Swimming Participation Statistics: Who Swims in the US, How Often and for How Long, 2003 to 2025

At a glance

• On an average day in 2021 to 2025, 1.13% of US residents age 15 and older swam or did other water sports, about 3.1 million people (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• On days they took part, US participants spent 108.5 minutes in the water activity on average in 2021 to 2025, about 1.81 hours (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• On an average US summer day in 2021 to 2025, 2.98% of people 15+ took part, about 8.1 million, against 0.30% on an average winter day (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• In 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), the highest family-income fifth took part on 1.92% of days and the lowest fifth on 0.70%, a ratio of 2.7 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• Teens 15 to 19 had the highest US average-day share in 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), 2.70%, rising to 6.42% on summer days (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• US average-day participation fell 20.4% from 1.42% in 2003 to 2007 to 1.13% in 2021 to 2025; the post-2019 drop sits in September to May, not in summer (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• 51.2% of US adults spent time in or around a swimming pool in the six months to October to November 2023 (CDC MMWR).
• High school swimming and diving had 246,116 participants in 2025-26, 21.8% below the 2017-18 peak of 314,529, while all high school sports grew 5.4% (NFHS).

How many Americans swim on an average day

Just over 1% of Americans age 15 and older swim or do another water sport on a given day. The daily share is low because most people who swim do so on a few days a year, mostly in summer.

PC&S tabulated every American Time Use Survey (ATUS) diary from 2003 to 2025, 258,954 respondents in total (BLS ATUS multi-year files). Each respondent reports every activity of one randomly assigned day, so the weighted share of diaries with water sports is the share of people doing it on an average day.

In 2021 to 2025, 1.13% of US residents age 15 and older swam or did other water sports on an average day (standard error 0.06 points) (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Applied to the mean population of 271.2 million people age 15+ represented by the ATUS weights, 1.13% is about 3.1 million people a day.

US participants averaged 108.5 minutes of the activity on the days they did it in 2021 to 2025, about 1.81 hours (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Spread across everyone age 15+, the share works out to 4.1 water-sports days per person per year in 2021 to 2025, and to 1.12 billion person-days a year nationally (PC&S calculation).

The PC&S weighting reproduces BLS’s own published totals: the microdata give 23.4% of people 15+ doing any sport, exercise or recreation on an average day in 2025, the same as BLS Table 1 (BLS ATUS Table 1, 2025).

Swimming participation statistics by season and month

Swimming participation is strongly seasonal. June to August holds nearly two thirds of all US water-sports days, and the summer concentration is strongest in the Northeast and Midwest.

Pooling 2003 to 2025 (excluding 2020), the US average-day share climbs from 0.47% in January to 1.20% in May, peaks at 4.25% in July and drops to 0.34% in December (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

In 2021 to 2025, 2.98% of people 15+ took part on an average summer day (June to August), about 8.1 million people, against 0.30% on an average winter day (December to February), about 0.8 million (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). The summer share is 9.9 times the winter share (PC&S calculation).

Summer sessions are longer: 116.6 minutes per participant on summer days against 80.3 minutes on winter days, 2003 to 2025 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

In 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), 68.1% of Northeast and 66.8% of Midwest water-sports days fell in June to August, against 56.9% in the South and 54.1% in the West (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). For outdoor season lengths by city, see the pool season length study.

Who swims in the US: age, sex and household

Teenagers and adults aged 35 to 44 have the highest participation, and people living with children take part more often than people without. Men and women take part at similar rates. Older swimmers take part about as often as middle-aged adults but in shorter sessions.

In 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), 2.70% of US teens 15 to 19 swam or did water sports on an average day, and 6.42% on an average summer day (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). The share for ages 35 to 44 was 1.51%, or 4.47% on summer days, against 1.01% for ages 25 to 34 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

People living with a child under 18 took part on 1.58% of days, against 1.09% for people without one (2015 to 2025, excluding 2020), a ratio of 1.4 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Men took part on 1.23% of days and women on 1.30%; in 2021 to 2025 the gap between women and men was 0.08 points and not statistically significant (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

Session length falls with age. Pooling 2003 to 2025 (excluding 2020), participants aged 15 to 19 spent 126.6 minutes on a water-sports day and participants 75 and older spent 63.9 minutes, about half as long (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). ATUS does not record which water activity older participants chose.

Swimming participation by income, education, race and Hispanic origin

The steepest gradients in this profile run by income and education. Two federal surveys with different designs, ATUS time diaries and the CDC’s 2023 pool-time question, show the same direction.

In 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), US residents in the highest family-income fifth swam or did water sports on 1.92% of days, against 0.70% in the lowest fifth, a ratio of 2.7 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). On summer days the shares were 4.47% and 1.64% (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Minutes per session barely differ by income: 114.7 in the lowest fifth and 112.9 in the highest.

