Popularity of sparkling water continues in the U.S.

With high temperatures, summer is a popular season for sparkling water, and this summer is no exception. Nielsen data show that for the week that ended August 18, sparkling water generated sales of nearly $49 million in the United States—a figure that’s up 22% from the same time last year.

But beyond the heat of the summer, Americans have demonstrated heightened demand for such beverages this year. Over the past 12 months that ended July 28, sales of sparkling water across all Nielsen tracked channels reached $2.2 billion. In fact, within the past four years, the sparkling water category grew 54%.

While sparkling water overall has seen impressive growth, canned sparkling water has emerged as a huge contributor to category performance. Nielsen reference data by package type show that while bottled sparkling water commands the majority of dollar sales (64% of all sparkling water sales were from bottled varieties), canned sparkling water has performed exceptionally well this year, up 43% from last year to reach sales of more than $803 million. 

The bubbly trend hasn’t stopped at water. There has been a resurgence in sparkling beverages in other beverage categories as well—most notably seen in the ready-to-drink tea category, with the rising popularity of kombucha (+49% dollar growth over the past 52 weeks) and even into the beverage alcohol market.

Renewed interest in sparkling waters is yet another reflection of consumers’ ongoing shift toward opting to make healthier choices. The sparkling water category across traditional beverage and alcohol beverage categories taps into several health and wellness trends popular with Americans today, such as the appeal of a low carbohydrate and low-calorie option.

Press release