largest Category)
• Membrane Bioreactor (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Sequencing Batch Reactor
• Moving-Bed Biofilm Reactor
• Disinfection Methods
• Others

Capacity Insights

The large-scale category accounted for the largest revenue share, of around 55%, in 2024, and this category is further expected to maintain its position during the forecast period. Large-scale plants exceeding 10 million gallons per day in sewage processing capacity make up the majority of the POWT facilities in the country. These industrial systems play a critical role in sewage management because they support densely inhabited urban environments with their high capacities.

This is why large wastewater treatment plants enable municipalities to preserve environmental conditions and comply with the public health guidelines. The increasing footprint of urban areas drives the pressure for effective sewage treatment, impelling municipal authorities to invest in larger treatment plants to handle substantial wastewater amounts.

The capacities covered in the report are:

• Small-Scale (up to 1 mgd)
• Medium-Scale (1–10 mgd) (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Large-Scale (above 10 mgd) (Largest Category)

Application Insights

The municipal category dominates the market in 2024. Municipal wastewater treatment plants process massive volumes of sewage sourced from residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, thereby functioning as an essential piece of civil infrastructure in urban areas. The expanding cities and their rising populations drive the demand for high-capacity municipal wastewater treatment plants. This, in turn, leads to high capital investments in new facilities and upgrades to the current infrastructure.

The following are the applications studied in the report:

• Municipal (Largest Category)
• Industrial (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Commercial

U.S. Sewage Treatment Market Regional Outlook

The Southern region is the market leader with 45% revenue due to its high population distribution and swift urban development. The combination of fast-growing residential and industrial areas generates a need for efficient wastewater management infrastructure that guarantees both public health maintenance and environmental conservation. Moreover, the mixed urban–rural economic structure intensifies the necessity for advanced sewage treatment plants throughout the South. The rising pressure on municipalities to provide safe drinking water is driving significant financial investments for modernizing existing treatment facilities and building new ones.

Here are the regions covered in the report:

• South (Largest and Fastest-Growing Region)
• West
• Midwest
• Northeast

U.S. Sewage Treatment Market Share

• Among all the players in sewage treatment the American Water Works Company, Inc. has the highest market share and dominates the sector of the U.S. sewage treatment market.
• Municipal wastewater treatment dominates the position of this application in the North American wastewater treatment service market reaching 60-70% which reflects its important role in public infrastructure and demonstrates ongoing infrastructure upgrade requirements.
• The industrial wastewater treatment segment manages about 20-30% of the North American wastewater industry powered by strict regulations which drive industrial facilities toward efficient treatment options.