A pool pro in Arizona charges $150 a month. A pool pro in Maryland charges $600 a month. Same job title, same chlorine, same skimmer basket. So what gives?
We asked 52 pool service professionals across 13 states to share their rates on poolrates.fyi. The original analysis found a stronger correlation with estimated season length than with income. A later Facebook discussion of a 140-response survey snapshot added another question: why were reported Texas rates higher than California rates? Route time and service scope help frame that comparison.
Key Findings
- Season length shows a strong association — The original analysis reported higher monthly rates in states with shorter estimated seasons (r = -0.739); correlation does not prove cause
- Income matters, but less than you'd think — Higher-income areas correlate with higher rates, but it's only moderate (r = 0.622)
- Annual estimates narrow the gap — Monthly rates multiplied by estimated season length range from $1,800 to $3,300 in the original state table
- The original sample averaged $249/mo — Its median was $200/mo, with a range from $100 to $880; this is not a representative national estimate
The Raw Numbers: What 52 Pros Actually Charge
We collected rate data from pool professionals across Arizona, Florida, California, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado. The figures below belong to that original 52-response snapshot, not the later 140-response update.
Source: poolrates.fyi crowdsourced data, March 2026
State-by-State Averages
The gap between states is dramatic. Arizona pros charge less than a third of what Maryland pros charge per month.
| State | Avg Monthly Rate | Season (Months) | Est. Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $150/mo | 12 | $1,800 |
| Florida | $172/mo | 12 | $2,064 |
| California | $175/mo | 11 | $1,925 |
| Alabama | $230/mo | 9 | $2,070 |
| Texas | $232/mo | 10 | $2,320 |
| Georgia | $277/mo | 8 | $2,216 |
| North Carolina | $350/mo | 7 | $2,450 |
| New York | $378/mo | 6 | $2,268 |
| Virginia | $450/mo | 6 | $2,700 |
| New Jersey | $530/mo | 4 | $2,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $540/mo | 5 | $2,700 |
| Maryland | $600/mo | 5 | $3,000 |
| Colorado | $660/mo | 5 | $3,300 |
Look at the last column. Despite a 4x difference in monthly rates between Arizona and Colorado, the estimated annual cost to the homeowner only varies from $1,800 to $3,300. These are estimates using assumed service seasons, not measured annual bills. They do not establish that markets reach the same annual price.
A Later Snapshot: Why Was Texas Higher Than California?
A Facebook post in Swimming Pool Industry Workers shared these averages from a PoolDial survey with 140 total responses. The three states shown account for 71 of those submissions:
| State | Reported Monthly Average | Submissions |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $225 | 26 |
| California | $183 | 22 |
| Florida | $170 | 23 |
Texas was $42 above California and $55 above Florida in this snapshot. That does not mean every Texas route earns more. These are self-reported averages from small groups, and the post does not establish a common service package or chemical policy. They should not be mixed into the original tables or used to recalculate the original correlations.
Drive Time Can Change the Cost of a Stop
Several replies pointed to the distance between accounts. One Texas operator described the time spent reaching the route as well as driving between customers:
"In our area of texas we have a fair amount of drive time between pools or just to get to our first one"
Pool pro via Facebook
A California commenter offered tighter routes as a possible explanation for lower prices. These are local experiences, not proof that one whole state has denser routes. Track drive time alongside time at the pool with the pool route calculator.
Trees, Access, and Vacuuming Change the Work
A Texas Hill Country operator pointed to conditions at the property:
"I know i charge more in the texas hill country because of access & trees/plants around pool."
Pool pro via Facebook
Another commenter gave two starting prices in California: $180 with an in-line vacuum required and $270 when manual vacuuming is required. That $90 difference within one operator's pricing shows why the work included matters. Chemical coverage was not specified in that comment. Ask about access, debris, equipment, and cleaning time before treating another company's price as a benchmark.
A State Average Is Not a Local Price Floor
An Austin commenter reported $260–$270, while another said they would not take an account below $240. A Florida Panhandle operator reported a $240 monthly minimum with chemicals. Those examples sit above their state averages in the post. They describe individual businesses, not verified citywide minimums. Compare similar accounts in the same area, then check your own costs.
