Facts + Statistics: Sports injuries

Sports injuries

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), in 2024 exercise and exercise equipment accounted for an estimated 564,845 injuries, the most in any sports and recreation category.

Sports Injuries By Number Of Injuries, 2024

		Number of injuries by age
Sport, activity or equipment	Injuries (1)	Younger than 5	5 to 14	15 to 24	25 to 64	65 and older
Exercise, exercise equipment	564,845	9,056	40,616	106,552	289,494	119,127
Bicycles and accessories	454,008	16,072	105,446	64,605	211,314	56,412
Basketball	385,777	1,584	128,395	176,752	76,644	2,402
Football	318,243	(2)	172,530	121,268	22,245	(2)
ATV’s, mopeds, minibikes, etc.	312,924	4,197	59,126	81,427	149,753	18,393
Skateboards, scooters, hoverboards	295,067	9,095	72,815	71,023	131,317	10,736
Soccer	265,761	2,031	124,958	91,215	46,390	(2)
Playground equipment	231,245	59,501	148,211	8,429	13,118	1,985
Swimming, pools, equipment	182,344	19,133	71,812	30,174	47,444	13,677
Baseball, softball	154,757	2,947	66,587	47,221	33,721	4,280
Trampolines	118,179	26,156	71,613	11,057	9,139	(2)
Lacrosse, rugby, misc. ball games	97,511	(2)	25,058	30,215	25,414	16,425
Skating (excl. In-line)	74,331	(2)	30,368	13,638	27,661	2,140
Fishing	73,812	2,184	17,538	13,885	31,676	8,529
Golf	72,026	2,062	7,741	8,288	24,670	29,266
Volleyball	65,440	(2)	20,638	30,457	13,013	(2)
Horseback	48,521	(2)	7,466	11,595	21,908	7,032
Hockey	46,955	(2)	14,764	19,154	12,039	(2)
Martial arts	34,538	(2)	8,195	9,529	16,456	(2)
Track and field activities, equipment	31,940	(2)	10,486	15,079	5,542	(2)
Beach, picnic, camping equipment	30,738	3,641	4,686	1,432	13,543	7,437
Racquet sports	28,251	(2)	3,606	5,996	10,862	7,653
Boxing	25,863	(2)	2,785	12,297	10,696	(2)
Water skiing, tubing, surfing	17,264	(2)	2,912	4,666	8,782	(2)
Bowling	13,403	(2)	1,638	2,111	5,218	3,371

(1) Treated in hospital emergency departments.
(2) Not reported.

Source: National Safety Council analysis of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission NEISS data. National Safety Council. Injury Facts®.

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Bicycle crashes

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 1,166 pedalcyclists were killed in 2023, a 2.9 percent increase from 2022. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles. In 34 percent of all fatal crashes with pedal cyclists in 2023, alcohol was involved—either via the motor vehicle driver or the cyclist. That same year, 81 percent of fatal pedalcyclist crashes happened in urban areas.

Total Motor Vehicle And Pedalcyclist Fatalities, 2014-2023 (1)

Year	Total	Pedalcyclist	Pedalcyclists as a percent of total fatalities
2014	32,744	729	2.2%
2015	35,484	829	2.3
2016	37,806	853	2.3
2017	37,473	806	2.2
2018	36,835	871	2.4
2019	36,355	859	2.4
2020	39,007	948	2.4
2021	43,230	976	2.3
2022 (2)	42,721	1,117	2.6
2023	40,901	1,166	2.9

(1) Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles.
(2) Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Pedalcyclists Killed And Fatality Rates By Age, 2022 (1)

Age group	Killed	Population	Fatality rate per 100,000 population
Under 5	5	18,538,353	0.03
5 to 9	14	20,009,195	0.07
10 to 14	37	20,889,839	0.18
Children (14 and under)	56	59,437,387	0.09
15 to 20	46	26,073,798	0.18
21 to 24	33	18,267,773	0.18
25 to 29	72	22,193,164	0.32
30 to 34	67	23,308,136	0.29
35 to 39	79	22,267,949	0.35
40 to 44	95	21,427,416	0.44
45 to 49	82	19,624,098	0.42
50 to 54	95	20,807,547	0.46
55 to 59	125	20,967,014	0.60
60-64	128	21,118,423	0.61
65-69	86	18,631,422	0.46
70 to 74	61	15,157,017	0.40
75 to 79	32	10,861,000	0.29
80 and over	27	13,145,413	0.21
Seniors (65 and over)	206	57,794,852	0.36
Total (2)	1,105	333,287,557	0.33

