Following a significant increase of domestic swimming pool and spa building in the aftermath of the pandemic, permit levels in the most recent monthly index for December plummeted to their lowest point since 2020.
The Pool development Permit Index, generated by NAHB with proprietary data from Construction Monitor, can be used to track pool and spa development projects across the country.
The raw data utilized to build the index includes a substantial seasonal component, which may seem obvious.
The majority of permits are submitted during the warmer months, such as May and June, while less pool building permits are normally obtained around November and December.
Pool construction permits were 34.3% fewer in December 2025 than in January 2020, when this statistic was first calculated.
The index was down 25.5% from the previous month and 34.7% from one year ago.
As previously stated, the raw data shows significant seasonality throughout the months.
Because of this periodicity, it is difficult to assess the true trend of residential pool development. To account for these seasonal variations, a seasonally adjusted index was developed.
Pool construction permits peaked in 2021, but have steadily decreased to lower levels, according to seasonally adjusted estimates.
The current December number is 23.4% lower than our index base for January 2020, 26.8% lower than the previous month, and 37.3% lower than last year.
The seasonally corrected data, presented in red below, provides a clear representation of how the Pool Construction Permit Index has changed over the last five years.
The figure for December was the lowest in the series.
Geographical analysis
The index is based on the most likely location for pool development. In 2025, Florida received about one-third of pool construction permits.
The next closest state was California, which had 14% of pool construction. In terms of pool permit shares, New York and New Jersey were the only Northeast states to break into the top ten in 2025.
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