Youth sports statistics at a glance
Youth sports participation is not one number; it is a set of connected signals about access, income, age, geography, and which sports are growing or shrinking.
The latest figures show a market that is still broad, still important to families, and still uneven. 55% of youth ages 6-17 played organized sports in 2023, while 65% tried sports at least once in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025). That gap matters because it suggests many children are sampling sports without staying in them long term.
Table of contents
- At a glance
- Youth sports participation trends
- State-by-state participation levels
- Age, race, and income patterns
- Sport mix and changing preferences
- Costs, concerns, and family pressure points
- Girls’ flag football and other growth signals
- High school activity benchmarks
- What the numbers say about access
At a glance
Fast facts
- 55% of youth ages 6-17 played organized sports in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- 65% of youth ages 6-17 tried sports at least once in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- 34 states increased youth sports participation in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- 14 states and Washington, D.C. reached the 63% youth sports participation target in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Nevada had the lowest youth sports participation rate at 43% in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- The average number of sports children ages 6-17 regularly played fell from 2.23 in 2008 to 1.63 in 2023 (Project Play Consequences).
Why this matters
The dataset points to a familiar split: youth sports still reach a majority of children, but participation is not evenly distributed and not equally durable. Some kids try sports once and keep moving; others play regularly, but the long-run pattern shows fewer sports per child and clear differences by income and place.
Youth sports participation trends
The headline trend is modest growth, but the structure underneath it is more revealing.
55% of youth ages 6-17 played organized sports in 2023, up from 54% in 2022 (Project Play State of Play 2025). That is a one-point increase, not a dramatic surge, but it sits alongside a stronger signal: 6% more children ages 6-17 played a team sport at least once in 2024 than in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
A few other trend markers fill in the picture:
- 65% of youth ages 6-17 tried sports at least once in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- That compares with 59% in 2021 for trying sports at least once (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Casual sports participation rose to 7% in both the 6-12 and 13-17 age groups in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Core sports participation for ages 6-12 increased for the third straight year in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Regular sports participation for ages 6-12 reached its highest level since 2015 in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Regular sports participation for ages 13-17 fell 3% in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
That mix suggests younger children are holding up better than teens. In practical terms, youth sports are not a single pipeline; they are two different retention stories, one for elementary ages and one for older kids.
A compact trend table
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organized sports participation, ages 6-17, 2023 | 55% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Organized sports participation, ages 6-17, 2022 | 54% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Tried sports at least once, ages 6-17, 2024 | 65% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Tried sports at least once, ages 6-17, 2021 | 59% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Average sports regularly played, ages 6-17 | 1.63 in 2023 | Project Play Consequences |
| Average sports regularly played, ages 6-17 | 2.23 in 2008 | Project Play Consequences |
The biggest trend in that table is not just participation, but narrowing. Children are still involved, but they are playing fewer sports regularly than they used to.
State-by-state youth sports statistics
Geography matters a lot in this dataset. Some states are well above the national average, while others are far below it.
14 states and Washington, D.C. reached the 63% youth sports participation target in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025). That target is meaningful because it gives the data a benchmark rather than just a ranking.
The highest reported rates include:
- Vermont: 72% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- South Dakota: 69% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- New Hampshire: 68% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Massachusetts: 65% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Iowa: 65% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Minnesota: 65% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Washington, D.C.: 65% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Colorado: 65% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- North Dakota: 64% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Nebraska: 64% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Rhode Island: 63% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Wyoming: 63% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Maine: 63% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Hawaii: 63% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
- Montana: 63% (Project Play State of Play 2025)
At the other end, Nevada had the lowest youth sports participation rate at 43% (Project Play State of Play 2025). That is a 29-point gap from Vermont, which is large enough to signal different local access conditions, different participation cultures, or both.
State comparison snapshot
| State or area | Youth sports participation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 72% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| South Dakota | 69% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| New Hampshire | 68% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Massachusetts | 65% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Colorado | 65% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
| Nevada | 43% | Project Play State of Play 2025 |
34 states increased youth sports participation in 2023 (Project Play State of Play 2025). That is a broad improvement, but it still leaves meaningful variation across states.
