Pool Industry Research and Statistics
Our pool industry research turns public records into data you can check and reuse: city building permits, federal injury and mortality data, utility prices and company filings. Every figure links to its source, every table can be downloaded as a CSV, and the data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution.
Looking for practical advice instead of data? Read our pool guides, browse pool services and pool builders by city, or see the latest pool industry articles and the full sitemap.
Construction and the pool market
How Many Homes Have a Hot Tub? US State Atlas of Hot Tub and Spa Ownership, 2024
A state and division atlas of US homes with their own hot tub, spa or Jacuzzi, built from EIA’s 2020 and 2024 household energy surveys, with sampling errors, a hot tub to pool comparison, heating fuel and electricity cost at 2026 prices.
Number of Swimming Pools in the US: Published Estimates Reconciled
The widely repeated US pool counts traced to their origins, set beside company filings and federal survey data, and turned into a range we can defend.
Percentage of Homes With Pools by Metro and State: Backyard Pool Prevalence Index
A ranked index of how common home swimming pools are in 25 large US metro areas, with state and Census division shares for 2020 and 2024 and a test of how far other sources agree.
Pool Construction Statistics: New Pool Permits in 14 US Markets, 2015 to 2026
A permit-level count of new residential in-ground swimming pools from 14 municipal open-data portals, 2015 to August 2026, indexed to 2019 and compared with national industry estimates.
Pool Industry Market Size: US Revenue Estimates Reconciled, 2017 to 2026
Every published estimate of the US pool and spa industry’s size, what each one counts, and a revenue range rebuilt from 2022 Economic Census product lines and company filings.
Pool Permit Processing Time: Days From Application to Issue in 12 US Cities, 2019 to 2026
An original count of calendar days between application and issuance for 35,931 new residential in-ground pool permits in 12 US cities and counties, 2019 to August 2026.
Pool Removal Statistics: Permit Counts for US Cities, 2015 to 2026
An original count of residential pool demolition, backfill and fill-in permits in 13 US jurisdictions, compared with new pool permits from the same city records.
Pool Search Trends: The US Pool Demand Seasonality Index by Month and State
A seasonality index built from 203 saved Google Trends pulls: the month, week and state pattern of US pool searches, compared with pool permit timing.
Safety and health
How Many Americans Can’t Swim: National Estimates Reconciled, 2014 to 2023
This report sets the national surveys of US swimming ability side by side, quotes each question, explains why published shares run from 15% to 54%, and converts the latest shares into people.
Neglected Pool Complaints: Green Pool Reports in Seven US Pool Markets, 2017 to 2026
An original count of neglected and green swimming pool complaints in city code enforcement and county records across Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Florida and California, with seasonality and household rates.
Pool Drowning Statistics by State: Deaths and Rates, 2018 to 2024
Swimming pool drowning deaths (ICD-10 W67-W68) by state of residence, per million residents and per 100,000 children under 5, from CDC death certificate data.
Pool Electrocution Statistics: U.S. Deaths, Shock Injuries and the Equipment Involved
A profile of electrocutions and electrical shock injuries in and around U.S. swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, built from CPSC incident and death certificate data, 11 years of NEISS emergency department records, CDC mortality data and National Electrical Code history.
Pool Fence Laws by State: Residential Pool Barrier Rules in All 50 States and DC, 2026
A 51-row matrix of state statutes and statewide building codes that require barriers around residential swimming pools, checked against the primary text as of October 4, 2026.
Pool Hygiene Statistics: What U.S. Swimmers Admit, 2009 to 2025
A profile of what U.S. adults say they do in pools, what they believe about pool chemistry, and what CDC and peer-reviewed measurements show about urine, feces and chloramines in pool water.
Pool Injury Statistics: U.S. Emergency Room Visits by Product, Age and Month, 2015 to 2024
A weighted analysis of CPSC emergency department microdata on nonfatal injuries involving swimming pools, pool equipment, diving boards, pool slides and pool chemicals, with drownings counted separately.
Pool Product Recalls: A Registry of U.S. CPSC Recalls of Pool and Spa Products, 2001 to 2026
A dated registry of every U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of pool and spa products found from 2000 to October 4, 2026, with hazard, product type, units, reported incidents and remedy for each entry.
Swimming Pool Illness Outbreaks: U.S. Registry of CDC-Reported Outbreaks, 2009 to 2023
A registry and analysis of every outbreak linked to treated recreational water in CDC’s public National Outbreak Reporting System file: when it started, where, which venue, which germ or chemical, and how many people got sick.
Costs of owning a pool
Average cost to build a pool: what 2025 building permits show in 11 US cities and counties
A city-by-city comparison of the construction values declared on new residential in-ground pool permits, 2019 to August 2026, adjusted for inflation and set against published cost guides.
Cost to Heat a Pool: Gas Heater vs Heat Pump by State, 2026
A state-by-state comparison of what a gas heater, a heat pump and propane cost per unit of pool heat, built from EIA energy prices and DOE efficiency data, with season scenarios and cover savings.
Cost to Run a Pool Pump by State: July 2026 Electricity Prices, Single-Speed vs Variable-Speed
This report estimates what a residential pool pump costs to run in every US state by combining EIA’s July 2026 residential electricity prices with the Department of Energy’s pool pump energy model.
