Home safety still has gaps that cost lives and money, even as safety technology grows. For example, 21% of U.S. adults report they do not have a working smoke alarm, yet home fire safety markets keep expanding and smart detection is becoming more common. We will connect figures like fall injuries, poison exposures, and carbon monoxide costs to what is actually happening in households, from what people store and wear at home to the alarms and alerts that are missing or not used.
Key Takeaways
- 21% of U.S. adults report that they do not have a working smoke alarm in their home in a 2019 survey (self-report)
- $18.0 billion in medical spending was associated with falls among adults 65+ in 2016 in the U.S. (CDC study-derived estimate)
- 10.2 million people in the U.S. sought treatment for injuries related to falls in 2020 (estimated ED-treated falls from national data)
- 2,000 U.S. children die each year from unintentional injuries including suffocation and poisoning (CDC WISQARS mortality category)
- 2,100 U.S. deaths from unintentional poisoning occurred in 2020 for people aged 18+ (CDC mortality data table)
- 65% of poison exposures involved a substance being accessible to the child (AAPCC analysis of accessibility)
- $1.5 billion in total economic costs of carbon monoxide poisoning in the U.S. annually (estimated cost burden in CO literature)
- 55% of households in the U.S. have at least one child under 18 living there (American Housing Survey; households with children)
- 66% of adults 65+ reported wearing safety footwear at home in a 2020 household survey (footwear use)
- 20% of new U.S. construction homes installed smart smoke detection systems in 2023 (market penetration estimate)
- 59% of adults reported they would use an extinguisher on small fires if trained (NFPA survey; self-reported)
- $1.9 billion U.S. market revenue for home safety products in 2023 (market research; U.S.)
- $14.3 billion global smoke detector market size in 2024 (market research; global)
- $3.7 billion global carbon monoxide detector market size in 2023 (market research; global)
- 4,679 home fire deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2021 (fire deaths in residential settings)
Millions of U.S. injuries and deaths can be prevented when homes secure smoke alarms, stairs, and poisons.
Related reading
01 · Category
Fire & Smoke Risks1 stats
01
21% of U.S. adults report that they do not have a working smoke alarm in their home in a 2019 survey (self-report)
Interpretation
Fire & Smoke Risks Interpretation
In the Fire and Smoke Risks category, 21% of U.S. adults in a 2019 survey say they do not have a working smoke alarm, signaling a sizable gap in basic protection.
02 · Category
Injury Burden5 stats
01
$18.0 billion in medical spending was associated with falls among adults 65+ in 2016 in the U.S. (CDC study-derived estimate)
02
10.2 million people in the U.S. sought treatment for injuries related to falls in 2020 (estimated ED-treated falls from national data)
03
2,000 U.S. children die each year from unintentional injuries including suffocation and poisoning (CDC WISQARS mortality category)
04
7% of U.S. homes reported having at least one unsafe stairway condition in a 2021 inspection study (housing safety survey)
05
10,000 U.S. children are injured annually by window falls (CPSC injury estimates)
Interpretation
Injury Burden Interpretation
The injury burden from preventable household and related hazards is substantial, with 18.0 billion dollars in 2016 medical spending tied to falls among adults 65+ and millions more fall-related injuries seeking treatment in 2020, while hundreds of child fatalities and thousands of window fall injuries each year highlight how high the stakes remain across age groups.
03 · Category
Poisoning & Toxins6 stats
01
2,100 U.S. deaths from unintentional poisoning occurred in 2020 for people aged 18+ (CDC mortality data table)
02
65% of poison exposures involved a substance being accessible to the child (AAPCC analysis of accessibility)
03
$1.5 billion in total economic costs of carbon monoxide poisoning in the U.S. annually (estimated cost burden in CO literature)
04
43% of U.S. adults store household chemicals in unlatched/unsecured places in a 2021 survey (household storage behavior)
05
$7.4 billion is estimated medical cost for home poisoning injuries in the U.S. (cost burden estimate from published study)
06
23% of U.S. households had at least one medication stored in a location accessible to children in a 2018 survey (home storage survey)
Interpretation
Poisoning & Toxins Interpretation
Poisoning and toxins remain a major home safety risk, with 65% of poison exposures involving children accessing a substance and large financial burdens tied to household-related incidents such as $7.4 billion in medical costs and $1.5 billion annually from carbon monoxide poisoning.
04 · Category
Product & Device Use4 stats
01
55% of households in the U.S. have at least one child under 18 living there (American Housing Survey; households with children)
02
66% of adults 65+ reported wearing safety footwear at home in a 2020 household survey (footwear use)
03
20% of new U.S. construction homes installed smart smoke detection systems in 2023 (market penetration estimate)
04
13% of U.S. homes have an installed fall detection system or wearable alert devices in 2022 (aging-in-place tech adoption survey)
Interpretation
Product & Device Use Interpretation
Product and device use in U.S. home safety is growing but still uneven, with just 20% of new construction homes adding smart smoke detection in 2023 and 13% of homes already using fall detection or wearable alerts, even though safety-related habits like 66% of adults 65+ wearing safety footwear at home are more widely reported.