Youth sports statistics by age, gender, race, and income
The demographic splits are some of the clearest signals in the dataset. They show that participation is shaped not just by interest, but by household resources and social context.
In the CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 data, 54.1% of U.S. children ages 6-17 participated in sports in the past 12 months in 2020 (CDC NCHS Data Brief 441). That study also found:
- Boys: 56.1%
- Girls: 52.0%
- Children ages 12-17: 55.6%
- Children ages 6-11: 52.5%
- Non-Hispanic White children: 60.4%
- Non-Hispanic Black children: 42.1%
- Hispanic children: 46.9%
- Non-Hispanic Asian children: 51.4%
The household education split is especially wide:
- 36.8% of children in households with parents who had a high school education or less participated in sports (CDC NCHS Data Brief 441).
- 67.6% of children with a parent holding a bachelor’s degree or higher participated in sports (CDC NCHS Data Brief 441).
Income gaps are just as large:
- 31.2% of children below 100% of the federal poverty level participated in sports (CDC NCHS Data Brief 441).
- 70.2% of children at 400% or more of the federal poverty level participated in sports (CDC NCHS Data Brief 441).
Demographic split table
| Group | Participation rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Boys | 56.1% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Girls | 52.0% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Ages 12-17 | 55.6% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Ages 6-11 | 52.5% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Non-Hispanic White children | 60.4% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Non-Hispanic Black children | 42.1% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Hispanic children | 46.9% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Non-Hispanic Asian children | 51.4% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Parent high school or less | 36.8% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Parent bachelor’s degree or higher | 67.6% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| Below 100% of FPL | 31.2% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
| At 400% or more of FPL | 70.2% | CDC NCHS Data Brief 441 |
Geography inside the demographic data
The CDC figures also show regional differences:
- South: 48.7%
- Northeast: 58.4%
- Midwest: 58.6%
- West: 56.0%
- Medium and small metropolitan areas: 51.2%
- Large central metropolitan areas: 56.7%
That pattern matters because it shows participation is not only a family decision. It is also tied to local opportunity, transportation, and the kinds of programs available nearby.
Sport mix and what kids are choosing
The dataset shows movement within sports, not just overall participation.
Among kids ages 6-17, several sports changed relative to 2019:
- Flag football participation was 14% higher in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Baseball participation was 19% lower in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Tackle football participation was 7% lower in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Soccer participation was 3% lower in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Basketball participation was 2% lower in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
That is a useful reminder that youth sports are not static. Some sports are gaining traction, while long-established choices are softer than they used to be.
Regular participation in football variants
The football data is especially interesting because it separates flag football from tackle football:
- Among ages 6-12, 4.0% played flag football regularly in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Among ages 6-12, 2.7% played tackle football regularly in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Among ages 13-17, 6.4% played tackle football regularly in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Among ages 13-17, 2.8% played flag football regularly in 2024 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
The combination suggests different age groups are finding different versions of the sport attractive or accessible.
Costs, family concerns, and why participation is fragile
One of the strongest themes in the dataset is that many families value sports, but they also see barriers.
In the Project Play Challenges data:
- 87.9% of parents said injury risk was a concern in youth sports in 2014 (Project Play Challenges).
- 81.5% cited coach quality or behavior as a concern (Project Play Challenges).
- 70.3% cited cost (Project Play Challenges).
- 67.9% cited time commitment (Project Play Challenges).
- 66.1% cited an emphasis on winning over fun (Project Play Challenges).
Those concerns line up with a broader affordability picture:
- In 2022, the average youth sports parent spent $883 on one child’s primary sport per season (Project Play Challenges).
- Families were estimated to spend $30 billion to $40 billion annually on children’s sports activities (Project Play Challenges).
- Average annual travel spending was $260 per child per sport (Project Play Challenges).
- Average annual equipment spending was $154 (Project Play Challenges).