Does a Pool Add Value to a Home? US Pool Premium Estimates Reconciled
Published estimates of the US pool price premium, from peer-reviewed sale-price studies to listing-site analyses, set side by side with method, market and years, then reduced to a defensible range by market type.
Pool Chemical Prices: A Producer Price Index for Chlorine, Trichlor Inputs and Acid, 2019 to 2026
A monthly index of US producer prices for pool chemical inputs and makers, rebased to 2019 = 100, with the trichlor shortage, import prices and trade duties documented from primary sources.
Pool Property Tax: How 18 Major Pool-Market Counties Assess a New Pool, 2026 Ledger
A county-by-county ledger of whether a new residential pool is added to the taxed value, how assessors price it, how caps treat it, and what a $40,000 pool adds to an annual bill at official 2025 to 2026 rates.
Pool permit cost: a 2026 ledger of official fees in 18 US cities and counties
A city-by-city ledger of the building permit, plan review and surcharge fees that 18 US jurisdictions charge for one new residential in-ground pool, calculated from the official fee schedules in force in October 2026.
Vacation Rentals With Pools: Share and Nightly Premium in 18 US Airbnb Markets (2026)
A city-by-city comparison of short-term rental listings with and without pools: how common they are, what type of pool they offer, and how much more they ask per night, built from September 2026 Inside Airbnb data.
Climate and water
Cost to Fill a Pool in 25 US Cities: Water and Sewer Rate Ledger, October 2026
A city-by-city ledger that applies each utility’s official residential water and sewer rate schedule, in effect on 2026-10-04, to 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000-gallon pool fills.
Does a Pool Use More Water Than a Lawn? Pool vs Lawn Water Use in 25 US Cities
A city-by-city model of the water an uncovered pool loses to evaporation against the sprinkler water a lawn of the same area needs, using 1991 to 2020 climate data.
Pool Evaporation Rate by City: Inches, Gallons and Refill Cost in 25 US Cities
A NOAA-based model of how much water an uncovered 15 x 30 ft residential pool loses to evaporation in 25 US cities, how much normal rainfall gives back, and what refilling costs at utility rates in effect in October 2026.
Pool Hurricane Preparation: Code Rules, Screen Enclosure Standards and Storm Exposure by State, 2026
A matrix of building code, insurance and official guidance rules for swimming pools and pool screen enclosures in eight Gulf and Atlantic states, with Miami-Dade and Broward shown separately, set against NOAA hurricane landfall and impact counts.
Pool Season Length by City: Swim Season Index for 60 US Metros (NOAA 1991-2020 Normals)
An index of outdoor swim-season length for the 60 largest US metro areas, counting the days each year when the 1991-2020 normal daily high at the main airport reaches 75F, 80F or 85F.
Pool filling restrictions in 2026: which water utilities ban filling pools during drought
An atlas of drought rules that limit filling, refilling, covering or building swimming pools, with the stage that triggers each rule and its status on October 8, 2026.
Pool contractors and the trade
Pool Contractor Complaints: State Licensing Board Discipline Data, 2022 to 2026
A registry of official licensing board actions against pool contractors in four states, aggregated by period, state and action type, with rates per 1,000 licensees and no contractor names.
Pool Contractor License Requirements by State, 2026: Exams, Experience, Bonds, Insurance and Licensee Counts
A 51-jurisdiction review of the state license, registration or local rule that applies to building and servicing residential swimming pools, read from board pages, statutes and rules on October 5, 2026.
Pool Equipment Tariffs: A Registry of U.S. Duties on Pumps, Filters, Heaters, Pools and Chemicals, 2018 to 2026
Every U.S. tariff action since 2018 that touches pool pumps, filters, heaters, above-ground pools and pool chemicals, the duty each product pays by country of origin today, and where the imports come from.
Pool Industry Acquisitions: A Registry of U.S. Deals From Primary Disclosures, 2015 to 2026
A dated registry of announced acquisitions of U.S. pool distributors, manufacturers, service companies, retailers and builders, built only from SEC filings, regulatory filings and the buyers’ own press releases, with counts by year, segment, acquirer type and state.
Public pools and access
Pool Operator Certification Requirements by State: 2026 Matrix of Operator, Lifeguard and Inspection Rules
A cell-by-cell reading of every state’s public pool rule (50 states plus DC) on operator certification, accepted credentials, renewal, lifeguards, routine inspections and adoption of the CDC Model Aquatic Health Code.
Public Pool Admission Prices in 33 Large US Cities, 2026
A city-by-city ledger of what residents pay for a day swim, a season pass and group swim lessons at city-run pools, taken from each city’s own 2026 fee page.
Public Pool Inspection Violations: Closure Rates and Most Common Citations in Six US Jurisdictions, 2019 to 2026
A profile of routine public and commercial pool inspections in New York City, Austin, Montgomery County (MD), Louisville, Sacramento County and Arlington (TX), built from each health department’s open inspection records and compared with CDC surveillance.
Public Pools by City: Pools per Resident in 99 Large US Cities, 2026
A profile of public swimming pool access in the largest US cities, combining Trust for Public Land’s 2026 pool counts with July 1, 2025 Census populations, eight years of TPL editions and NOAA swim-season data.
Swimming Participation Statistics: Who Swims in the US, How Often and for How Long, 2003 to 2025
A profile of who swims in the United States, built from our own tabulation of 258,954 federal time diaries (2003 to 2025) and checked against CDC, SFIA, NFHS and USA Swimming counts.