(1) Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Includes pedalcyclists of unknown age.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities, Pedalcyclist Fatalities, And Fatality Rates By State, 2022 (1)

			Pedalcyclists
State	Resident population (000)	Total traffic fatalities	Fatalities	Percent of total traffic fatalities	Fatalities 100,000 population
Alabama	5,074	988	14	1.4%	0.28
Alaska	734	82	2	2.40	0.27
Arizona	7,359	1,302	50	3.80	0.68
Arkansas	3,046	643	6	0.90	0.20
California	39,029	4,428	177	4.00	0.45
Colorado	5,840	764	15	2.00	0.26
Connecticut	3,626	359	3	0.80	0.08
Delaware	1,018	162	6	3.70	0.59
District of Columbia	672	32	3	9.40	0.45
Florida	22,245	3,530	222	6.30	1.00
Georgia	10,913	1,797	29	1.60	0.27
Hawaii	1,440	116	7	6.00	0.49
Idaho	1,939	215	4	1.90	0.21
Illinois	12,582	1,268	35	2.80	0.28
Indiana	6,833	949	16	1.70	0.23
Iowa	3,201	338	4	1.20	0.12
Kansas	2,937	410	7	1.70	0.24
Kentucky	4,512	744	14	1.90	0.31
Louisiana	4,590	906	45	5.00	0.98
Maine	1,385	182	2	1.10	0.14
Maryland	6,165	564	10	1.80	0.16
Massachusetts	6,982	434	9	2.10	0.13
Michigan	10,034	1,124	36	3.20	0.36
Minnesota	5,717	444	6	1.40	0.10
Mississippi	2,940	703	17	2.40	0.58
Missouri	6,178	1,057	11	1.00	0.18
Montana	1,123	213	2	0.90	0.18
Nebraska	1,968	244	0	(2)	(3)
Nevada	3,178	416	15	3.60	0.47
New Hampshire	1,395	146	3	2.10	0.22
New Jersey	9,262	685	18	2.60	0.19
New Mexico	2,113	466	4	0.90	0.19
New York	19,677	1,175	50	4.30	0.25
New Carolina	10,699	1,630	22	1.30	0.21
New Dakota	779	98	1	1.00	0.13
Ohio	11,756	1,275	8	0.60	0.07
Oklahoma	4,020	710	15	2.10	0.37
Oregon	4,240	601	13	2.20	0.31
Pennsylvania	12,972	1,179	15	1.30	0.12
Rhode Island	1,094	52	0	(2)	(3)
South Carolina	5,283	1,094	25	2.30	0.47
South Dakota	910	137	3	2.20	0.33
Tennessee	7,051	1,314	15	1.10	0.21
Texas	30,030	4,408	91	2.10	0.30
Utah	3,381	319	15	4.70	0.44
Vermont	647	76	1	1.30	0.15
Virginia	8,684	1,008	11	1.10	0.13
Washington	7,786	733	11	1.50	0.14
West Virginia	1,775	264	2	0.80	0.11
Wisconsin	5,893	596	14	2.30	0.24
Wyoming	581	134	1	0.70	0.17
U.S. Total	333,288	42,514	1,105	2.60%	0.33

(1) Bicyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as pedalcyclists, which are bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Less than 0.01 percent.
(3) Less than 0.01 per 100,000 population.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Total Traffic Fatalities And Pedalcyclist Traffic Fatalities And Fatality Rates By City, 2022 (1)