The CDC’s 2023 survey of 7,046 adults (NCHS Rapid Surveys System Round 2) points the same way: 56.7% of adults at 200% or more of the federal poverty level spent at least one day around a pool in six months, against 37.4% below 100% (NCHS Rapid Surveys System). By education, the ATUS share was 1.89% for adults with an advanced degree and 0.69% for high school graduates (2015 to 2025, excluding 2020) (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

White non-Hispanic people took part on 1.51% of days and Black non-Hispanic people on 0.43% in 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), a ratio of 3.5 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Hispanic participants took part less often (0.89%) but had the longest sessions of any group, 143.4 minutes (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). In the 2023 CDC survey, 33.0% of Black non-Hispanic adults had spent a day around a pool in six months, against 56.1% of White non-Hispanic adults (NCHS Rapid Surveys System).

The CDC links these gaps to access and history, including segregated pools, pool closures after integration and restrictive private clubs (CDC MMWR). Swimming ability by group is covered in the how many Americans can’t swim report; where public pools are located is covered in the public pools by city study.

Where Americans swim: regions and metro areas

The West has the highest year-round share; the Northeast and Midwest catch up in summer. Metro residents take part more often than people outside metro areas.

In 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020), the US average-day share was 1.55% in the West, 1.29% in the Northeast, 1.17% in the Midwest and 1.16% in the South (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). On summer days the Northeast led at 3.57%, ahead of the West (3.33%), Midwest (3.19%) and South (2.60%) (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).

Southern participants had the longest sessions, 123.9 minutes, against 92.5 minutes in the Northeast (2015 to 2025, excluding 2020) (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). Metro residents took part on 1.32% of days and nonmetro residents on 0.90% (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). In the 2023 CDC survey, 45.4% of nonmetro adults had spent a day around a pool in six months, against 53.9% in large fringe metro counties (NCHS Rapid Surveys System).

For context on how many pools exist, see the number of swimming pools in the US. Families comparing how often a home pool would be used can start with the pool planning checklist.

Is swimming participation declining? Trend from 2003 to 2025

Yes, on the time-diary measure: the average-day share in 2021 to 2025 is about a fifth below both 2003 to 2007 and 2015 to 2019. The drop since 2019 is concentrated in September to May, and organized youth swimming shows a similar decline.

Five-year pools give stable readings: 1.42% of US people 15+ took part on an average day in 2003 to 2007, 1.41% in 2008 to 2012, 1.38% in 2013 to 2017, 1.41% in 2015 to 2019 and 1.13% in 2021 to 2025 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). The 2021 to 2025 share is 20.4% below 2003 to 2007 and 19.9% below 2015 to 2019; both differences are statistically significant (z of -3.7 and -3.3) (PC&S calculation).

The decline since 2015 to 2019 sits outside summer. The September-to-May share fell from 0.82% to 0.53%, down 35.4% (z = -3.6), while the summer share moved from 3.13% to 2.98%, a 4.8% change that is not significant (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation). That pattern is consistent with less off-season swimming after the pandemic, much of which happens indoors; ATUS does not record whether a pool was indoor.

Organized swimming shows a similar shape. High school swimming and diving peaked at 314,529 participants in 2017-18 (NFHS 2017-18) and fell to 246,116 in 2025-26, down 21.8%, while all high school athletics grew 5.4% to a record 8,415,684 (NFHS 2025-26). Swimming’s share of high school athletes fell from 3.94% to 2.92% (PC&S calculation).

USA Swimming counted 286,526 year-round athlete members in 2025, 19.2% fewer than the 354,627 in 2017 (USA Swimming 2025 report). SFIA’s count of people who swam for fitness at least once was flat, 28,219 thousand in 2019 and 28,173 thousand in 2023, but its CORE group swimming 50+ times a year fell 14.6% between 2018 and 2023 (SFIA 2024 Topline). SFIA’s first-half 2025 indicators showed Swimming on a Team down 2.7% (SFIA mid-year release).

Pools that operate year-round carry the off-season share; for indoor and public facilities see commercial pool construction.

How many people swim in the US each year: annual counts compared

Annual participant counts and daily counts measure different things. About 29.4 million people swam for fitness at least once in 2024, while about 8.1 million people 15+ are in the water on an average summer day.

SFIA counted 29.4 million people age 6+ who swam for fitness at least once in 2024 (SFIA 2025 Topline via City of Wheat Ridge). In 2023, SFIA’s 28,173 thousand fitness swimmers were 9.2% of the population age 6+, and 73.2% of them swam 1 to 49 times in the year (SFIA 2024 Topline).

