About 20 trace elements were measured in 165 ground water samples, 8 commercial brands of bottled and sachet water in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria to ascertain their quality and suitability for drinking purposes. A comparison of the elemental concentrations with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality (NSDWQ) showed that with the exception of Al, Cd, Pb, and Fe in some of the ground and packaged water samples, the levels of all the other elements investigated were below the maximum allowable limits. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped 16 sampling local government councils into four clusters of similar water quality characteristics. Based on the obtained information, it is possible to design a future, optimal sampling strategy for monitoring programs which could reduce the number of sampling stations and associated costs.