Most Popular Youth Sports in America: 2025 Rankings

According to the National Youth Sports Parent Survey(opens in new tab), these are the ten most popular organized sports among American children ages 6-17, based on participation rates. These rankings include all organized activities, not just registered league players. This provides a more complete picture of youth sports participation.

These percentages represent children who participated in organized team or club versions of each sport within the past year. Many children play multiple sports, so the percentages add up to more than 100%.

Key Observations

• Basketball dominates: Nearly 42% of youth athletes play basketball, about 55% more than the second-place sport. Low equipment costs and indoor facilities that operate year-round make basketball accessible across income levels and climates.
• Football claims second: Combined tackle and flag football participation reaches 26.9%, making it the second most popular youth sport. (Note: Some sources report these separately: tackle at 16.3% and flag at 10.6%. That separation would place soccer second instead.) Flag football's growth is driving much of this, especially among younger players.
• Soccer and baseball close behind: Soccer (24.1%) and baseball (23.1%) remain strong despite declining trends. Both sports benefit from established infrastructure and cultural roots.
• Dance enters the top 5: At 10.9%, dance represents a significant non-traditional team sport with strong participation, particularly among girls.
• Individual sports compete: Gymnastics (7.4%), swimming (7.2%), and cheerleading (6.8%) show that individual and performance-based activities hold meaningful market share alongside team sports.

For a deeper look at what these participation numbers mean for youth health and development, see our youth sports statistics guide.

The top 5 most played youth sports in America represent distinct pathways into athletics. Understanding why these five dominate helps coaches and parents make informed decisions about youth sports programs.

1. Basketball: The Most Accessible Sport

Basketball's dominance stems from practical factors. A ball and a hoop are the only requirements. Parks, schools, and recreation centers across America have courts. The sport works indoors in winter and outdoors in summer. Games can run with anywhere from 2 to 10 players, making pickup games easy to organize.

The NBA's global marketing reach also matters. Youth see professional players and want to emulate them. High-profile stars create aspirational targets that drive participation.

2. Football: A Sport in Transition

Football's combined tackle and flag participation (26.9%) makes it the second most popular youth sport. However, this category masks a significant shift: tackle football participation has declined substantially while flag football has grown 14% in recent years. Among children under 12, flag football now exceeds tackle football participation.

Concussion concerns drive this transition. Parents increasingly prefer flag football as a way for children to experience the sport without contact-related risks. The NFL's support for flag football, combined with its confirmed debut as an Olympic sport(opens in new tab) at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, accelerates this trend.

3. Soccer: The Global Game Takes Root

Soccer participation remains strongest in the 6-12 age bracket. The sport's simple rules make it ideal for introducing young children to team sports. The continuous movement keeps players engaged, and the relatively low injury rates (compared to contact sports) appeal to parents.

Major League Soccer's expansion and the success of the U.S. national teams in recent World Cup cycles have raised the sport's profile among older youth.

4. Baseball: Tradition Meets Challenge

Despite declining participation numbers (down 19% over five years), baseball holds fourth place through deeply rooted infrastructure. Little League has operated since 1939. Travel ball culture, while controversial for its costs, keeps competitive players engaged year-round.

The sport faces challenges: games take longer than basketball or soccer, and the pace doesn't match smartphone-era attention spans. However, recent rule changes at professional levels may eventually filter down to youth leagues.

5. Dance: The Rising Star

Dance's fifth-place position (10.9%) reflects its broad appeal as both a competitive and recreational activity. Competitive dance teams, studio programs, and school dance squads all contribute to this figure. The activity builds coordination, flexibility, and artistic expression while providing the team environment many families seek.

Dance participation is particularly strong among girls, though boys' participation has grown as competitive dance gains visibility through media and collegiate programs. Year-round indoor practice makes dance accessible regardless of climate.

While the top 5 hold steady, the fastest-growing sports reveal where youth athletics is heading. Project Play data highlights several notable trends.

Flag Football: +14% Growth

Flag football is the only major team sport showing consistent growth. Among children ages 6-12, flag football participation now exceeds tackle football. The NFL's flag football initiatives, combined with parent concerns about contact injuries, fuel this expansion.

