The national drowning stats for October 2021 have been posted. Overall, they are an improvement from last year’s October. This is good news and paints an encouraging picture. Read on to learn more.
U.S. Drowning Stats for October 2021
Each month, we share updated drowning statistics and data maps for the entire country. The reasons for these drownings vary. For this reason, it is critical to regularly analyze any of the data available to us.
As always, this information is presented by Total Aquatic Programming. Combined with the information on their website, this data gives us a grand view of potential drowning danger trends. Additionally, it shows us areas in which additional education may be required. As our readers know, water safety takes many forms.
Besides location and age, there are many factors that go into these statistics. Today, we will be comparing last month’s data with data from each month of October from the past 12 years.
Armed with this data, water safety experts are able to track trends and certain patterns of behavior. In fact, Total Aquatic Programming’s data tracks more than 15 separate items from every drowning that occurs throughout the country.
These items include, but are not limited to:
- date
- state
- city
- county
- age and gender of the victim
- ethnicity, if recorded
- body of water in which the drowning occurred
- and several other circumstances that can help to provide some guidance in the prevention of future drownings.
Chart: Drowning Statistics for October 2009-2021
These monthly check-ins for drowning stats began in 2009. To accurately account for the time of year, they compare each individual month to that same month in prior years.
As you can see in the chart above, the drowning stats for October 2021 are rather low. In fact, October 2021 has the lowest total drowning numbers of the entire chart. It should be noted, there was one area with a slight rise: children aged four and younger saw an increase versus October 2020. Thankfully, this seems to be an outlier.
All of this said, this chart is overall very encouraging. This doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty more work to be done. The goal is and has always been: zero drowning incidents. After all, drowning is preventable with proper education, safety precautions and care. Children and adults should all be sure to keep potential drowning safety concerns top-of-mind.
Understanding The Numbers: Drowning Maps for 2019/2020
In addition to the October 2021 drowning stats, Total Aquatic Programming has provided us with two additional graphics. The first is a nationwide drowning map for all of 2021. This map identifies “hot spots” of child drowning incidents on a state-by-state basis. Please take a look at the map below. It has been updated to include all drownings that have occurred since July 2008.
Up next, we have the detailed map for 2021. As you can see, this offers a closer look at child drownings. For this map, please note that the numbers listed on each state represent the ages of the children involved in these incidents, not the number of children. Across the map, each age represents one child. For example, a 12-year-old would be listed on the map as “12.”
The Source of These Drowning Statistics
All of these U.S. Drowning Stats and graphics are brought to us courtesy of Sue and Mick Nelson of Total Aquatic Programming, LLC. USA Swimming, the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States, also uses this information. If you are interested in learning more about the people behind this data, watch our full Child Safety Source interview with Mick Nelson. Additionally, you can visit Total Aquatic Programming’s official website to see even more in-depth information about drowning danger and statistics.
