Physical Activity - Statistics & Facts

Amongst the most popular outdoor activities in the United States are hiking, camping, biking, fishing and running & jogging. More than 35 million people participate in hiking and camping each year, fishing, biking, running and jogging draw more than 40 million participants annually. 6 to 12 year-olds are most likely to participate in outdoor activities with 63 percent having participated in 2015. Between the ages of 13 and 44 the participation rate is relatively stable- between at least 50 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 4.54 million male students participated in some high school sports program in the 2015/16 school year, with football being the most popular sport with more than one million participants. Total participation of female students was at around 3.32 million in 2015/16. Track and field was the sport with the most participants with more than 478 thousand participants. Basketball and volleyball were equally popular with participants in excess of 400 thousand.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.