A compiled reference of 20 verified statistics on public aquatic facilities in the United States: how often routine inspections find violations or force an immediate closure, the illness outbreaks tied to treated recreational water, how many trace to hotels and resorts, and what it costs to keep a commercial pool compliant. Every figure is drawn from a named public source (CDC inspection and outbreak surveillance, and commercial pool-service pricing) and independently checked before publishing.
What routine inspections find
Outcomes of 84,187 routine inspections of public aquatic venues, five states, 2013.
Source: CDC MMWR, Network for Aquatic Facility Inspection Surveillance, 2013 (cdc.gov). About 1 in 8 inspections ended in immediate closure.
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Public pools fail inspection at a striking rate, and when the water is not managed, the illness that follows lands disproportionately on hotels and resorts. The numbers below trace the inspection record, the outbreaks, and the cost of doing it right.
78.9% of routine public-pool inspections found at least one violation.
12.3%, about 1 in 8, resulted in immediate closure.
Wading and kiddie pools had the highest closure rate, at 21.6%.
208 treated-water outbreaks (2015-2019) caused 3,646 illnesses, 286 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths.
34% of those outbreaks were associated with a hotel or resort.
Commercial pool service runs $3,000 to $20,000+ a year; hotel pools $400 to $2,000+ a month.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in September 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
Two CDC MMWR surveillance reports (aquatic-facility inspections and treated recreational water outbreaks) and commercial pool-service pricing.
- Government data for the health claims
Inspection, violation, closure, and outbreak figures come only from CDC surveillance, read from the original MMWR reports.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each inline at the point it appears.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope note: the inspection figures are from a five-state surveillance network (Arizona, California, Florida, New York, Texas) representing the states with the most public pools, not a national census; the outbreak counts are reported outbreaks and undercount true incidence. Cost figures are provider ranges that vary by pool size, bather load, and region. Confirm local requirements with your health department.
Public aquatic facilities, by the numbers
All 20 figures, grouped into three themes, each from a named public source and independently verified against the original.
How often pools fail inspection
Public pools fail routine inspection at a rate that would be alarming in most regulated industries. According to a CDC MMWR (cdc.gov) covering 84,187 routine inspections of 48,632 public aquatic venues across the five states with the most pools, 78.9% identified at least one violation and 12.3% resulted in immediate closure.
Statistic 1
In 2013, health officials conducted 84,187 routine inspections of 48,632 public aquatic venues across five states (AZ, CA, FL, NY, TX).
CDC MMWR (2016)
Statistic 2
78.9% of routine aquatic-venue inspections identified at least one violation.
CDC MMWR (2016)
Statistic 3
12.3% of routine inspections (8,118) resulted in immediate closure, about 1 in 8.
CDC MMWR (2016)
Statistic 4
The most common violations involved pH (14.9%), safety equipment (12.7%), and disinfectant concentration (11.9%).
CDC MMWR (2016)
Statistic 5
Wading and kiddie pools had the highest immediate-closure rate, at 21.6%.
CDC MMWR (2016)
Statistic 6
Only 68% of US local public health agencies regulate, inspect, or license public aquatic facilities.
CDC MMWR (2016)
What this means: The three most common violations, pH, safety equipment, and disinfectant, are all daily operational checks, not structural defects. And with a third of health agencies not inspecting pools at all, in much of the country the only check on a pool's water is the operator's own record-keeping.
Illness from treated water
When pool water is not managed, people get sick, and the outbreaks cluster in lodging. According to a CDC MMWR (cdc.gov), 208 outbreaks tied to treated recreational water were reported from 2015 to 2019, causing at least 3,646 illnesses, and 34% of them were associated with a hotel or resort. The chlorine-tolerant parasite Cryptosporidium drove most cases.
Statistic 7
208 outbreaks associated with treated recreational water were reported from 36 states and DC (2015-2019).
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 8
Those outbreaks caused at least 3,646 illnesses, 286 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths.
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 9
Cryptosporidium caused 76 of the outbreaks (37%).
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 10
Cryptosporidium caused 2,492 cases, 68% of cases from outbreaks with a confirmed cause.
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 11
96% of the outbreaks (199) were associated with public pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds.
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 12
34% of the outbreaks (71) were associated with a hotel or resort.
CDC MMWR (2021)
Statistic 13
51% of the outbreaks (107) started during June-August.
CDC MMWR (2021)
What this means: That one in three treated-water outbreaks traces to a hotel or resort makes pool water a direct guest-safety and reputation risk for lodging operators. And because Cryptosporidium tolerates chlorine, a "properly chlorinated" pool is not automatically safe; it takes active management, not just a chlorine float.
What commercial pool upkeep costs
Keeping a commercial pool compliant is an ongoing operating cost, and it scales with the property. According to commercial pool-service pricing (poolfounder.com), service runs $3,000 to $20,000 or more per year, with hotel and resort pools at the top of the range and chemicals alone running two to five times residential levels.
Statistic 14
Commercial pool service runs $3,000 to $20,000 or more per year, depending on property complexity.
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 15
Hotel and resort pools cost $400 to $2,000+ per month to service.
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 16
Hotel and resort pools run $4,800 to $24,000+ per year.
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 17
Apartment-complex pools cost $250 to $600 per month ($3,000 to $7,200 per year).
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 18
Chemicals for a commercial pool run $200 to $500 or more per month.
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 19
Per-visit chemical cost is $20 to $50 for commercial pools, versus $8 to $15 residential.
PoolFounder (2026)
Statistic 20
Commercial chemical costs run two to five times residential levels, driven by larger volumes and heavier bather loads.
PoolFounder (2026)
What this means: The recurring cost of proper service is a fraction of the cost of a closure or an outbreak, in lost bookings, remediation, and reputation. For a hotel, the pool is both an amenity and a documented-compliance obligation, and the two are the same line item.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How often do public pools fail inspection?
In a CDC study of 84,187 routine inspections of public aquatic venues across five states, 78.9% identified at least one violation and 12.3%, about 1 in 8, resulted in immediate closure (cdc.gov). Wading and kiddie pools had the highest closure rate at 21.6%, and the most common violations involved pH, safety equipment, and disinfectant concentration.
How common are pool-related illness outbreaks?
From 2015 to 2019, 208 outbreaks tied to treated recreational water were reported to the CDC from 36 states and DC, causing at least 3,646 illnesses, 286 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths (cdc.gov). Cryptosporidium caused 68% of the cases, and 34% of outbreaks were associated with a hotel or resort.
How much does commercial pool maintenance cost?
Commercial pool service runs about $3,000 to $20,000 or more per year (poolfounder.com). Hotel and resort pools cost $400 to $2,000+ per month ($4,800 to $24,000+ per year), and chemicals alone run $200 to $500 or more per month, two to five times the residential level.
What causes most pool illness outbreaks?
Cryptosporidium, a chlorine-tolerant parasite, is the leading cause. It caused 76 of 208 treated-water outbreaks (37%) and 2,492 cases (68% of confirmed-etiology cases) from 2015 to 2019, according to the CDC (cdc.gov). Nearly all such outbreaks (96%) were linked to public pools, hot tubs, or water playgrounds.
Data sources
Every figure traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original before publishing. We name each source and show its root domain, but do not hyperlink external sources; internal links stay live.
CDC MMWR, aquatic facility inspectionsNetwork for Aquatic Facility Inspection Surveillance, five states, 2013cdc.govCDC MMWR, treated recreational waterOutbreaks associated with treated recreational water, 2015-2019cdc.gov
PoolFounderCommercial pool service pricing guidepoolfounder.com