Water distribution systems (WDSs) recovery methods have been assessed primarily using hydraulic deficit. However, hydraulic deficit does not reflect all performance goals needed to effectively guide resilience strategies. In this paper, a new approach is presented to measure resilience based on the idea of economic consequence loss in businesses due to WDS failure. Economic consequence loss of industry, classified by the NAICS code, are defined by relating GDP value added and water usage. Three different resilience objectives were investigated using a hypothetical water network: (1) identification of pipe criticality; (2) defining recovery strategies for different failure scenarios; and (3) development of recovery pathways by considering system resilience. Hydraulic analysis was performed using pressure driven analysis based on EPANET2.0. Results of pipe criticality proved high hydraulic deficit not always translated to high economic productivity loss. Also, the proposed system resilience quantification measure effectively serves as a guide for recovery pathways more resilient than other measures tested. In conclusion, considering both hydraulic resilience and economic consequence provides a more effective approach toward enhancing overall system resilience.