Pool Electrocution Statistics: U.S. Deaths, Shock Injuries and the Equipment Involved

At a glance

• CPSC knows of 33 electrocution deaths and 33 electrical shock injuries in U.S. swimming pools and spas from 2002 to 2018, across 47 incidents (CPSC).
• U.S. death certificates reviewed by CPSC show 19 electrocutions in the Pool/Whirlpool/Hot Tub category from 2011 to 2020, 4.6% of 410 consumer product electrocutions (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
• An estimated 1,245 people (95% CI 697 to 1,793) visited U.S. emergency departments for electrical injuries in and around pools and spas from 2015 to 2025, about 113 a year (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• No single year of NEISS pool electrical data from 2015 to 2025 meets CPSC’s publication rule, and the 2023 and 2025 U.S. samples contain no such cases (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Cords, plugs or outlets were the electrical source in 10 of 35 U.S. NEISS pool and spa electrical cases from 2015 to 2025 (28.6%); pool lights appeared in 2 (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• For U.S. deaths in 2018 to 2020, death certificates recorded 279 pool drownings for every pool or spa electrocution record CPSC identified (CDC WONDER; CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
• The National Electrical Code first required GFCI protection for underwater pool lights in 1968; as of October 2026, NFPA lists 6 U.S. states enforcing the 2026 edition (IAEI Magazine; NFPA).

Pool electrocution statistics: deaths recorded by CPSC, 2002 to 2020

Two CPSC data systems put recorded U.S. pool and spa electrocution deaths at roughly 1.7 to 1.9 a year since 2002. Both count only cases CPSC learned about or could link to a pool, spa or hot tub, so they are floors, not totals.

CPSC’s incident table lists 47 shock-related U.S. pool and spa incidents from 2002 to 2018 that injured 33 people and killed 33 (CPSC). CPSC counted 23 of those deaths in 2002 to 2014 (CPSC). The table’s total row is labelled 2010 to 2018, but its values equal the sum of every year from 2002 to 2018 (PC&S check of the CPSC table).

A second CPSC series reviews death certificates coded ICD-10 W85 to W87 (accident caused by electric current) (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report). CPSC staff counted 19 electrocutions in the Pool/Whirlpool/Hot Tub category from 2011 to 2020, out of 410 in-scope U.S. consumer product electrocutions (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report). The earlier report counted 17 of 445 for 2004 to 2013 (CPSC 2004-2013 electrocution report). CPSC presents these product counts as observed records, not national estimates (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).

Electric shock injuries at pools treated in emergency departments, 2015 to 2025

NEISS records only a handful of pool and spa electrical injuries each year: 35 sample cases across 11 years. Combined, they support one national estimate of 1,245 U.S. emergency department visits for 2015 to 2025; no single year is reliable on its own.

PC&S searched all 11 NEISS annual files (2015 to 2025) for diagnosis 67 (electric shock, which NEISS also uses for electrocution deaths) or 46 (electrical burn) and kept cases with a pool, pool equipment or hot tub product code or a pool or spa word in the narrative (NEISS Coding Manual 2025; CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis). Each narrative was read; lightning, a foot spa, an implanted defibrillator firing and a bounce-house water pool were excluded, leaving 35 cases (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).

Pooled over 2015 to 2025, the estimate is 1,245 U.S. emergency department visits (95% CI 697 to 1,793), about 113 a year (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis). The pooled estimate passes CPSC’s rule (estimate of at least 1,200, at least 20 cases, CV of 33% or less) with a CV of 22.5%, but only narrowly (CPSC NEISS estimates guide; CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis). Pool and spa cases were 1.0% of all U.S. electrical injury emergency department visits over the same years (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).

A 2019 study using NEISS for 1991 to 2013 counted 566 U.S. emergency department cases of pool-associated electrical injury, with 91.8% treated and released and 8.2% hospitalized (Tashiro and Burnweit, Pediatric Emergency Care). The abstract does not show the case definition, so its count is not comparable with the 35 cases found here (Tashiro and Burnweit, Pediatric Emergency Care).

