Around this time of year, people wish they had a pool to beat the heat in, and the number of pool installations generally rises. This phenomenon increased dramatically during the pandemic as homebound consumers quarantined and began investing in their backyards to increase entertainment capacity. The phrase “pool installation” was Googled 49% more in 2020 compared to 2019. Today, the residential swimming pool industry is still working on a backlog of orders from 2020 – increased demand, supply chain shortages, and global shipping delays continue to impact pool builders’ abilities to complete new installs. The number of new installs slowly continues to rise, and today, there are an estimated 10.4 million residential swimming pools in the United States alone – they’re part of everyday life.
Without further ado, here is the list, according to AQUA Magazine, of the US cities with the largest percentage of homes with swimming pools:
10. Dallas
Starting us off is Dallas, Texas, where 13.8% of residents have a swimming pool.
9. Sacramento
At least 14% of the residents of the capital city of California have a pool in their yard.
8. San Diego
17% of citizens in this oceanside city have a pool on their property.
7. Riverside
In one of the driest cities in the US., 18.3% of resident have a pool.
6. Los Angeles
Most people would think that LA would be higher on the list. But it is only 6th place with about 19% residents owning a home with a pool.
5. Las Vegas
23.8% of this desert city’s residents have a pool which is not surprising. Being the driest city in the US makes having a pool in your backyard a necessity.
4. Orlando
Clocking in at fourth place is Orlando, Florida which boasts 25.9% of its residents as pool owners.
3. Tampa
Florida’s streak continues with Tampa, where 27.7% of the population has a pool.
2. Miami
30.6% of Miami’s residents have a pool. No wonder! Miami has the second-highest average temperature year-round of any city in the US.
Maintaining a pool’s cleanliness and swim readiness poses a unique set of challenges to pool owners and those in the pool industry. Historically, instead of prevention, pool cleaning technology has focused on cleaning the bottom as a reaction to sunken and decaying debris. Why? The physical task of hand-skimming before jumping in indicates that you have to ‘earn’ your swim time.
The creation of the original Solar-Breeze, an invention which was largely drawn from the hundred-year-old concept of harbor skimmers, sought to thwart the root problem. “Could solar energy power a surface skimming robot across the water for a long period of time to effectively collect all debris before sinking?” The question, first posed in 2003, became the catalyst for the multi-year success of a new category in the pool industry – automated surface cleaning robots. Pool robots have allowed people everywhere to #DitchTheNet and bottom-cleaning equipment for good, plus save time and money.
1. Phoenix
This city is the king of swimming pools, with 32.7% of all homes featuring a pool. Phoenix is on the top 10 list for both the hottest and driest cities in the US. If ever you get the chance to fly over Phoenix you will see just how many backyard swimming pools the city has.
It may not come as a surprise that most pools in the US are concentrated in the southern and westernmost regions, where the sun shines bright and weather is hot. Pivot-Solar Breeze, makers of Ariel, the solar-powered-pool skimming robot, is based in Phoenix, the number one city for swimming pools. Think we might just be onto something?
