U.S. Pool Safety Reference
Pool safety statistics: child drowning and injury data.
Current public data on pool- and spa-related drowning injuries, reported child fatalities, and the wider U.S. drowning picture.
Last updated October 21, 2026
Pool safety is a homeowner issue, a family issue, and a public-health issue. This reference gathers the latest available U.S. figures in one place, with the data period and original source beside every statistic.
Pool and spa data are not the same as all drowning data. The pool-specific figures below come from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and focus on children younger than 15. The nationwide figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include drowning across settings and age groups. Keeping those scopes clear makes the data more useful to quote accurately.
The Statistics
What the latest data says.
5,900
estimated pool- or spa-related nonfatal drowning injuries
Each year from 2023 through 2025, an estimated 5,900 children younger than 15 were treated in U.S. emergency departments for these injuries.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report71%
of those child injuries involved children younger than 5
That was the annual average for pool- or spa-related emergency-department-treated nonfatal drowning injuries from 2023 through 2025.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report42%
were admitted or transferred for hospital care
From 2023 through 2025, 42% of children younger than 15 treated for a pool- or spa-related drowning injury were admitted to a hospital or transferred to another hospital.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report36%
of child injury incidents happened at a residence
For pool- or spa-related injuries treated in an emergency department from 2023 through 2025, 36% occurred at a residential location.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report376
reported child pool- or spa-related drowning deaths per year
This is the annual average of deaths reported to CPSC staff from 2021 through 2023 for children younger than 15. CPSC describes these as minimum reported counts, not national trend estimates.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report77%
of reported child pool- or spa-related drowning deaths involved children younger than 5
This was the annual average for reported fatalities from 2021 through 2023 involving children younger than 15.
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2026 report4,345
unintentional drowning deaths per year in the U.S.
The CDC reports an annual average of 4,345 unintentional drowning deaths across all settings from 2018 through 2021.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated January 20268,111
estimated nonfatal-drowning emergency-department visits per year
Across all settings, the CDC reports this annual average for 2012 through 2021. Nonfatal drowning can result in serious or lasting health effects.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated January 2026Reading The Data
Why age, location, and time period matter.
Young children carry the greatest burden
In the most recent CPSC pool and spa report, children younger than 5 accounted for 71% of estimated emergency-department-treated injuries and 77% of reported fatalities among children younger than 15. That is why layers of protection and uninterrupted supervision matter most around toddlers and preschoolers.
Home is part of the safety picture
Residential settings accounted for 36% of child pool- or spa-related injuries treated in an emergency department from 2023 through 2025. A home pool brings water safety into the everyday environment, not only organized swim settings.
Summer deserves extra attention
The CPSC found that May through August had the largest percentages of pool- or spa-related injury treatment for children younger than 5 and for all children younger than 15. Seasonal preparation is a useful time to review barriers, gates, drain covers, rescue equipment, and household supervision plans.
Sources And Methodology
Use the original reports when you cite a number.
This page summarizes publicly available U.S. data. Each statistic links directly to its source. CPSC injury figures are national estimates derived from its National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. CPSC fatality figures are reported counts and are explicitly described by CPSC as minimum counts. CDC nationwide figures cover drowning across settings, so they should not be presented as pool-only data.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Pool or Spa Submersion: Estimated Nonfatal Drowning Injuries and Reported Drownings, 2026 Report, published June 22, 2026. Injury data: 2023 through 2025. Reported fatality data: 2021 through 2023.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Data, updated January 27, 2026. National fatal-drowning average: 2018 through 2021.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Facts, updated January 27, 2026. Nonfatal-drowning emergency-department average: 2012 through 2021.
Cite this page
TLC Express Pool Services. “Pool Safety Statistics: Child Drowning & Injury Data.” Updated October 21, 2026. https://tlcexpresspools.net/pool-safety-statistics
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