40 Youth Basketball Statistics (2026)
- High-school basketball, 2025–26
- 902,265 US boys’ and girls’ participation counts combined
- Change from 2024–25
- +5,321 +0.59%, calculated from NFHS totals
- Girls’ share, 2025–26
- 40.2% Of all reported participants, rounded to one decimal
Key takeaways
US high-school basketball recorded a combined 902,265 participants in 2025–26 across the boys’ and girls’ NFHS survey categories. (NFHS, 2026)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported mean annual primary-sport spending of $875.97. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
In Good Sports’ June 2026 US survey, 61% of parents with children currently playing sports called required equipment a financial burden. (Good Sports, 2026)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, 82% of surveyed park and recreation agencies reported not having enough volunteer coaches for youth sports. (NRPA, March 2025)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, current sports participation among girls aged 8–18 was 31% below $50,000 household income versus 58% above $100,000. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 37% of all US K–12 parents said a school-aged child had ever quit or stopped an organized sport. (Ipsos, August 2026)
Compare high-school basketball by state
All 50 states and DC across 15 reported seasons. Change compares the combined count with the immediately preceding season; it is unavailable when that season has no report. The download preserves each category, school count and source.
Download 1,530 state records (CSV)Download national trends (CSV)Download 40 findings (CSV)
51 jurisdictions
| State / change | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama+5,905 year on year | 18,993 | 11,581 | 30,574 |
| Alaska+151 year on year | 1,780 | 1,542 | 3,322 |
| Arizona-164 year on year | 8,810 | 6,029 | 14,839 |
| Arkansas+367 year on year | 6,591 | 5,097 | 11,688 |
| California-496 year on year | 46,303 | 28,147 | 74,450 |
| Colorado-352 year on year | 9,405 | 6,480 | 15,885 |
| Connecticut-213 year on year | 5,020 | 3,038 | 8,058 |
| Delaware-37 year on year | 1,537 | 795 | 2,332 |
| District of Columbia+213 year on year | 1,245 | 588 | 1,833 |
| Florida+123 year on year | 21,325 | 11,392 | 32,717 |
| Georgia+1,935 year on year | 11,755 | 9,593 | 21,348 |
| Hawaii-48 year on year | 1,803 | 1,164 | 2,967 |
| Idaho+94 year on year | 3,963 | 3,060 | 7,023 |
| Illinois-521 year on year | 20,672 | 13,389 | 34,061 |
| Indiana-60 year on year | 10,389 | 6,878 | 17,267 |
| Iowa+282 year on year | 10,394 | 5,982 | 16,376 |
| Kansas-154 year on year | 8,107 | 5,774 | 13,881 |
| Kentucky+7,657 year on year | 10,856 | 8,591 | 19,447 |
| Louisiana-96 year on year | 8,038 | 5,313 | 13,351 |
| Maine-836 year on year | 3,245 | 2,093 | 5,338 |
| Maryland+551 year on year | 5,710 | 4,090 | 9,800 |
| Massachusetts-36 year on year | 12,941 | 7,775 | 20,716 |
| Michigan-396 year on year | 20,408 | 12,800 | 33,208 |
| Minnesota+4,895 year on year | 15,190 | 13,433 | 28,623 |
| Mississippi+2,052 year on year | 13,026 | 8,517 | 21,543 |
| Missouri-209 year on year | 13,212 | 8,017 | 21,229 |
| Montana-95 year on year | 3,309 | 2,661 | 5,970 |
| Nebraska-121 year on year | 6,547 | 4,712 | 11,259 |
| Nevada+38 year on year | 3,279 | 2,135 | 5,414 |
| New Hampshire-145 year on year | 2,447 | 1,539 | 3,986 |
| New Jersey-229 year on year | 14,271 | 8,707 | 22,978 |
| New Mexico+9 year on year | 4,106 | 3,300 | 7,406 |
| New York-4,683 year on year | 17,159 | 11,912 | 29,071 |
| North Carolina+161 year on year | 11,752 | 7,252 | 19,004 |
| North Dakota-347 year on year | 2,762 | 1,820 | 4,582 |
| Ohio-625 year on year | 20,246 | 12,879 | 33,125 |
| Oklahoma-405 year on year | 9,275 | 6,526 | 15,801 |
| Oregon-248 year on year | 7,412 | 5,163 | 12,575 |
| Pennsylvania-7,712 year on year | 17,542 | 14,011 | 31,553 |
| Rhode Island-26 year on year | 2,224 | 1,120 | 3,344 |
| South Carolina+168 year on year | 6,870 | 4,503 | 11,373 |
| South Dakota-164 year on year | 3,362 | 2,379 | 5,741 |
| Tennessee+75 year on year | 8,358 | 5,731 | 14,089 |
| Texas-1,998 year on year | 62,225 | 43,707 | 105,932 |