What equipment is involved in pool and hot tub electrical injuries

CPSC lists the electrical sources found around pools but publishes no shares by source. NEISS narratives point more often to cords, plugs, outlets and nearby wiring than to the pool’s own lighting, though the counts are small.

Cords, plugs or outlets accounted for 10 of 35 U.S. NEISS cases from 2015 to 2025 (28.6%), often a child handling a plug or cord for a pump, filter, air pump or nearby appliance (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis). Pumps, filters or motors, fixed wiring, and unidentified sources each accounted for 5 cases (14.3%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis). Pool or underwater lights appeared in 2 cases (5.7%), and hot tub controls or jets in 4 (11.4%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).

• CPSC’s list of electricity sources around pools: underwater lights; pumps, filters and vacuums; extension and power cords; outlets and switches; radios, stereos and TVs; overhead power lines (CPSC).
• CPSC’s 2003 warning named faulty underwater lighting, aging wiring, ungrounded pumps, power washers and vacuums, and appliances or cords pulled into the water (CPSC 2003 release).
• The 1991 to 2013 NEISS study found electrical outlets or receptacles implicated in 39.8% of U.S. pool electrical injury cases (Tashiro and Burnweit, Pediatric Emergency Care).

Who is hurt: age, setting and season of pool electrical injuries

Children, homes and summer months dominate the small NEISS sample. These are unweighted shares of 35 cases and describe the sample, not a precise national profile.

• Children under 15: 19 of 35 U.S. cases, 2015 to 2025 (54.3%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Injury at home: 22 of 35 (62.9%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Treated in June, July or August: 25 of 35 (71.4%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Hot tub or spa involved: 6 of 35 (17.1%) (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Admitted or transferred: 8 of 35 (22.9%); none died in the emergency department (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• In the 1991 to 2013 NEISS study, 48.4% of U.S. pool electrical injuries involved patients under 18 and 57.0% occurred at home where location was stated (Tashiro and Burnweit, Pediatric Emergency Care).

Pool electrocutions in the context of all U.S. electrocution deaths

Pool and spa cases are a small slice of U.S. electrocution deaths and a much smaller slice of pool deaths, most of which are drownings. CDC mortality data cannot isolate pool electrocutions directly.

U.S. death certificates recorded 2,032 accidental electrocution deaths (W85 to W87) from 2018 to 2024, about 290 a year (CDC WONDER). Males accounted for 94.1% of those deaths (CDC WONDER). CDC WONDER offers place of death (hospital, home) but no place-of-injury field, so pool deaths cannot be separated from the total (CDC WONDER).

CPSC’s Pool/Whirlpool/Hot Tub records equal 0.7% of the 2,749 U.S. death records coded as electrocution in 2011 to 2020 (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report). For 2018 to 2020, U.S. death certificates show 2,233 swimming pool drownings (W67-W68) against 8 pool or spa electrocution records, 279 to 1 (CDC WONDER; CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report). Drowning detail is in the pool drowning statistics by state report.

GFCI and NEC Article 680 rules for pools, spas and hot tubs, 1968 to 2026

Pools were the first place the National Electrical Code required GFCI protection, and Article 680 added pool rules in each of the 2020, 2023 and 2026 editions. The code generally applies to new work, so older pools can carry older protections.

The 1968 NEC introduced the first GFCI requirement, for underwater lighting fixtures in swimming pools; the 1971 edition extended it to receptacles within 20 feet of pools, and the 1981 edition added spas and hot tubs (IAEI Magazine). A Class A GFCI trips at 6 milliamperes of current to ground and does not trip below 4 milliamperes (IAEI Magazine). CPSC’s fact sheet describes GFCIs reacting to a difference as small as 0.006 amperes (CPSC GFCI fact sheet).

CPSC notes that the NEC typically applies to new construction or major renovations (CPSC GFCI fact sheet), and older editions do not require existing pools to be upgraded (Hamilton & Associates, Pool & Spa Show 2026). Where the 2020 or a later NEC is adopted, a replaced pool pump motor must be GFCI protected (Hamilton & Associates, Pool & Spa Show 2026). Work on pool electrical systems usually requires a licensed electrician; see pool contractor license requirements.

