This page collects the most reliable current U.S. statistics on children’s sports and activities in one place. It favors federal surveys, says exactly what each one measured, and is updated when new data is released. If you cite a figure, please cite the original source as well as this page.
Key U.S. youth sports and activity statistics
| Measure | Figure | Data year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children 6–17 on a sports team or in sports lessons, past year | 56.7% | 2023–2024 | HRSA, NSCH1 |
| Number of children 6–17 that represents | almost 28 million | 2023–2024 | HRSA, NSCH1 |
| Boys / girls 6–17 in sports | 60.7% / 52.6% | 2023–2024 | HRSA, NSCH1 |
| Children below the poverty threshold / at 400%+ of it, in sports | 36.7% / 74.1% | 2023–2024 | HRSA, NSCH1 |
| Children 6–17 who play on a sports team | 38.4% | 2023 | Census, SIPP2 |
| Children 6–17 who take lessons after school (music, dance, language) | 26.8% | 2023 | Census, SIPP2 |
| Children 6–17 in clubs or organizations | 21.9% | 2023 | Census, SIPP2 |
| National target for sports participation, 2030 | 63.2% | target | Healthy People 20304 |
| Average family spending on a child’s primary sport | $1,015.64 | 2024 | Aspen Institute parent survey10 |
| Adults’ daily travel for household children (youngest child 6–17) | 11 minutes | 2025 | BLS, ATUS8 |
How many children play sports
Sourced factIn 2023–2024, 56.7% of children aged 6 to 17 participated in a sports team or sports lessons after school or on weekends in the past year, almost 28 million children, according to parents’ answers to the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH).1 The NSCH is run by the Census Bureau for the Health Resources and Services Administration; the 2023–2024 estimate combines two years of data from 71,172 children aged 6 to 17.1
Sourced factSingle-year NSCH figures, as reported by the Aspen Institute, put participation at 55.4% in 202311 and about 58% in 2024.5 The federal Healthy People 2030 objective, which uses the same survey, records 54.6% for 2022–23 against a 2016–17 baseline of 58.3%, and rates the measure as “getting worse.”4
Sourced factOther federal surveys ask narrower questions and find lower figures. In the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), parents reported that 38.4% of children aged 6 to 17 played on a sports team in or out of school in 2023.2 In the 2020 National Health Interview Survey, 54.1% of children aged 6 to 17 participated in sports in the past 12 months.6
By age and sex
Children in a sports team or sports lessons, past year, by age and sex, 2023–2024 (percent)
| Group | Percent |
|---|---|
| Ages 6–8 | 56.7 |
| Ages 9–11 | 60.0 |
| Ages 12–14 | 59.6 |
| Ages 15–17 | 50.8 |
| Boys 6–17 | 60.7 |
| Girls 6–17 | 52.6 |
Sourced factGirls are more likely than boys to take lessons and join clubs. In 2020, 37% of girls and 27% of boys took lessons, and 29% of girls and 24% of boys took part in clubs, while 44% of boys and 35% of girls took part in sports.3
By family income
Children 6–17 in a sports team or sports lessons, by family income relative to the poverty threshold, 2023–2024 (percent)
| Family income | Percent |
|---|---|
| Below the poverty threshold | 36.7 |
| 100–199% of the threshold | 44.4 |
| 200–399% of the threshold | 56.2 |
| 400% or more of the threshold | 74.1 |
Sourced factThe gap is wider for children who do several kinds of activity: in 2023, 1.2% of children in families below the poverty threshold took part in sports, lessons and clubs, compared with 8.8% in families at twice the threshold or more.2
AnalysisThese are differences in who participates, not evidence of why. Cost is one plausible reason; others include access to facilities, transportation and schedules. See the cost of youth sports for what families spend.
By race, ethnicity and disability
Sourced factThe Aspen Institute’s analysis of 2024 NSCH data reports participation of 65.5% among White, 56.8% among Asian, 49.6% among Black and 48.6% among Hispanic children aged 6 to 17, and 49.7% among children with a disability compared with 61.1% among those without.5 These are Aspen’s calculations from the survey data, not figures published by the federal agencies.
By state
Sourced factParticipation varied by 24.6 percentage points across states in 2023–2024, from 46.3% in Nevada to 70.9% in New Hampshire. Twenty-two states were significantly above the national figure and ten significantly below.1
Trends
Sourced factIn the Census Bureau’s SIPP, the share of children aged 6 to 17 playing sports rose from 35.5% in 1998 to 39.4% in 2020, fell to 28.5% in 2021, and recovered to 38.4% in 2023, not significantly different from 2019. Clubs, lessons and religious activities did not recover; club participation in 2023 was about 13 percentage points lower than in 1998.2
Sourced factHealthy People 2030 sets a national target of 63.2% of children aged 6 to 17 participating in a sports team or sports lessons, up from the 2016–17 baseline of 58.3%.4
Other activities
Sourced factIn 2023, 26.8% of children aged 6 to 17 took lessons after school (such as music, dance or language), 21.9% took part in clubs or organizations, and 41.5% took part in religious activities once a month or more. 6.8% took part in sports, lessons and clubs.2 For how many activities children combine and what research says about doing more, see how many activities should a child do?