			Pedalcyclists		Fatality rate per 100,000 population
City (2)	Resident population	Total traffic fatalities	Fatalities	As a percent of total traffic fatalities	Total	Pedalcyclist	Pedalcyclist rank (3)
New York, NY	8,335,897	238	20	8.4%	2.86	0.24	28
Los Angeles, CA	3,822,238	354	20	5.6	9.26	0.52	13
Chicago, IL	2,665,039	192	10	5.2	7.20	0.38	22
Houston, TX	2,302,878	323	11	3.4	14.03	0.48	16
Phoenix, AZ	1,644,409	311	19	6.1	18.91	1.16	3
Philadelphia, PA	1,567,258	142	3	2.1	9.06	0.19	29
San Antonio, TX	1,472,909	203	8	3.9	13.78	0.54	12
San Diego, CA	1,381,162	118	2	1.7	8.54	0.14	33
Dallas, TX	1,299,544	228	5	2.2	17.54	0.38	21
Austin, TX	974,447	119	1	0.8	12.21	0.10	35
Jacksonville, FL	971,319	149	5	3.4	15.34	0.51	15
San Jose, CA	971,233	63	4	6.3	6.49	0.41	18
Fort Worth, TX	956,709	121	5	4.1	12.65	0.52	14
Columbus, OH	907,971	93	1	1.1	10.24	0.11	34
Charlotte, NC	897,720	102	0	(4)	11.36	(5)	36
Indianapolis, IN	880,621	134	3	2.2	15.22	0.34	23
San Francisco, CA	808,437	42	0	(4)	5.20	(5)	36
Seattle, WA	749,256	39	3	7.7	5.21	0.40	19
Denver, CO	713,252	74	4	5.4	10.38	0.56	11
Oklahoma City, OK	694,800	88	5	5.7	12.67	0.72	8
Nashville, TN	683,622	112	2	1.8	16.38	0.29	27
El Paso, TX	677,456	71	2	2.8	10.48	0.30	26
Washington, DC	671,803	32	3	9.4	4.76	0.45	17
Las Vegas, NV	656,274	51	2	3.9	7.77	0.30	25
Boston, MA	650,706	24	1	4.2	3.69	0.15	32
Portland, OR	635,067	62	4	6.5	9.76	0.63	9
Louisville, KY	624,444	119	6	5.0	19.06	0.96	6
Memphis, TN	621,056	228	2	0.9	36.71	0.32	24
Detroit, MI	620,376	121	7	5.8	19.50	1.13	4
Baltimore, MD	569,931	46	1	2.2	8.07	0.18	31
Milwaukee, WI	563,305	85	5	5.9	15.09	0.89	7
Albuquerque, NM	561,008	101	1	1.0	18.00	0.18	30
Tucson, AZ	546,574	142	9	6.3	25.98	1.65	1
Fresno, CA	545,567	65	6	9.2	11.91	1.10	5
Sacramento, CA	528,001	77	7	9.1	14.58	1.33	2
Mesa, AZ	512,498	66	3	4.5	12.88	0.59	10
Kansas City, MO	509,297	86	2	2.3	16.89	0.39	20

(1) Ranked by city population. Pedalcyclists are defined by the National Highway Safety Administration as bicyclists and other cyclists including riders of two-wheeled, nonmotorized vehicles, tricycles and unicycles. Starting in 2022, pedalcyclists include people on motorized bicycles.
(2) Population of 500,000 or more.
(3) Cities with the same pedalcyclist fatality rate per million population receive the same rank.
(4) Less than 0.01 percent.
(5) Less than 0.01 per 100,000 population.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Watercraft accidents

In 2024, the number of recreational watercraft accidents and fatalities decreased from 2023. Florida, California, and Texas remain the top three states for recreational watercraft accidents and deaths, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Recreational Watercraft Accidents, 2020-2024 (1)

	Accidents		Fatalities
Year	Total	Involving alcohol use (2)	Total	Involving alcohol use (2)	Injuries	Property damage ($ millions)
2020	5,265	353	767	130	3,191	$63
2021	4,439	330	658	110	2,641	68
2022	4,040	270	636	108	2,222	63
2023	3,844	262	564	97	2,126	63
2024	3,887	293	556	112	2,170	88

(1) Includes accidents involving $2,000 or more in property damage. Includes U.S. territories and offshore accidents.
(2) The use of alcohol by a boat’s occupants was a direct or indirect cause of the accident.

Source: U.S. Department Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard.

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OHV accidents

Children under the age of 16 accounted for 27 percent of all people injured in accidents involving off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in 2023, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) - Related Deaths and Injuries, 2019-2023 (1)

	Estimated number of deaths			Estimated number of injuries (2)
		Younger than 16			Younger than 16
Year	Total	Number	Percent of total	Total	Number	Percent of total
2019	744	93	13%	95,900	25,800	27%
2020	988	123	12	112,300	30,500	27
2021	845	126	15	106,600	30,500	29
2022	NA	NA	NA	94,700	25,600	27
2023	NA	NA	NA	100,400	27,200	27

(1) Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV) including All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV); Recreational Off-Highway Vehicles (ROV); and Utility-Terrain Vehicles (UTV).
(2) Emergency room-treated.

NA=Data not available.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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