Which National Electrical Code edition each state enforces

States adopt the NEC on their own schedules, so pool wiring rules differ by state. NFPA lists 6 states on the 2026 edition and 6 still on 2017 or 2008.

NFPA’s state table lists the 2026 NEC in Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wyoming (NFPA). It lists 3 states on the 2017 edition and 3 on 2008, editions that predate the 2020 pump motor GFCI rule: IL, IN, KS, NV, TN, WI (NFPA; Hamilton & Associates, Pool & Spa Show 2026). Arizona, Mississippi and Missouri have local adoption only (NFPA).

Contrast: electric shock drowning at freshwater marinas and docks

Electric shock drowning (ESD) is a related hazard in open freshwater near docks and boats, not in pools. It is shown here only for contrast, because pool and spa rules and marina rules sit in different NEC articles.

NFPA describes ESD as low-level current leaking from marina, dock or boat wiring into the water, paralyzing a swimmer who then drowns (NFPA). NFPA states that the majority of ESD incidents have happened at residential waterfront locations with private docks (NFPA). NASBLA says relatively few ESDs are documented each year and an unknown number may be misdiagnosed as drowning (NASBLA).

• Marina rules sit in NEC Article 555, where ground-fault protection of equipment may not exceed 100 mA on feeders and branch circuits and 30 mA for shore power receptacles (NFPA).
• The 2026 NEC made Article 555 equipotential plane rules resemble the pool rules in 680.26 (NFPA 2026 NEC summary).
• A marina safety researchers’ compilation states currents as low as 10 mA can paralyze a swimmer’s limbs in freshwater (ESD Prevention Association list).

How these figures compare with widely cited pool electrocution numbers

The most repeated pool electrocution numbers online are older CPSC figures, sometimes with shifted dates. This report uses the latest CPSC releases and states each period.

• ’60 deaths and nearly 50 serious shocks since 1990′ comes from a May 2003 CPSC release covering the previous 13 years, not from current data (CPSC 2003 release; ESFI).
• ’33 deaths and 33 injuries’ is CPSC’s 17-year table for 2002 to 2018; it is not a four-year figure (CPSC).
• CPSC’s broader estimate of about 200 consumer product electrocution deaths a year dates from 2002; the 2023 report puts the 2018 to 2020 average at about 100 (CPSC 2002 release; CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
• The 566 NEISS cases in the 1991 to 2013 study and the 35 cases here use different definitions and periods (Tashiro and Burnweit, Pediatric Emergency Care; CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• Recalls of electrical pool products are tracked separately in pool product recalls.

Fifteen numbers that matter

1. CPSC knows of 33 electrocution deaths in U.S. pools and spas from 2002 to 2018, 1.9 a year on average (CPSC).
2. CPSC knows of 33 injuries from 47 shock-related U.S. pool and spa incidents from 2002 to 2018 (CPSC).
3. The deadliest year in the CPSC U.S. pool and spa shock table is 2017, with 7 deaths from 4 incidents (CPSC).
4. CPSC identified no U.S. pool or spa electrocution injuries or deaths for 2018, and it received 2 fatal incidents from 2013 to 2014 only in 2015 (CPSC).
5. U.S. shock-related pool and spa incidents known to CPSC from 2002 to 2018 averaged 1.4 victims each (CPSC, PC&S calculation).
6. CPSC death certificate reviews count 17 U.S. Pool/Whirlpool/Hot Tub electrocutions in 2004 to 2013 and 19 in 2011 to 2020 (CPSC 2004-2013 electrocution report; CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
7. Pool, whirlpool and hot tub electrocutions were 4.6% of CPSC’s 410 in-scope U.S. consumer product electrocution records in 2011 to 2020 (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
8. CPSC estimated about 100 U.S. consumer product electrocution deaths a year in 2018 to 2020 (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).
9. In May 2003, CPSC reported 60 deaths and nearly 50 serious shocks from electrical hazards around U.S. pools over the previous 13 years, 4.6 deaths a year (CPSC 2003 release).
10. An estimated 1,245 U.S. emergency department visits for pool and spa electrical injuries occurred from 2015 to 2025 combined, with a coefficient of variation of 22.5% (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
11. Pool and spa cases were 1.0% of an estimated 120,030 U.S. electrical injury emergency department visits from 2015 to 2025 (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
12. 54.3% of 35 U.S. NEISS pool and spa electrical cases from 2015 to 2025 were children under 15, and 71.4% were treated in June, July or August (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
13. U.S. death certificates recorded 264 accidental electrocution deaths (ICD-10 W85-W87) in 2024 and 284 in 2025 (provisional), with no place-of-injury field to isolate pools (CDC WONDER; CDC WONDER provisional data).
14. Of 50 U.S. states, NFPA lists 6 with the 2026 NEC, 18 with 2023, 17 with 2020, 3 with 2017, 3 with 2008 and 3 with local adoption only, as read on October 7, 2026 (NFPA).