Season Length and Income in the Original Analysis
The original Pearson correlation analysis compared monthly rates against two variables: estimated season length (months of service per year) and per capita income. These associations do not isolate the effects of route density, service scope, or the mix of respondents.
| Comparison | Correlation (r) | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Rate vs. Season Length | r = -0.739 | Strong negative |
| Monthly Rate vs. Income Per Capita | r = 0.622 | Moderate positive |
| Annual Cost vs. Income Per Capita | r = 0.109 | No correlation |
The strongest signal is season length. The shorter the season, the higher the monthly rate. This makes intuitive sense: a pro in New Jersey has 16 weeks of weekly service to earn what an Arizona pro earns in 52 weeks. The monthly rate has to be higher, or the business doesn't survive.
Income plays a role (r = 0.622), but it's secondary. And here's what's fascinating: when you annualize the cost (monthly rate multiplied by months of service), the correlation with income drops to basically zero (r = 0.109). The annualized estimates vary less than the monthly rates in this sample. Actual annual bills depend on the months billed and any separate charges, including off-season visits.
Rate as a Percentage of Monthly Income
To put this in perspective, here's what pool service costs as a share of monthly per capita income by state:
- Arizona: 4.2% of monthly income
- Florida: 4.6%
- Texas: 5.2%
- California: 5.5%
- Georgia: 7.3%
- Colorado: 15.0%
In Sunbelt states, pool service is a relatively small expense. In seasonal states, it takes a bigger bite of household income — but only during the months when service is active. Annualized, the financial burden is comparable.
What Pros on the Ground Say
The numbers tell one story, but the pros who live these rates every day add context that data alone can't capture.
This NJ pro's breakdown reveals a critical truth: overhead doesn't scale down with season length. Insurance is annual. Truck payments are monthly. If you're only billing for 16 weeks, each visit has to carry more of the fixed-cost burden.
Environmental factors matter too. A pool in Scottsdale surrounded by desert landscaping takes less time to service than a pool in Atlanta shaded by oaks. More debris means more time per stop, which justifies higher per-pool rates.
Three Types of Pool Service Markets
One experienced professional broke down the U.S. pool service market into three distinct types, each with fundamentally different economics.
Type 1: Dense Markets
- 20+ pools per day
- ~20 minutes per pool
- Minimal driving between stops
- Primarily chemicals and cleaning
- Year-round service
Type 2: Moderate Markets
- 10–15 pools per day
- 30–40 minutes per pool
- More driving between stops
- Broader repair skills needed
- 8–10 month season
Type 3: Sparse Markets
- 6–10 pools per day
- Mix of 20–60 minute visits
- Significant drive time
- Diagnostics and repair focus
- 4–6 month season
In Type 1 markets (Arizona, Florida, parts of California), pool density allows for efficient routing. Pros can service 20+ pools per day because they're close together and the scope of each visit is primarily chemical balancing and quick cleaning. Competition is high, which keeps prices in check.
In Type 3 markets (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado), pools are more spread out, and the pros who service them tend to offer a broader skill set. Weekly service often includes vacuuming, brushing, baskets, full filter work, and diagnosis of equipment issues. Some pros in these markets include minor repairs in their weekly rate, making the monthly number less directly comparable to a Type 1 market.
Service Type and Business Structure Also Matter
Beyond geography, two other factors shape what pros charge: what's included in the service, and how the business is structured.
By Service Type
| Service Type | Average Monthly Rate |
|---|---|
| Chemical-only | $150/mo |
| Full service with chemicals | $231/mo |
| Full service without chemicals | $351/mo |
The "without chemicals" rate being higher than "with chemicals" may seem counterintuitive, but it reflects a market dynamic: pros who bill chemicals separately tend to operate in higher-cost seasonal markets where the base service rate is already elevated. The service price calculator can help you model different bundling strategies for your market.
Compare Chemicals and Billing Terms Before Comparing Rates
The Facebook discussion repeatedly returned to what each price includes:
"Does the survey include or exclude chems?"
Pool pro via Facebook
The Facebook post does not resolve that question for the three state averages. One Georgia commenter reported $200 with chlorine and salt paid by the customer. The Florida Panhandle comment described $240 with chemicals. Those are different packages. The chemical pricing guide explains ways to make those terms clear.