Two independent measures of swimming volume line up. ATUS diaries imply 1.04 billion water-sports person-days among people 15+ in 2023 (PC&S calculation from BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation); SFIA reported 1.005 billion Swimming for Fitness occasions among people 6+ in 2023 (SFIA 2024 Topline). The populations and definitions differ, so the 1.04 ratio is a scale check, not a match.

The older National Sporting Goods Association measure, which counts people 7+ who swam at least six times, found 50,226 thousand swimmers in 2009, 18.6% of that population (Census Statistical Abstract, Table 1249). NSGA still uses the six-day rule (NSGA 2026 edition sample).

Reading the time-diary data: limits and safety context

The diary measure is precise about timing and duration but cannot name the activity inside the water-sports code, and it misses children under 15.

• ATUS records primary activities only; a parent standing in the pool while supervising a child is coded as childcare.
• Each estimate covers people age 15+ in the civilian noninstitutional population.
• 2020 data exclude March 18 to May 9, 2020 (ATUS User’s Guide); 2025 data exclude September 30 to November 11, 2025 (BLS notice).
• Small groups (for example ages 20 to 24 in summer, or Black non-Hispanic people in summer) fall below the PC&S reliability floor and are suppressed in the tables.

Fifteen numbers that matter

1. US: 1.00% of people 15+ swam or did other water sports on an average day in 2025, about 2.78 million people; the 2024 share was 1.28% and the change is not statistically significant (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
2. US, 2003 to 2025 (excluding 2020): July is the peak month at 4.25% of people 15+ on an average day; December is the low at 0.34% (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
3. US, 2021 to 2025: 64.6% of all water-sports participation days fell in June, July and August (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
4. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): in the Northeast 68.1% of participation days fell in summer, against 54.1% in the West and 56.9% in the South (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
5. US, 2003 to 2025 (excluding 2020): participants aged 15 to 19 spent 126.6 minutes on a water-sports day and participants 75 and older spent 63.9 minutes (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
6. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): White non-Hispanic people took part on 1.51% of days, Asian non-Hispanic 1.52%, Hispanic 0.89% and Black non-Hispanic 0.43% (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
7. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): the West had the highest average-day share at 1.55%, against 1.29% in the Northeast, 1.17% in the Midwest and 1.16% in the South (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
8. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): people living with a child under 18 took part on 1.58% of days against 1.09% for people without, a ratio of 1.4 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
9. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): the share on weekend days was 1.61% against 1.10% on weekdays, and weekend sessions averaged 126.4 minutes against 96.0 (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
10. US, 2015 to 2025 (excluding 2020): adults 25+ with an advanced degree took part on 1.89% of days and those with a high school diploma on 0.69% (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
11. US, 2021 to 2025 vs 2015 to 2019: the September-to-May share fell from 0.82% to 0.53% (35.4% lower), while the summer share moved from 3.13% to 2.98%, a change that is not significant (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
12. US, 2023: adults below 100% of the federal poverty level were less likely to have spent a day around a pool in six months (37.4%) than adults at 200% or more (56.7%) (NCHS Rapid Surveys System).
13. US, 2024: 29.4 million people age 6+ swam for fitness at least once, according to SFIA’s 2025 Topline report as reproduced by the City of Wheat Ridge (SFIA via Wheat Ridge).
14. US, 2023: SFIA counted 7,553 thousand CORE fitness swimmers (50+ times a year), 14.6% fewer than the 8,847 thousand in 2018 (SFIA 2024 Topline).
15. US, 2025: USA Swimming had 286,526 year-round athlete members, 19.2% fewer than the 354,627 in 2017 (USA Swimming).

Rates, trends and severity we calculated

Download the calculation sheet (CSV)

New in this edition

• 2026-09NFHS published its 2025-26 High School Athletics Participation Survey: swimming and diving fell to 246,116 participants (NFHS 2025-26) from 257,405 in 2024-25 (NFHS 2024-25).
• 2026-06BLS released 2025 American Time Use Survey results and the 2003-2025 multi-year microdata on June 25, 2026 (BLS news release). This report adds 2025: 1.00% of Americans 15+ took part on an average day (BLS ATUS microdata, PC&S tabulation).
• 2026-06BLS documented that no ATUS diaries exist for September 30 to November 11, 2025 because of the federal shutdown (BLS notice). Summer 2025 estimates are unaffected.
• 2026-03SFIA’s 2026 Topline Participation Report counted 250 million Americans active in at least one sport or fitness activity in 2025; its public release does not give a swimming figure (SFIA release).