Rates, trends and severity we calculated

Download the calculation sheet (CSV)

New in this edition

• 2026-10PC&S added the NEISS 2025 file, downloaded from CPSC on 2026-10-07: the 2025 U.S. sample has no pool or spa electrical cases, while all-product electrical injury ED visits are estimated at 15,670 (CPSC NEISS microdata, PC&S analysis).
• 2026-10CDC WONDER provisional data (queried 2026-10-07) show 284 U.S. accidental electrocution deaths (W85-W87) in 2025, up from 264 in final 2024 data (CDC WONDER provisional data).
• 2026-08NFPA reports that as of August 3, 2026 the 2026 NEC is in effect in 6 U.S. states (NFPA).
• 2025-09The 2026 NEC took effect for adoption on September 9, 2025; its Article 680 changes include a 5-foot exclusion for portable electric signs at pools and GFCI protection for reconditioned pool pump motors (NFPA; Hamilton & Associates, Pool & Spa Show 2026).
• 2025-04TIA 70-26-1, effective April 30, 2025, says GFCI protection is not to be installed between a variable speed drive and a pool motor (Hamilton & Associates, Pool & Spa Show 2026).
• 2023-11CPSC’s latest electrocution report (November 2023, covering 2011 to 2020) counts 19 U.S. pool, whirlpool and hot tub electrocution records (CPSC 2011-2020 electrocution report).

What people ask

Common questions

Evidence tiers

Tier 1: primary and government sources (15)

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Don't Swim with Shocks: Electrical Safety In and Around Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs
• CPSC Directorate for Epidemiology: Electrocutions Associated With Consumer Products: 2011-2020 (November 2023)
• CPSC Directorate for Epidemiology: Electrocutions Associated With Consumer Products: 2004-2013 (May 2017)
• CPSC: Don't Swim With Shocks: CPSC, American Red Cross Warn of Electrocutions in Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs and Spas (news release, May 20, 2003)
• CPSC: National Electrical Safety Month: CPSC Alerts Consumers to Electrocution Hazards From Overhead Power Lines (news release, May 1, 2002)
• CPSC: GFCI Fact Sheet (Pub. 099)
• CPSC: National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) annual microdata, 2015 to 2025
• CPSC: Explanation of NEISS Estimates Obtained Through the CPSC Website (CPSC shortlink to the page)
• CPSC: NEISS Coding Manual, January 2025 (rev. 1)
• CDC, National Center for Health Statistics: Underlying Cause of Death, 2018-2024, Single Race (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 W85-W87)
• CDC, National Center for Health Statistics: Provisional Mortality Statistics, 2018 through Last Week (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 W85-W87)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): NEC enforcement maps (NEC in effect by state)
• NFPA: What Changed in the 2026 NEC? (blog, January 29, 2026)
• NFPA: Protect Yourself from Electric Shock Drowning
• Pediatric Emergency Care (via PubMed, NLM): Tashiro J, Burnweit CA. Swimming Pool Electrical Injuries: Steps Toward Prevention. Pediatric Emergency Care 2019;35(4):261-264 (PubMed abstract)

