4,000
Fatal drownings each year
About 4,000 people in the United States fatally drowned each year from 2020 through 2022. This figure includes drownings in all settings, not only pools.
Reference page
Pool Fence Safety Statistics and Barrier Facts
Current U.S. drowning data and practical pool-barrier benchmarks, collected in one place for families, writers, and anyone planning a safer pool area.
Last updated September 1, 2026. Sources are linked with each fact.
Pool safety starts with layers
A fence is one important layer of protection.
Pool barriers, self-closing gates, close supervision, and swim skills all have different jobs. A properly planned fence cannot replace supervision, but it can add a physical boundary between children and water when adults are not expecting anyone to be near the pool.
Explore pool fencing →
United States data
Pool safety statistics to know
8,000
Nonfatal drowning injuries each year
About 8,000 people each year received emergency department care for nonfatal drowning injuries from 2020 through 2022.
1-4
The age group with the highest drowning rates
Children ages 1 through 4 have the highest drowning rates. For this age group, swimming pools are the most common setting for drowning deaths.
#1
A leading cause of death for young children
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 4 in the United States.
Barrier benchmarks
Three practical pool-barrier facts from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
A pool barrier should be at least 4 feet high and completely surround the pool. Explore CPSC pool safety guidance.
Gates in a pool barrier should close and latch by themselves. Explore CPSC pool safety guidance.
The home should not be treated as the only barrier between young children and a pool. Explore CPSC pool safety guidance.
Methodology and sources
How to use this page
This page uses public health and consumer-safety sources. National drowning figures cover all settings, so they should not be read as pool-only counts. Pool-barrier measurements are federal safety guidance, not a substitute for checking the local requirements that apply to a particular property.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drowning Facts, using 2020-2022 data for the annual fatal and nonfatal drowning estimates and child age-group findings.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Pool Safely, accessed September 1, 2026, for the listed barrier guidance and broader pool safety context.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Water Safety and Young Children, accessed September 1, 2026, for the layered-safety context.
Cite this page
Vickers Fence. “Pool Fence Safety Statistics and Barrier Facts.” Updated September 1, 2026. https://vickersfence.online/pool-fence-safety-statistics
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