The career of a pool service tech can be lonely. All those hours on the job, out on the service route, in your truck — it can add up if you’re not regularly around other service pros. Thankfully, as this year’s State of the Industry Survey shows, the 2025 season was defined by a passion for embracing healthy habits, adapting to an increasingly technology-driven industry, continuing to build meaningful relationships with fellow pool pros and customers, and more.
AQUA invites you to find community in this year’s Service Report, where service pros across the nation come together to commiserate, celebrate and share their wealth of knowledge with others, both new and experienced. The drive for excellence continues to push the service sector forward, as AI reaches new heights, price increases remain top of mind for many businesses, and the passion for pool and spa service flourishes.
We are proud to present the 2026 State of the Industry Service Report.
2025: Increased Profits & Increased Prices
The last year was characterized by survey respondents as largely profitable despite increasing costs due to inflation, which may come as a comfort. However, numerous natural disasters over the last two years — from hurricanes on the East Coast to the wildfires on the West Coast — have thrown wrenches in many business plans, whether for better or worse. Still, service companies have found their silver lining over the last 12 months, some citing major successes such as acquiring a competitor, or smaller victories like keeping their doors open for another year.
Labor & Retention
With burnout prevention entering the social lexicon across many industries including our own, service techs report on new or continued wellness habits they implement in their business models, like regular company activities, check-ins with each employee and mandated time off to give service techs the space to decompress. Based on some of the wild stories respondents told us from the service route, it sounds like benefits packages and burnout prevention strategies are swiftly becoming non-negotiable.
Automation & Efficiency
In a developing pattern over the last few years, many survey participants testify to seeing no major impacts on efficiency when implementing AI and different automation tactics to their businesses. Interestingly enough, tips from service pros in regard to saving time on the job include many simple and physical habits to grow. Perhaps that’s all it takes to increase efficiency while on the pool route — a few simple switches to one’s routine.
Still, service techs let their imaginations run wild when coming up with ideal products or programs that would make their jobs easier. Maybe one day, technology will be advanced enough to make these dream products a reality.
An overwhelming majority of respondents reported an expectation to increase prices in the following year. When asked about some of the expected challenges, many paired price increases with concerns about customers referring to the internet for answers rather than trusted technicians. As a whole, however, optimism remains high in pool service. As the population in the service sector continues to grow, so too does the desire to deliver excellence at every turn.
INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: HAYWARD
AQUA: MANUFACTURING AND SUPPLY CHAIN HAVE BECOME BIGGER TOPICS OF CONVERSATION ACROSS THE INDUSTRY IN RECENT YEARS. WHAT SHIFTS ARE YOU SEEING, AND HOW ARE THEY INFLUENCING DECISION-MAKING FOR POOL PROFESSIONALS?
Ryan Morson, Hayward: We are seeing pool professionals place a much higher premium on reliability, availability and responsiveness, not just product features. Builders and servicers are making decisions based on whether a manufacturer can consistently deliver, stand behind the product and support them when schedules are tight. That is driving more focus on supply chain resilience, lead-time certainty and service, because those factors directly affect a pro’s reputation and ability to keep projects moving.
AQUA: HAYWARD HAS EMPHASIZED ITS INVESTMENT IN U.S.-BASED MANUFACTURING. HOW DOES THAT APPROACH SHAPE YOUR OPERATIONS AND THE WAY YOU SUPPORT YOUR CUSTOMERS?
RM: It shapes everything from how we plan production to how we respond to customer needs throughout the season. In 2025, we manufactured more than 3.8 million products in U.S. facilities, and U.S.-manufactured products represented approximately 87% of our total sales value. Nearly 90% of our total manufacturing cost investment supported U.S.-based operations, which gives us greater control, flexibility and consistency in how we serve the market.
That kind of footprint allows our manufacturing, engineering and support teams to work closely together, helping us move faster, maintain quality and respond when conditions change. At its core, this reflects what we describe as the Power of Us mindset: staying closely aligned with our customers, investing alongside them and executing together over the long term. For pool professionals, that translates into confidence that Hayward will be there with reliable products, dependable availability and strong support when it matters most.
AQUA: FOR BUILDERS, SERVICE PROS AND RETAILERS, WHAT ARE THE REAL-WORLD ADVANTAGES OF WORKING WITH A MANUFACTURER THAT PRODUCES EQUIPMENT DOMESTICALLY?
RM: The real-world advantage is simple. Domestic production supports availability and responsiveness, which helps pool professionals protect timelines and deliver a better customer experience. It also supports quality and consistency, because manufacturing and engineering teams can work closely together to drive continuous improvement. And it strengthens support in the field. A Hayward HUB (Hayward University Branch) is a customer-focused training and support center that brings pool professionals together for hands-on education, service support and collaboration in key
markets. In 2025, we delivered nearly 10,000 in-field training sessions, supported by more than 1,100 live webinars and 850+ hands-on education sessions at Hayward HUB training centers, totaling more than 18,000 hours. That training is designed to help pros install, service and troubleshoot with confidence.
AQUA: THERE CAN BE A LOT OF NUANCE AROUND WHERE PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNED VERSUS WHERE THEY’RE MANUFACTURED. HOW SHOULD INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS THINK ABOUT THAT DISTINCTION WHEN EVALUATING EQUIPMENT PARTNERS?
RM: It is important to look at the full picture. Design and engineering capabilities matter because they drive performance, reliability and the customer experience. Manufacturing capabilities matter because they drive quality, consistency and availability. The best partners connect the two. That means a manufacturer can take feedback from the field, improve products quickly and execute reliably at scale. For pool professionals, the right question is not only “Where is it made?” but also “How well does this partner design, build and support the product over its full life cycle?”
AQUA: LOOKING AHEAD, HOW IS HAYWARD CONTINUING TO INVEST IN ITS MANUFACTURING STRATEGY, AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND AVAILABILITY?
RM: We are continuing to invest in the capabilities that matter most to our customers. That includes manufacturing strength, operational efficiency and product innovation. Our U.S. footprint includes 11 facilities totaling approximately 1.7 million square feet, supported by nearly 900 U.S.-based employees across eight states, including nearly 750 production employees across four manufacturing facilities and five training centers. We will keep strengthening the systems, processes and teams that help ensure product availability, consistent quality and strong support in the field. The goal is straightforward. We want pool professionals to have confidence that Hayward will be there with the right products, at the right time, backed by the service and training to support their businesses.