What people ask

Common questions

Evidence tiers

Tier 1: primary and government sources (14)

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: American Time Use Survey 2003-2025 multi-year microdata files
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: ATUS 2025 Coding Lexicon (with examples)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: American Time Use Survey User's Guide (September 2026)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Federal Government Shutdown: 2025 American Time Use Survey
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: American Time Use Survey 2025 Results, Table 1
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vital Signs: Drowning Death Rates, Self-Reported Swimming Skill, Swimming Lesson Participation, and Recreational Water Exposure, MMWR 73(20)
• National Center for Health Statistics: NCHS Rapid Surveys System, Round 2 dashboard data (p89x-xx88)
• U.S. Census Bureau (data: National Sporting Goods Association): Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, Table 1249: Participation in Selected Sports Activities, 2009
• National Center for Health Statistics: NCHS Rapid Surveys System Round 2: Swimming
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: American Time Use Survey Summary, 2025 results (USDL-26-1022)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: ATUS 2003 Coding Lexicon (with examples)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: ATUS 2003-2025 ATUS-CPS Data Dictionary
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: ATUS 2003-2025 Interview Data Dictionary
• National Center for Health Statistics: National Health Interview Survey 2024 Adult Codebook

Tier 2: trade bodies, public companies, market research (10)

• National Federation of State High School Associations: High School Athletics Participation Survey 2025-26
• National Federation of State High School Associations: High School Athletics Participation Survey 2017-18
• Sports & Fitness Industry Association: 2024 Topline Participation Report (copy hosted by USTA Colorado)
• City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado / SFIA: Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Pathway, Appendix F Trends Analysis (reproduces SFIA 2025 Topline)
• Sports & Fitness Industry Association: SFIA Releases the 2026 Topline Participation Report
• Sports & Fitness Industry Association: SFIA Releases First Edition of Mid-Year Participation Report
• USA Swimming: 2025 Membership Demographics Report
• National Sporting Goods Association: Sports Participation in the U.S., 2026 Edition (sample pages)
• National Federation of State High School Associations: High School Athletics Participation Survey 2024-25
• National Federation of State High School Associations: High School Participation Survey Archive

References

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey 2003-2025 multi-year microdata files. Accessed 2026-10-08.
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ATUS 2025 Coding Lexicon (with examples). Accessed 2026-10-08.
3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey User's Guide (September 2026). Accessed 2026-10-08.
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Federal Government Shutdown: 2025 American Time Use Survey. Accessed 2026-10-08.
5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey 2025 Results, Table 1. Accessed 2026-10-08.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital Signs: Drowning Death Rates, Self-Reported Swimming Skill, Swimming Lesson Participation, and Recreational Water Exposure, MMWR 73(20). Accessed 2026-10-08.
7. National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS Rapid Surveys System, Round 2 dashboard data (p89x-xx88). Accessed 2026-10-08.
8. U.S. Census Bureau (data: National Sporting Goods Association). Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, Table 1249: Participation in Selected Sports Activities, 2009. Accessed 2026-10-08.
9. National Federation of State High School Associations. High School Athletics Participation Survey 2025-26. Accessed 2026-10-08.
10. National Federation of State High School Associations. High School Athletics Participation Survey 2017-18. Accessed 2026-10-08.
11. Sports & Fitness Industry Association. 2024 Topline Participation Report (copy hosted by USTA Colorado). Accessed 2026-10-08.
12. City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado / SFIA. Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Pathway, Appendix F Trends Analysis (reproduces SFIA 2025 Topline). Accessed 2026-10-08.
13. Sports & Fitness Industry Association. SFIA Releases the 2026 Topline Participation Report. Accessed 2026-10-08.
14. Sports & Fitness Industry Association. SFIA Releases First Edition of Mid-Year Participation Report. Accessed 2026-10-08.
15. USA Swimming. 2025 Membership Demographics Report. Accessed 2026-10-08.
16. National Sporting Goods Association. Sports Participation in the U.S., 2026 Edition (sample pages). Accessed 2026-10-08.
17. National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS Rapid Surveys System Round 2: Swimming. Accessed 2026-10-08.
18. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey Summary, 2025 results (USDL-26-1022). Accessed 2026-10-08.
19. National Federation of State High School Associations. High School Athletics Participation Survey 2024-25. Accessed 2026-10-08.
20. National Federation of State High School Associations. High School Participation Survey Archive. Accessed 2026-10-08.
21. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ATUS 2003 Coding Lexicon (with examples). Accessed 2026-10-08.
22. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ATUS 2003-2025 ATUS-CPS Data Dictionary. Accessed 2026-10-08.
23. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ATUS 2003-2025 Interview Data Dictionary. Accessed 2026-10-08.
24. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health Interview Survey 2024 Adult Codebook. Accessed 2026-10-08.