| Utah+103 year on year | 4,083 | 3,118 | 7,201 |
| Vermont+1,102 year on year | 1,381 | 981 | 2,362 |
| Virginia-165 year on year | 9,320 | 6,686 | 16,006 |
| Washington+1,732 year on year | 12,802 | 8,513 | 21,315 |
| West Virginia-55 year on year | 2,664 | 1,887 | 4,551 |
| Wisconsin-1,526 year on year | 14,054 | 8,690 | 22,744 |
| Wyoming-130 year on year | 1,715 | 1,292 | 3,007 |
National totals for all 15 reported seasons
| Season | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 540,207 | 439,550 | 979,757 |
| 2010-11 | 545,844 | 438,933 | 984,777 |
| 2011-12 | 535,289 | 435,885 | 971,174 |
| 2012-13 | 538,676 | 433,120 | 971,796 |
| 2013-14 | 541,054 | 433,344 | 974,398 |
| 2014-15 | 541,479 | 429,504 | 970,983 |
| 2015-16 | 546,428 | 429,380 | 975,808 |
| 2016-17 | 550,305 | 430,368 | 980,673 |
| 2017-18 | 551,373 | 412,407 | 963,780 |
| 2018-19 | 540,769 | 399,067 | 939,836 |
| 2021-22 | 521,616 | 370,466 | 892,082 |
| 2022-23 | 537,438 | 373,366 | 910,804 |
| 2023-24 | 536,668 | 367,284 | 903,952 |
| 2024-25 | 540,704 | 356,240 | 896,944 |
| 2025-26 | 539,883 | 362,382 | 902,265 |
NFHS marks 2019–20 and 2020–21 data unavailable due to COVID-19. Blank school counts remain blank in the CSV. Ohio’s published 2013–14 boys’ school count is retained as 98; that season’s state school counts differ from its national school total by 700. Participation totals reconcile.
How many young people play basketball?
School basketball, all-age basketball and youth sport surveys measure different populations.
| Measure | Population | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| High-school basketball | 2025–26, boys + girls | 902,265 |
| Basketball growth | 2025, US age 6+ | 13.5% |
| Children playing sports | 2023, US age 6–17 | 38.4% |
| Basketball in sports families | July 2026, K–12 sports parents | 25% |
US high-school basketball recorded a combined 902,265 participants in 2025–26 across the boys’ and girls’ NFHS survey categories. (NFHS, 2026)
US basketball participation among people aged 6 and older rose 13.5% in 2025, according to SFIA’s 2026 team-sports release. (SFIA, September 2026)
In 2023, 38.4% of US children aged 6–17 participated in sports, as measured by the Census Bureau’s Child’s Day report. (US Census Bureau, January 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 25% of US K–12 sports parents said a school-aged child currently played organized basketball. (Ipsos, August 2026)
In NRPA’s 2026 review, 87% of responding US park and recreation agencies operated basketball courts. (NRPA, 2026)
In the 2025 US Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 19.8% of high-school students attended physical education on all five school days. (CDC, October 2026)
What does a season ask of families?
Means, medians and parents’ reported difficulties describe different parts of the cost of play.
| Measure | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Primary basketball spending, mean | Basketball parents, 2024 | $875.97 / year |
| Family support time | Basketball parents, 2024 | 189.28 min / sport day |
| Equipment is a financial burden | Current sports parents, June 2026 | 61% |
| Sports spending, median | Girl / boy players, 2026 | $500 / $400 per year |
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported mean annual primary-sport spending of $875.97. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported 189.28 minutes of combined family sport-support tasks on a day their child played. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported eating out because of children’s sport schedules an average of 2.81 meals per week. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
In Good Sports’ June 2026 US survey, 61% of parents with children currently playing sports called required equipment a financial burden. (Good Sports, 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 84% of US K–12 sports parents called scheduling and logistics a major or minor challenge. (Ipsos, August 2026)
WSF’s 2026 US survey reported median annual sports spending of $500 for girls versus $400 for boys. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
Who can get into youth sports?