Sports and children’s health
Sourced factFederal guidelines say children and adolescents aged 6 through 17 should do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.9 In 2023–2024, 21.7% of children who played sports met that level every day, compared with 17.0% of those who did not.1
Sourced factChildren who played sports were also less likely to have anxiety (10.9% compared with 16.4%) or depression (3.3% compared with 7.6%), and more likely to get adequate sleep (68.9% compared with 60.3%). The brief notes that “cross-sectional data cannot establish the direction of relationships or causality,” for example because a health condition can make sports participation less likely.1
Parents’ time
Sourced factIn 2025, adults living in households where the youngest child was aged 6 to 17 spent an average of 47 minutes a day on primary childcare, including 11 minutes traveling related to the care of household children.8 Where the youngest child was under 6, the averages were 2.30 hours of childcare, including 0.22 hours (about 13 minutes) of related travel. Women spent more time than men in both groups.7
AnalysisThese are averages across all adults in such households, including those who did no childcare that day, and “travel related to care” is not limited to trips to activities. They are the best national measure available, but they understate the time for families whose children are in several activities.
Cost
Sourced factIn a 2024 survey of 1,848 parents of children who played sports regularly, families spent an average of $1,015.64 over the past year on a child’s primary sport, with travel and lodging the largest category.10 The full figures, by sport, age and income, and how the surveys differ, are in the cost of youth sports.
Why the figures differ
- National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH): a sports team or sports lessons in the past 12 months. The broadest federal measure, so the highest figures. Two-year combined estimates (56.7% for 2023–2024) differ from single-year ones (55.4% for 2023, about 58% for 2024).
- Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP): plays on a sports team, asked separately from lessons and clubs, so it is lower (38.4%). Census reports these as 2023 figures; the report notes that some survey items refer to calendar year 2022.
- National Health Interview Survey (NHIS): organized sports participation; the latest published figure is for 2020 (54.1%).
- Industry surveys, such as those commissioned by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, use other definitions (for example, playing at least once in a year) and are not included in the key figures.
What this can’t tell you
All participation figures here are parents’ reports. They count whether a child took part, not how often or how seriously. The health comparisons are associations, not effects. National figures hide large differences by community, and none of these surveys measures which specific activities children do, how many they do, or how long they stay in them.
How to cite this data
Alec Bantel. “Youth sports statistics.” And The Little Ones Too, October 5, 2026. https://andthelittleonestoo.com/data/youth-sports-statistics
Sources
- Sappenfield, O., Kenney, M.K., and Lebrun-Harris, L. National Survey of Children’s Health: Youth Sports Participation, 2023–2024. Data brief. Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, July 2026. 71,172 children aged 6–17; parent-reported; weighted. Data brief (PDF). Back to text for source 1
- Smith, J.L., Pham, B., Morse, A., and Mayol-García, Y.H. A Child’s Day: Parental Interaction, Extracurricular Activities, and School Engagement: 2023. Current Population Reports P70-212. U.S. Census Bureau, January 2026. 2023 Survey of Income and Program Participation, children aged 6–17. Report (PDF). Back to text for source 2
- Mayol-García, Y.H. “Girls Take Lessons, Join Clubs More Often Than Boys But Boys Play More Sports.” U.S. Census Bureau, July 26, 2022. Survey of Income and Program Participation, 1998 and 2020. Article. Back to text for source 3
- Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who play sports — PA-12.” Healthy People 2030. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Data source: National Survey of Children’s Health. Objective. Back to text for source 4
- Solomon, J. “U.S. youth sports participation increased to 58% in pursuit of 63% by 2030.” Aspen Institute Project Play, May 5, 2026. Aspen Institute analysis of National Survey of Children’s Health data, 2024. Article. Back to text for source 5
- Black, L.I., Terlizzi, E.P., and Vahratian, A. “Organized Sports Participation Among Children Aged 6–17 Years: United States, 2020.” NCHS Data Brief No. 441. National Center for Health Statistics, August 2022. National Health Interview Survey, 2020. Data brief. Back to text for source 6
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results,” Table 9: Time adults spent caring for household children as a primary activity, 2025 annual averages. Release USDL-26-1022, June 25, 2026. Table 9. Back to text for source 7
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Time spent providing primary care to household children in 2025.” The Economics Daily, September 24, 2026. Article. Back to text for source 8
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, 2018. Guidelines (PDF). Back to text for source 9
- Dorsch, T.E., and Blazo, J.A. 2024 National Youth Sports Parent Survey: Final Report. Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University for the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, 2025. Report (PDF). Back to text for source 10
- Aspen Institute Project Play. State of Play 2025, participation trends. December 2025. Aspen Institute analysis of National Survey of Children’s Health data. Report. Back to text for source 11