- Average annual private lesson spending was $183 (Project Play Challenges).
- Average annual registration spending was $168 (Project Play Challenges).
- Average annual camp spending was $111 (Project Play Challenges).
A few sport-level comparisons show how quickly the costs can stack up:
| Sport | Average annual cost per child | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Soccer | $1,188 | Project Play Challenges |
| Basketball | $1,002 | Project Play Challenges |
| Baseball | $714 | Project Play Challenges |
| Tackle football | $581 | Project Play Challenges |
That table helps explain why participation is harder to sustain for some families than others. Even where interest is high, the price structure can push children toward fewer sports or shorter participation spans.
Income shapes the experience
The income-related findings reinforce the same point:
- In 2021, 24% of children ages 6-12 in households earning $25,000 or less played sports regularly (Project Play Challenges).
- In 2021, 40% of children ages 6-12 in households earning $100,000 or more played sports regularly (Project Play Challenges).
- Low-income children were three times less likely to play on traveling teams than high-income children in the Kansas City report (Project Play Challenges).
- Low-income children reported having fun in sports 56% of the time, versus 72% for high-income youth in the Kansas City report (Project Play Challenges).
That is a strong reminder that affordability affects not only whether children participate, but how they experience sports once they are there.
Girls’ flag football and other growth signals
Some of the most notable momentum in the dataset comes from girls’ flag football.
The numbers show a broad buildout:
- 28 states either sanctioned girls’ high school flag football or were running pilot programs (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- 13 high school state associations sanctioned girls’ flag football as of 2024 (Project Play Consequences).
- 19 states were in some stage of girls’ flag football pilot programs as of 2024 (Project Play Consequences).
- NFL FLAG serves more than 620,000 youth ages 4-17 across 50 states (Project Play State of Play 2025).
The participation trend is also strong:
- Among kids ages 6-17, flag football participation was 14% higher in 2024 than in 2019 (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- From 2019 to 2021, pickleball participation increased 83% among ages 6-17 (Project Play Consequences).
- Pickleball added 462,000 participants ages 6-17 from 2019 to 2021 (Project Play Consequences).
- Tennis added 679,000 youth ages 6-17 who played regularly from 2019 to 2021 (Project Play Consequences).
- Regular tennis participation among kids ages 6-12 grew 29% from 2019 to 2021 (Project Play Consequences).
These are not all the same kind of sport, but they do show that youth participation can shift quickly when a sport has a lower barrier to entry, a new format, or broader program support.
High school youth sports statistics
High school sports are a separate lens, and the CDC trend report offers a useful snapshot.
In 2023:
- 24% of high school students were physically active for at least 60 minutes every day (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- Just over half strengthened their muscles at least 3 days per week (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- About 1 in 6 met both federal physical activity guidelines (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- Nearly 1 in 4 attended physical education daily (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- Just over half played on a sports team (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
The motivation data is also important:
- 81% said having fun was a main reason to play sports (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- 79% said exercise was a main reason to play sports (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- 53% cited winning games or championships (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- 49% cited positive emotional well-being (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
- 39% cited trying to earn a college scholarship (CDC YRBS 2013-2023 Trends Report).
That list is useful because it shows how sports function as both health behavior and social experience. Winning matters, but it is not the dominant motive.
What the youth sports statistics say about access
A few broad patterns stand out across the full dataset.
- Participation is still mainstream, but not universal.
- Younger children are holding up better than older teens.
- State results vary dramatically, from 72% in Vermont to 43% in Nevada (Project Play State of Play 2025).
- Income and parental education are strongly associated with participation rates.
- Costs are high enough to influence enrollment, retention, and sport choice.
- New formats like flag football are showing growth while some traditional sports soften.
- Parents like sports, but they also worry about safety, coaching, and whether the experience is worth the money and time.
The most revealing single number may be this: the average child regularly played 1.63 sports in 2023, down from 2.23 in 2008 (Project Play Consequences). That change is small enough to miss in casual conversation, but large enough to reshape how youth sports feel for families, clubs, schools, and communities.