Secure water access is a fundamental human right. Our study reveals disparities in piped water access in urban areas in the United States. Unplumbed households in cities, on balance, are more likely to be headed by people of color, earn lower incomes, live in mobile homes, rent their residence, and pay a higher share of their gross income toward housing costs. We offer clear evidence that gaps in urban water access are neither random nor accidental but underpinned by precarious housing conditions and systemic social and racialized inequality.