Interest and participation are different measures; agency policies describe providers, not children.
| Access question | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Never played but want to | Girls 8–18, 2026 | 54% |
| Currently play, by income | Girls 8–18, 2026 | 31% below $50k; 58% above $100k |
| Financial assistance a priority | Park/recreation agencies, 2025 report | 85% |
| Unsure how to request fee help | School-activity parents, 2019 report | 19% |
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, 54% of girls aged 8–18 who had never played organized sports wanted to play. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, current sports participation among girls aged 8–18 was 31% below $50,000 household income versus 58% above $100,000. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, 66% of girls aged 8–18 currently playing organized sports participated through school. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, 64% of agencies allowing third-party leagues to use facilities charged the same rental rate to all such leagues. (NRPA, March 2025)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, 85% of surveyed agencies identified financial assistance as a priority for fair access to youth sports. (NRPA, March 2025)
In Mott’s 2019 US report, 19% of surveyed parents did not know how to request a fee waiver or scholarship for school activities. (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, March 2019)
Who supplies the coaching?
These surveys cover different sports and samples. Volunteering includes roles beyond coaching.
| Measure | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Unpaid last season | National Coach Survey sample, 2022 | 41% |
| Parent volunteering | Basketball parents, 2024 | 66.0% |
| Not enough volunteer coaches | Park/recreation agencies, 2025 report | 82% |
| Girls-specific coach training | Park/recreation agencies, 2025 report | 11% |
In Aspen’s 2022 US National Coach Survey, 41% of sampled coaches were unpaid in their last season coaching their primary sport. (Aspen Institute, November 2022)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported a 66.0% volunteering rate for their child’s school or non-school teams and clubs. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, 82% of surveyed park and recreation agencies reported not having enough volunteer coaches for youth sports. (NRPA, March 2025)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, 11% of surveyed agencies said they offered specific training for coaching girls. (NRPA, March 2025)
In NRPA’s 2025 US report, agencies reported women made up an average of 25% of their youth-sports coaches. (NRPA, March 2025)
In First Tee’s 2025 US poll, 87% of parents with children under 18 agreed youth-sports programs should offer alumni mentoring or coaching pathways. (First Tee, May 2025)
In One Up Basketball’s 2021 survey of 307 coaches across playing levels, 74% ranked shooting among five essential player skills. (One Up Basketball, February 2021)
What do families and coaches experience?
Parent reports of policies and checks are perceptions, not independent audits of coaches.
| Measure | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Coach satisfaction, mean | Basketball parents, 2024 | 4.14 / 5 |
| Unsure about background check | Basketball parents, 2024 | 21.9% |
| Equal playing time policy | Basketball parents, 2024 | 19.2% |
| Ever verbally harassed or abused | Coaches answering item, 2025 | 46.2% |
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey rated satisfaction with their child’s coach at a mean 4.14 out of 5. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported 21.9% uncertainty about whether their child’s coach passed a criminal background check. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported an equal-playing-time policy for 19.2% of their children’s primary-sport coaches. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
In SafeSport’s 2025 US coaches survey, 46.2% of coaches answering the item reported ever experiencing verbal harassment or abuse as a coach. (US Center for SafeSport, 2026)
WSF’s 2020 US report found male coaches were reported by 42% of girls versus 88% of boys among current and former players aged 7–17. (Women’s Sports Foundation, March 2020)
In NFHS’s 2026 US parent study, 68% said their child’s school-based athletics or activities offered an experience not easily replaced outside school. (NFHS, August 2026)
What keeps sport enjoyable and welcoming?
