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%