Billing frequency matters too. At $65 per visit, four visits cost $260 before chemicals. If weekly service runs for 52 billed visits, the annual total is $3,380, or about $281.67 per calendar month. Confirm skipped weeks and separate charges before comparing that with a flat monthly plan. See our guide to per-stop versus monthly pricing.
Solo Operators vs. Teams
| Business Type | Average Monthly Rate |
|---|---|
| Solo operator | $210/mo |
| Team operation | $296/mo |
Team operations charge about 40% more on average. This likely reflects two things: teams tend to operate in higher-cost markets, and running a team comes with overhead (payroll, vehicles, insurance for employees) that solo operators don't have. Solo operators still have overhead: their own labor, fuel, vehicle costs, insurance, and administration. A low price alone does not establish whether a business is profitable or properly insured. For more on the economics of scaling, see our guide on pool service business growth stages.
Biggest Operations in the Survey
Some of the largest operations in our dataset reveal what high-volume looks like across different markets:
- 1,600 pools in Lake Havasu, AZ at $150/mo — 4 years in business
- 1,500 pools in SoCal at $300/mo — 28 years in business
- 1,100 pools in Bay Area, CA at $220/mo — 16 people, 11 years
- 650 pools in Phoenix, AZ at $150/mo — 15 people, 22 years
- 300 pools in Philadelphia, PA at $200/mo — 16 people, 20 years
- 145 pools in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX at $400/mo — 30 years in business
The pattern holds: high-density Sunbelt markets support massive pool counts at lower per-pool rates, while seasonal and less dense markets sustain fewer pools at higher rates. Both models can produce strong revenue. Use the cost per pool calculator to see how your numbers compare.
California Metro Breakdown
California is large enough to show meaningful intra-state variation:
| Metro Area | Average Monthly Rate |
|---|---|
| Central Valley | $135/mo |
| Inland Empire | $170/mo |
| Los Angeles | $178/mo |
| San Diego | $165/mo |
| Bay Area | $220/mo |
The Bay Area commands a premium that tracks with its higher cost of living and per capita income. But even within California, the Central Valley-to-Bay Area spread ($135 vs. $220) is modest compared to the Arizona-to-Maryland spread nationally. For a deeper look at California pricing, see our California pool service rates guide.
What This Means If You're Setting Prices
The data suggests a few practical takeaways for pool service professionals:
- Compare annual service, not just monthly prices. Check how many visits and billing months each plan includes. A seasonal contract and a year-round plan spread their costs differently.
- Factor in your true season length. If you work 6 months, your monthly rate needs to be roughly 2x what a year-round pro charges to generate the same annual revenue. Use the price increase calculator to model the impact.
- Scope of service matters. If your weekly visit includes vacuuming, brushing, filter cleaning, and equipment checks, your rate should reflect that. Don't compare yourself to a chems-and-skim operator.
- Count your own overhead. Include owner labor, payroll, vehicles, insurance, and administration as applicable. A higher rate does not establish a higher margin, and working alone does not remove business costs.
If looking at this data made you realize you're undercharging, we built a price increase letter generator to help you communicate the change to customers.
See the full data for your state
Browse crowdsourced rates from pool pros across all 50 states, broken down by metro area, service type, and business size.
View Rates on poolrates.fyiMethodology
Rate data was collected via poolrates.fyi, a crowdsourced pricing database for pool service professionals. Data includes self-reported monthly rates, service types, pool counts, and business details from 52 professionals across 13 states. Correlation analysis used Pearson's r coefficient comparing monthly rates against BEA per capita income data and estimated season lengths by state. Season lengths were estimated based on typical service months reported by pros in each state.
Facebook update: The later 140-response snapshot and anonymous comments come from a supplied copy of a Swimming Pool Industry Workers discussion. Its Texas, California, and Florida figures are reproduced as reported, not independently recalculated. The copy did not include a dated permalink or the underlying responses, so the update is not presented as live survey data. Commenters' explanations are hypotheses and individual experiences, not findings from a controlled comparison. The original 52-response analysis above has not been rerun with the later data.
This is an evolving dataset. If you're a pool service professional, you can submit your rate to help build a more complete picture of the industry.