Tier 2: trade bodies, public companies, market research (4)

• International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI): The History of GFCI Protection in the NEC (IAEI Magazine, Summer 2024, Joseph Wages Jr.)
• Hamilton & Associates (Dr. Bill Hamilton, P.E.), via The Pool & Spa Show: Changes in Article 680: 2020, 2023 and 2026 National Electrical Code (session handout, Pool & Spa Show 2026)
• National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA): Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Resources
• Electrical Safety Foundation (ESFI): Pool and Spa Safety Tips

Tier 3: journalism and expert commentary (1)

• Quality Marine Services (Shafer and Rifkin), hosted by the Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association: Electric Shock Drowning Incidents: Marinas (In-Water electrocution fatalities included), Rev. 8/15/2025

References

1. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Don't Swim with Shocks: Electrical Safety In and Around Pools, Spas and Hot Tubs. Accessed 2026-10-07.
2. CPSC Directorate for Epidemiology. Electrocutions Associated With Consumer Products: 2011-2020 (November 2023). Accessed 2026-10-07.
3. CPSC Directorate for Epidemiology. Electrocutions Associated With Consumer Products: 2004-2013 (May 2017). Accessed 2026-10-07.
4. CPSC. Don't Swim With Shocks: CPSC, American Red Cross Warn of Electrocutions in Swimming Pools, Hot Tubs and Spas (news release, May 20, 2003). Accessed 2026-10-07.
5. CPSC. National Electrical Safety Month: CPSC Alerts Consumers to Electrocution Hazards From Overhead Power Lines (news release, May 1, 2002). Accessed 2026-10-07.
6. CPSC. GFCI Fact Sheet (Pub. 099). Accessed 2026-10-07.
7. CPSC. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) annual microdata, 2015 to 2025. Accessed 2026-10-07.
8. CPSC. Explanation of NEISS Estimates Obtained Through the CPSC Website (CPSC shortlink to the page). Accessed 2026-10-07.
9. CPSC. NEISS Coding Manual, January 2025 (rev. 1). Accessed 2026-10-07.
10. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death, 2018-2024, Single Race (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 W85-W87). Accessed 2026-10-07.
11. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. Provisional Mortality Statistics, 2018 through Last Week (CDC WONDER, ICD-10 W85-W87). Accessed 2026-10-07.
12. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). NEC enforcement maps (NEC in effect by state). Accessed 2026-10-07.
13. NFPA. What Changed in the 2026 NEC? (blog, January 29, 2026). Accessed 2026-10-07.
14. NFPA. Protect Yourself from Electric Shock Drowning. Accessed 2026-10-07.
15. Pediatric Emergency Care (via PubMed, NLM). Tashiro J, Burnweit CA. Swimming Pool Electrical Injuries: Steps Toward Prevention. Pediatric Emergency Care 2019;35(4):261-264 (PubMed abstract). Accessed 2026-10-07.
16. International Association of Electrical Inspectors (IAEI). The History of GFCI Protection in the NEC (IAEI Magazine, Summer 2024, Joseph Wages Jr.). Accessed 2026-10-07.
17. Hamilton & Associates (Dr. Bill Hamilton, P.E.), via The Pool & Spa Show. Changes in Article 680: 2020, 2023 and 2026 National Electrical Code (session handout, Pool & Spa Show 2026). Accessed 2026-10-07.
18. National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA). Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) Resources. Accessed 2026-10-07.
19. Electrical Safety Foundation (ESFI). Pool and Spa Safety Tips. Accessed 2026-10-07.
20. Quality Marine Services (Shafer and Rifkin), hosted by the Electric Shock Drowning Prevention Association. Electric Shock Drowning Incidents: Marinas (In-Water electrocution fatalities included), Rev. 8/15/2025. Accessed 2026-10-07.