Previous work on maize (Zea mays L.) primary root growth under water stress showed that cell elongation is maintained in the apical region of the growth zone but progressively inhibited further from the apex. These responses involve spatially differential and coordinated regulation of osmotic adjustment, modification of cell wall extensibility, and other cellular growth processes that are required for root growth under water‐stressed conditions. As the interface between the cytoplasm and the apoplast (including the cell wall), the plasma membrane likely plays critical roles in these responses. Using a simplified method for enrichment of plasma membrane proteins, the developmental distribution of plasma membrane proteins was analysed in the growth zone of well‐watered and water‐stressed maize primary roots. The results identified 432 proteins with differential abundances in well‐watered and water‐stressed roots. The majority of changes involved region‐specific patterns of response, and the identities of the water stress‐responsive proteins suggest involvement in diverse biological processes including modification of sugar and nutrient transport, ion homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and cell wall composition. Integration of the distinct, region‐specific plasma membrane protein abundance patterns with results from previous physiological, transcriptomic and cell wall proteomic studies reveals novel insights into root growth adaptation to water stress.