Amongst the most popular outdoor activities in the United States are hiking, camping, biking, fishing and running & jogging. More than 40 million people participate in hiking and camping each year, fishing, biking, running and jogging draw more than 45 million participants annually. 6 to 12 year-olds are most likely to participate in outdoor activities with 61 percent having participated in 2017. Between the ages of 13 and 44 the participation rate is relatively stable- between at least 55 percent and about 60 percent. In the group of people aged 45 and older the participation rate in outdoor activities drops to under 40 percent.
High school sports are an important part of sports culture in the U.S. About 4.57 million male students participated in some high school sports program in the 2017/18 school year, with football being the most popular sport with more than one million participants. Total participation of female students was at around 3.42 million in 2017/18. Track and field was the sport with the most participants with almost 490 thousand participants. Basketball and volleyball were equally popular with more than 400 thousand participants each.
