Youth sports should be a launchpad for healthy lives, but today, access is too often determined by a family's zip code and income. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative sorts through the noise to bring you the most reliable, up-to-date data that’s available on the U.S. youth sports landscape. From the cost of play to the average age kids quit, dive into the facts you need to advocate for a more equitable future of play.

In 2024, 58% of youth ages 6–17 — totaling 29 million children — participated in organized sports, according to federal government data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. Project Play is tracking this progress as the U.S. strives to hit a target of 63% participation by 2030.

🔍 Methodology Note: The National Survey of Children’s Health defines participation as a child who played on a sports team or took sports lessons after school or on weekends at least once in the previous 12 months.

Only 36% of children from the lowest-income homes played organized sports in 2024, compared to nearly 75% of children from affluent homes. Federal data from the National Survey of Children’s Health reveals that low-income households were the only economic category to see a decrease in youth sports participation from the previous year.

The gender gap is narrowing, but stark racial and ethnic divides remain. According to the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health, 61% of boys and 55% of girls regularly played organized sports in the past year. While that gap is closing, significant sports participation disparities persist across demographic lines:

• White youth: 66%
• Asian youth: 57%
• Black youth: 50%
• Hispanic youth: 49%

Flag football is surging, while traditional team sports face five-year declines. From 2019 to 2024, regular flag football participation among children ages 6-12 grew by 14% — the largest gain of any youth team sport, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data. Meanwhile, baseball, tackle football, soccer and basketball all saw five-year decreases.

🔍 Methodology Note: SFIA tracks “core participation” (how often a child regularly plays in a year), whereas federal data associated with the 63% organized sports participation goal tracks if the child played on a team or took lessons.

The average annual amount a U.S. sports family spends on a child’s primary sport. Data from the Aspen Institute’s 2024 parent survey (conducted with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University) shows a 46% increase in costs since 2019 (not factoring inflation).

Youth who drop out of sports are twice as likely to feel parental pressure than current players. Aspen’s youth survey showed that 21% of former players felt pressured by parents to play against their wishes, compared to just 9% of current players. Parent behavior remains one of the strongest predictors of whether a kid stays in the game or quits.

Ask kids why they play sports, and the answer is simple: they want to have fun and hang out with friends. Yet, the adult-driven youth sports landscape increasingly prioritizes winning and the high-pressure chase for college scholarships. Data from the Aspen Institute National Youth Athlete Survey in 2025 reveals a massive disconnect between what adults build and what kids actually value.

The average age a child stops playing sports. According to the Aspen Institute’s 2025 youth survey, the average child walks away from organized sports just before their 13th birthday. Boys quit sports earlier (average age 12.4) than girls (average age 13.3).

The percentage of children who regularly play their primary sport in community-based settings. According to the Aspen Institute’s 2024 survey of youth sports parents, more children still play sports locally than those who participate on travel, elite or club league teams (17%). Interscholastic sports teams (40%) are the second-most popular organized team setting.

Fewer than 20% of youth sports coaches feel confident linking athletes to mental health resources. The National Coach Survey (by Ohio State University and the Aspen Institute) found that only 18% of coaches feel highly confident navigating player mental health. However, coaches want to do better: 67% expressed a strong interest in receiving formal mental health training.

Percentage of youth sports coaches in 2024 who received training in general safety and injury prevention within the past year. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association found that coach training in this area has decreased in recent years after reaching 34% in 2019.