An “ever quit” response is not an annual dropout rate. Age-group comparisons do not track the same children over time.
| Measure | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits outweigh drawbacks | K–12 sports parents, July 2026 | 89% |
| Child ever quit a sport | All K–12 parents, July 2026 | 37% |
| Fun and competition equally important | K–12 sports parents, July 2026 | 65% |
| Sport feels for someone like me | Girls 8–10 / 14–18, 2026 | 80% / 66% |
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 33% of US K–12 sports parents were at least somewhat worried they pushed their children too hard. (Ipsos, August 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 89% of US K–12 sports parents said organized sports’ benefits outweighed their drawbacks. (Ipsos, August 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 37% of all US K–12 parents said a school-aged child had ever quit or stopped an organized sport. (Ipsos, August 2026)
In the July 2026 AP–Ipsos poll, 65% of US K–12 sports parents considered having fun and being competitive equally important. (Ipsos, August 2026)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, sports felt “for someone like me” to 80% of girls aged 8–10 versus 66% aged 14–18. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, 45% of girls aged 8–18 could not name a favorite professional athlete. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
In WSF’s 2026 US survey, 79% of girls aged 8–18 had never heard of Title IX. (Women’s Sports Foundation, 2026)
Where can basketball lead?
Reported program policies and roster ratios answer different questions about participation pathways.
| Measure | Population / period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Multisport encouraged | Basketball non-school programs, parent reports, 2024 | 60.3% |
| High-school-to-NCAA roster ratio | Boys / girls basketball, 2024–25 | 3.6% / 4.7% |
US basketball parents in Aspen’s 2024 survey reported that 60.3% of their children’s clubs or non-school programs encouraged multisport participation. (Aspen Institute, 2025)
Using 2024–25 US rosters, NCAA estimated high-school-to-NCAA basketball participation ratios of 3.6% for boys and 4.7% for girls. (NCAA, accessed November 2026)
Cite this page
Youth Basketball Tips. “40 Youth Basketball Statistics (2026).” Published and updated November 5, 2026. https://youth-basketball-tips.com/basketball-practice-plan/participation-statistics/
Methods
We checked 44 candidate findings and kept 40 from 14 publishing organizations. We opened the original publications, retained each population and period, and excluded untraceable claims and repeated rows from the same question. Different questions on separate pages of a research report count as distinct findings; individual states, age bands and years do not.
We compiled all 51 jurisdictions for boys and girls from 15 NFHS standard-basketball surveys spanning 2009–10 through 2025–26: 1,530 records. Each category’s state participation counts reconcile with its published national total. School counts preserve the original cells and the exception noted above. Combined totals, changes and girls’ shares are our calculations. A recorded change can reflect survey coverage or reporting as well as participation; it is not evidence of what caused a change.
Aspen’s 2024 parent survey included 1,848 US youth-sport parents; 421 identified basketball as the primary sport. Those findings concern the child’s primary sport, rather than every basketball-playing family. Its 2022 coach survey was not a probability sample. NRPA’s 2025 youth-sports report surveyed 393 agencies. WSF’s 2026 study surveyed 3,065 US children aged 8–18 and their parents; its age comparisons are cross-sectional. SafeSport’s coaches volunteered to respond, and 2,095 answered the cited mistreatment item. The One Up Basketball survey’s recruitment geography is not stated.
Costs are nominal US dollars for the stated period; we did not adjust for inflation. Mean and median spending are not interchangeable. Census extracurricular sports, school PE, organized-sport surveys and NFHS school counts use different questions and denominators, so they should not be treated as one trend. NCAA’s ratios compare roster counts, rather than tracking children or estimating scholarship odds.
All sources were checked November 5, 2026. Older findings retain their original dates. Next review: May 5, 2027. Send a source correction through our contact page.
Sources
- NFHS: Publication 1 · Publication 2
- SFIA: September 2026
- US Census Bureau: January 2026
- Ipsos: August 2026
- NRPA: Publication 1 · Publication 2
- CDC: October 2026
- Aspen Institute: Publication 1 · Publication 2
- Good Sports: 2026
- Women’s Sports Foundation: Publication 1 · Publication 2
- C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital: March 2019
- First Tee: May 2025
- One Up Basketball: February 2021
- US Center for SafeSport: 2026
- NCAA: accessed November 2026
For coaching activities, use the editable practice planner or youth basketball drills.