American Water reviews

3.6

64% would recommend to a friend

(617 total reviews)

John Griffith

65% approve of CEO

58% positive business outlook

American Water has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 617 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The American Water employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Energy, Mining & Utilities industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

617 reviews
1.0
Mar 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Competitive salary, pleasant coworkers, and the benefits themselves are solid once you're actually enrolled.

Cons

If anything goes wrong during the enrollment or verification process, do not expect compassion or flexibility. During a major holiday week with a pregnant wife at home, my family was denied dependent coverage for two months resulting in thousands of dollars in medical bills. The decision was upheld at every level of review. This is not illegal. That is precisely the problem. They are fully aware that the law allows them to treat employees this way, and they have chosen to do exactly that. Not because they have to, but because they can.

1.0
Feb 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Company stock plan, 401k are decent

Cons

Toxic culture of constant harassment of employees through HR investigations brought on by a group of employees in Camden NJ whose entire job is to micromanage your every day tasks. Review how much time you spend on the toilet, what you do on your paid company lunch times. Unfair treatment between company employees and union. They’ll fire a union employee for hearsay, no proof of any wrongdoing, but won’t investigate a company employee who got arrested for shoplifting. They change the rules daily and have no respect for union employees, and you’ll notice it during negotiations. I brought up a safety concern to a foreman one time and I was basically dismissed and told to do my job anyways. The building I worked at was literally named after a man who lost his life on the job so they definitely haven’t learned anything.

3.0
Oct 15, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Almost all necessary equipment provided Wonderful collection of coworkers Unionized Labor Force

Cons

Management was unprofessional Often supplies necessary for work, such as water meters, were unavailable The union was quick to take dues but only acted in the interest of a select few so don't put yourself in a position where you need the union to back you because they'll wait 3 months and withdraw a grievance, claiming they have no evidence of violations without actually performing any fact finding. Company doesn't employ a diverse workforce proportional to the population it serves. Management actively partakes in favoritism Management does not always provide the workers with information needed for certification

Viewing 169 - 171 of 617 Reviews

Glassdoor has 675 American Water reviews submitted anonymously by American Water employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if American Water is right for you.