Nearly half of Collier County’s occupied homes that are billed separately for water and sewer services—48.8%, or an estimated 47,593 of 97,487—reported annual costs of $1,000 or more, according to a Bullseye Home Services analysis of U.S. Census Bureau estimates. That share is 20.2 percentage points higher than the statewide figure of 28.6% for separately billed occupied homes, based on 2020–2024 estimates in 2024 dollars.
The study compares the proportion of separately billed occupied homes falling into the Census Bureau’s $1,000-plus annual water and sewer cost band across Florida’s 67 counties, including both owners and renters. The billing distinction is critical: in Collier, separately billed homes make up 58.8% of all occupied homes, while the remaining 41.2% have water included in rent or condo/HOA fees, or are not charged, and are therefore excluded from the primary cost distribution.
Among counties meeting the study’s precision and minimum billing-base requirements, Flagler, Collier and Monroe form a leading statistical group, with respective shares of 54.6%, 48.8% and 47.8%. The adjusted comparison method does not establish a sole statewide leader. Across the defined Southwest Florida region—Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee and Sarasota counties—35.2% of separately billed occupied homes (239,845 of 681,229) fall in the $1,000-plus annual bracket, 6.6 points above the statewide share.
Selected neighboring counties show substantial differences. Collier exceeds Lee by 17.2 percentage points in the share of separately billed homes in the $1,000-plus bracket, while Charlotte exceeds Lee by 9.3 points, Sarasota exceeds Manatee by 4.4 points, and Pinellas exceeds Hillsborough by 13.8 points. The statewide spread is wide: among counties meeting headline eligibility requirements, Flagler’s 54.6% share compares with Gadsden’s 6.4%, a 48.2-percentage-point gap.
“Start by checking whether water and sewer are billed separately or included in another housing charge,” said Joshua Chastain, general manager of Bullseye Home Services. “Then review the billing period, the charges and any usage information, and ask your provider to explain an unexpected change. These county figures can give homeowners and buyers context, but they cannot tell you why an individual bill changed or why counties differ.”
The ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates, released January 29, 2026, are the newest uniform county data available for this analysis. For Florida homeowners and buyers reviewing recurring household expenses, the findings highlight why a property’s billing arrangements belong alongside its reported costs in any comparison.
Bullseye Home Services serves homeowners in Osprey and across Southwest Florida, offering plumbing, drain and sewer, water heater and water treatment services. More information is available from Bullseye Home Services in Osprey or through the company’s main website at https://callbullseye.com/.
The analysis carries important caveats: the figures are survey estimates of reported 2020–2024 costs in 2024 dollars, not current bills or utility rates. The primary measure excludes occupied homes with water included in rent or condo/HOA fees, or with no charge. The open-ended $1,000-plus band cannot establish average bills, consumption, utility prices, leaks, waste, inefficiency, hardship or savings, or explain county differences. The “$1,000 divide” describes how common an annual cost threshold is, not a $1,000 difference in bills between counties.
