A compiled reference of 20 verified statistics on smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in US residential buildings: the annual fatal-fire toll, how often working smoke alarms are actually present when a fatal fire strikes, which homes are most exposed, the carbon monoxide poisoning burden, and what it costs to install detectors. Every figure is drawn from a named public source (the U.S. Fire Administration, the CDC, and detector-installation pricing) and independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
Key takeaways
A smoke or carbon monoxide detector is the least expensive safety device most properties carry, and the fatal-fire record shows how often it is missing or dead when a fire starts. The numbers below trace the toll, the coverage gap, and the cost to close it.
An average of 1,900 fatal residential-building fires a year killed about 2,745 people (2018-2020).
Smoke alarms were present and operated in just 16% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings.
One- and two-family homes accounted for 87% of residential fatal fires where no smoke alarm was present.
More than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning.
Installing smoke and CO detectors averages about $1,400, from $600 to $2,800.
A five-detector interconnected hardwired system runs $300 to $600 installed.
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
U.S. Fire Administration topical fire reports (NFIRS data), CDC carbon monoxide poisoning data, and published detector-installation pricing.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each inline at the point it appears.
- Government data for the safety claims
Fire and carbon-monoxide figures come only from the USFA and CDC, and we carry the USFA's own caveat that presence was undetermined in many fires.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope note: the USFA figures are national estimates and NFIRS-reported counts for 2018-2020, and because firefighters could not determine smoke-alarm presence in a large share of fatal fires, the "no alarm present" percentage is a floor, not a ceiling. Costs are guide-level ranges from detector-installation providers and vary by home, wiring, and local code. Detector requirements are set by state and local code and should be confirmed locally.
Smoke and CO detectors, by the numbers
All 20 figures, grouped into four themes, each from a named public source and independently verified against the original.
The residential fire toll
Residential fires remain the overwhelming share of US fire deaths, and they are fastest exactly when people are least able to respond. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (usfa.fema.gov), an average of 1,900 fatal fires in residential buildings were reported each year from 2018 to 2020, causing about 2,745 deaths, and nearly half of those fires happened while households were likely asleep.
Statistic 1
An average of 1,900 fatal residential-building fires per year caused about 2,745 deaths (2018-2020).
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 2
45% of fatal residential-building fires occurred between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., peaking midnight to 1 a.m.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 3
Fatal residential fires peaked in January (14%), the coldest month.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 4
In 80% of fatal residential-building fires, the fire extended beyond the room of origin.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
What this means: The deadliest fires start at night and grow past the room they began in, the exact scenario an early alarm is designed for. Timing is why detection, not just suppression, is the front line of residential fire safety.
Smoke alarms in fatal fires
The fatal-fire record shows how often the alarm was not doing its job. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (usfa.fema.gov), smoke alarms were present in only 34% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings from 2018 to 2020, and present and operated in just 16%. The agency stresses that with presence undetermined in 42% of fires, the true no-alarm share is higher than the reported 24%.
Statistic 5
Smoke alarms were present in only 34% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 6
Smoke alarms were present and operated in just 16% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 7
At least 24% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings had no smoke alarms present (a floor; presence was undetermined in 42%).
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 8
Smoke alarms were present in 44% of residential nonfatal fires, versus 34% of fatal fires.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 9
Only 6% of fatal fires in unoccupied residential buildings had smoke alarms that operated.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
What this means: The presence gap between nonfatal (44%) and fatal (34%) fires is the whole argument for detection in one comparison: fires without a working alarm are the ones that turn deadly. And a present alarm is not enough; it has to be powered and functional, which is a maintenance-and-verification problem, not a purchase.
Who is exposed, and carbon monoxide
The coverage gap is not evenly distributed, and smoke is only half the threat. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (usfa.fema.gov), one- and two-family homes accounted for 87% of residential fatal fires with no smoke alarm present, while multifamily housing accounted for just 7%, a gap it attributes partly to stricter codes. On the carbon monoxide side, the CDC (cdc.gov) reports more than 400 deaths a year from unintentional non-fire poisoning.
Statistic 10
One- and two-family homes accounted for 87% of residential fatal fires with no smoke alarm present; multifamily just 7%.
U.S. Fire Administration (2022)
Statistic 11
More than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires.
CDC (2026)
Statistic 12
More than 100,000 people visit an emergency department each year for unintentional non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning.
CDC (2026)
Statistic 13
More than 14,000 people are hospitalized each year for unintentional non-fire carbon monoxide poisoning.
CDC (2026)
What this means: The homes least likely to have working alarms are exactly the ones a landlord or manager checks least systematically: scattered single-family and small properties, not code-audited apartment blocks. Carbon monoxide, meanwhile, is invisible and odorless, so its detector is the only warning a household gets.
What detectors cost
Against those stakes, the device is cheap. According to detector-installation pricing (costtorenovate.com), installing smoke and CO detectors averages about $1,400 nationally, with a typical range of $600 to $2,800 and a per-detector installed cost of $75 to $220. A five-detector interconnected hardwired system runs $300 to $600 installed (usa-electrical-cost.com).
Statistic 14
Installing smoke and CO detectors averages about $1,400 nationally, typically $600 to $2,800.
Cost to Renovate (2026)
Statistic 15
A detector costs $75 to $220 per unit installed.
Cost to Renovate (2026)
Statistic 16
Battery-powered standalone units run $20 to $45 each; standard hardwired interconnected units $30 to $60 each.
Cost to Renovate (2026)
Statistic 17
A single hardwired detector runs about $80 to $150 per unit installed.
USA Electrical Cost (2026)
Statistic 18
Combination smoke/CO detectors cost $100 to $200 each.
USA Electrical Cost (2026)
Statistic 19
A five-detector interconnected system runs $300 to $600 installed; an eight-detector whole-home system $500 to $900.
USA Electrical Cost (2026)
Statistic 20
If a new electrical circuit is needed for hardwiring, add $150 to $350.
Cost to Renovate (2026)
What this means: A whole-home interconnected system costs less than a single night in the hospital that a carbon monoxide leak can send someone to, and a battery unit costs less than dinner. The barrier to residential fire and CO safety has never been the price of the device; it is installing it, powering it, and confirming it still works, which is exactly what a documented condition check verifies.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How often are smoke alarms missing in fatal home fires?
Smoke alarms were present in only 34% of fatal fires in occupied residential buildings from 2018 to 2020, and were present and operated in just 16%, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (usfa.fema.gov). At least 24% of occupied-building fatal fires had no smoke alarms present, a figure the USFA notes is likely higher because presence could not be determined in 42% of cases.
How many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year?
More than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit an emergency department, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized, according to the CDC (cdc.gov). Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so a detector is often the only warning a household gets.
How much does it cost to install smoke and CO detectors?
Installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors averages about $1,400 nationally, with a typical range of $600 to $2,800, and costs $75 to $220 per detector installed (costtorenovate.com). A five-detector interconnected hardwired system runs $300 to $600 installed, and combination smoke/CO units cost $100 to $200 each (usa-electrical-cost.com).
Are single-family homes more likely to lack smoke alarms than apartments?
Yes. One- and two-family homes accounted for 87% of residential fatal fires in which no smoke alarm was present, while multifamily housing accounted for just 7%, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (usfa.fema.gov), which attributes the gap partly to the more stringent codes multifamily buildings are subject to.
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.
U.S. Fire AdministrationTopical fire report on fatal fires in residential buildingsusfa.fema.gov
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCarbon monoxide poisoning datacdc.gov
Cost to RenovateSmoke and CO detector installation cost guidecosttorenovate.com
USA Electrical CostSmoke detector installation cost guideusa-electrical-cost.com