Girls' flag football shows even more dramatic growth. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations(opens in new tab), high school girls' flag football participation has seen 388% cumulative growth since the pandemic, with 68,847 girls participating in 2024-25. Several states now offer girls' flag football as a sanctioned high school sport, creating a full pathway from youth leagues to varsity competition.

Boys Volleyball: Nearly 13% Growth

Traditionally seen as primarily a girls' sport in America, boys' volleyball is gaining ground. According to AVCA data(opens in new tab), high school boys' volleyball participation increased over 12% in 2024-25, with 51% growth over six years. The sport's inclusion in more high school programs and increased visibility through professional leagues has expanded its appeal.

Pickleball and Emerging Sports

While data on youth pickleball remains limited, the sport's overall explosive growth suggests youth participation is rising. The sport's accessibility (smaller court, slower ball) makes it appropriate for younger players who might struggle with tennis.

Sports Facing Decline

Which sports children play depends heavily on where they live, what their family can afford, and what programs are available nearby. The 20.2 percentage point income gap in youth sports participation means that cost-intensive sports like travel baseball and club soccer skew heavily toward higher-income families, while basketball's low barrier to entry helps explain its dominance across all demographics.

Geographic patterns matter too. States with strong school-based athletics (Vermont, South Dakota, New Hampshire) show higher participation across a wider range of sports, while urban areas with club-dominated models see sport choices narrowing along income lines.

For the complete demographic data (income breakdowns, racial and ethnic participation rates, state-by-state comparisons, and the factors driving these gaps), see our detailed participation statistics analysis.

Different sources report different youth sports rankings. This doesn't mean anyone is wrong. It means different studies measure different things. Understanding these differences helps you interpret youth sports data accurately.

Why Rankings Differ Between Sources

Three main factors cause variation in youth sports rankings:

• How participation is measured: "Regular participation" (weekly or monthly activity) produces different numbers than "tried at least once" or "registered league players." Our data uses parent reports of organized participation, which captures school teams, recreation leagues, and club programs, not just official league registrations.
• Age groups included: Rankings for ages 6-17 differ from those for ages 6-12, high school athletes only, or all ages 6+. Flag football dominates among younger children while tackle football leads among teens, for example.
• What counts as a "sport": Some sources only track team sports, excluding dance, gymnastics, and swimming. Others include all organized physical activities. This explains why you might see hockey or lacrosse in one top 10 list and dance or cheerleading in another.

Our Data Source

This article primarily uses the National Youth Sports Parent Survey 2024(opens in new tab), conducted by the Aspen Institute's Project Play initiative. The survey collected responses from 1,848 parents of children ages 6-17 who regularly participate in organized sports across all 50 states.

This methodology captures broader participation than league registration data alone. It explains why our basketball figure (41.9%) may be higher than sources citing only registered players, and why activities like dance appear in our rankings but not in team-sports-only lists.

For trend data and demographic statistics, we supplement with the State of Play 2025 report(opens in new tab), which draws from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) tracking data.

Understanding which sports are growing or declining, and who participates, helps coaches adapt their programs and development approaches.

Multi-Sport Decline Requires Attention

The average number of sports played by young athletes has dropped to 1.63, down 13% from 2019 according to Project Play's State of Play 2024 report(opens in new tab). Early specialization continues despite recommendations against it from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Coaches working with athletes who play only one sport should consider:

• Building variety into practice through cross-training activities
• Monitoring for overuse injuries more carefully
• Addressing skill gaps that multi-sport participation would typically develop
• Watching for burnout signs in single-sport athletes

Demographic Awareness

Coaches in communities with lower participation rates may need to address barriers beyond just offering programs:

• Equipment lending or subsidy programs
• Flexible scheduling for families with variable work schedules
• Transportation solutions
• Reduced-cost or free participation options

Adapting to Sport Transitions

The shift from tackle to flag football illustrates how safety concerns reshape youth sports. Coaches in transitioning sports benefit from evidence-based coaching approaches that prioritize long-term athlete development over short-term competitive results.

Tracking Development Across Sports

For multi-sport athletes (or those you wish would play multiple sports), understanding how skills transfer between sports helps guide development. When coaches track athlete development systematically, they can identify whether a single-sport athlete is developing the broad athletic base they need, or whether supplementary training might help.

Striveon's athlete development platform helps coaches monitor athlete progress across multiple dimensions, making it easier to spot when athletes need more varied training, regardless of how many sports they play.