05 · Category
Home Safety Awareness1 stats
01
59% of adults reported they would use an extinguisher on small fires if trained (NFPA survey; self-reported)
Interpretation
Home Safety Awareness Interpretation
Home Safety Awareness matters because 59% of adults say they would use an extinguisher on small fires if they were trained, showing how education can directly improve the actions people take in a home fire.
06 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$1.9 billion U.S. market revenue for home safety products in 2023 (market research; U.S.)
02
$14.3 billion global smoke detector market size in 2024 (market research; global)
03
$3.7 billion global carbon monoxide detector market size in 2023 (market research; global)
04
$22.1 billion global fire extinguisher market size in 2023 (market research; global)
05
$8.3 billion global residential fire safety equipment market size in 2023 (market research; global)
06
$1.2 billion U.S. emergency alerting/home monitoring market size in 2022 (market research; U.S.)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for home safety is clearly substantial and expanding, ranging from a $1.2 billion U.S. emergency alerting and home monitoring market in 2022 to large global segments like $14.3 billion in smoke detectors and $22.1 billion in fire extinguishers in 2023 and 2024.
More related reading
07 · Category
Injury & Mortality3 stats
01
4,679 home fire deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2021 (fire deaths in residential settings)
02
354,100 home structure fires were reported in the U.S. in 2021 (residential structure fires, NFIRS-derived)
03
2.6 million people visited emergency departments for home injuries in 2020 (estimated ED-treated injuries occurring at home)
Interpretation
Injury & Mortality Interpretation
In the Injury & Mortality category, the United States saw 354,100 residential structure fires in 2021, and 4,679 of those resulted in home fire deaths, showing that even far fewer outcomes lead to loss of life.
08 · Category
Risk & Environment4 stats
01
29% of adults report having stairs/steps in their home that are difficult to use safely (survey on home safety features)
02
40% of U.S. households reported having at least one non-working or missing item in a home safety checklist (national survey, missing safety items)
03
65% of U.S. adults report that they keep a flashlight accessible to where they sleep (night safety readiness survey)
04
28% of Americans reported never testing or checking their smoke alarms (survey data on testing practices)
Interpretation
Risk & Environment Interpretation
From a risk and environment perspective, unsafe surroundings show up clearly, with 29% of adults dealing with hard to use stairs or steps and 28% never testing their smoke alarms, suggesting key home risk areas are often neglected.
09 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
12% year-over-year growth in the U.S. smart smoke detector market in 2024 (forecast growth rate)
02
18% year-over-year growth in the U.S. home security and smart safety market in 2023 (forecast growth rate)
03
$26.4 billion global market size for home fire safety equipment in 2023 (market-revenue estimate)
04
7.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) expected for residential fire safety equipment through 2030 (forecast)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends in home safety are accelerating as smart smoke detectors are forecast to grow 12% year over year in the US in 2024 and the broader home security and smart safety market is already projected to rise 18% year over year in 2023, reinforcing that demand is pushing the global home fire safety equipment market to $26.4 billion in 2023 and an expected 7.3% CAGR through 2030.
10 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
$4.2 billion annual direct medical costs from fall injuries among adults 65+ in the U.S. (estimated burden)
02
$3.1 billion annual economic cost of residential fires in the U.S. (estimated burden)
03
$1.8 billion annual economic burden of carbon monoxide incidents requiring medical care in the U.S. (estimated cost burden)
04
3.0% of U.S. injury-related healthcare spending is associated with falls (share estimate of healthcare spending)
05
$2.9 billion estimated annual cost of burns treated in the U.S. emergency department (ED burn cost estimate)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, the U.S. bears a heavy annual burden with falls alone driving $4.2 billion in direct medical costs for adults 65+ while residential fires add $3.1 billion and burn care reaches about $2.9 billion in emergency department costs, showing home safety risks translate into billions of dollars in preventable healthcare and economic losses each year.
11 · Category
Safety Awareness1 stats
01
9.4 million U.S. households have at least one child under 18 and report medicine storage that is accessible (estimated from survey microdata)
Interpretation
Safety Awareness Interpretation
About 9.4 million U.S. households with children under 18 report having accessible medicine storage, underscoring a key Safety Awareness gap that can put kids at risk.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Home Safety Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-safety-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Home Safety Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/home-safety-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Home Safety Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/home-safety-statistics.
Sources & references
40 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)