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Facts + Statistics: Sports injuries

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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, 2023 (1)

 

Age group Killed Population Fatality rate per
100,000 population
Under 5 4 18,511,160 0.02
5 to 9 4 20,152,757 0.02
10 to 14 33 20,834,564 0.16
Children (14 and under) 41 59,498,481 0.07
15 to 20 64 26,419,372 0.24
21 to 24 29 17,467,280 0.17
25 to 29 48 22,018,360 0.22
30 to 34 82 23,524,156 0.35
35 to 39 100 22,506,644 0.44
40 to 44 109 21,884,049 0.50
45 to 49 95 19,817,010 0.48
50 to 54 96 20,676,771 0.46
55 to 59 134 20,606,257 0.65
60-64 127 21,248,154 0.60
65-69 105 19,150,728 0.55
70 to 74 53 15,534,556 0.34
75 to 79 36 11,387,417 0.32
80 and over 29 13,175,660 0.22
Seniors (65 and over) 223 59,248,361 0.38
Total (2) 1,166 334,914,895 0.35

(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, 2023 (1)

 

    Pedalcyclists
State Resident population
(000)		 Total traffic
fatalities		 Fatalities Percent of total
traffic fatalities		 Fatalities
100,000 population
Alabama 5,108 974 10 1.0% 0.20
Alaska 733 60 0 (2) (3)
Arizona 7,431 1,304 43 3.3 0.58
Arkansas 3,068 596 11 1.8 0.36
California 38,965 4,061 145 3.6 0.37
Colorado 5,878 720 20 2.8 0.34
Connecticut 3,617 308 4 1.3 0.11
Delaware 1,032 135 5 3.7 0.48
District of Columbia 679 44 3 6.8 0.44
Florida 22,611 3,396 234 6.9 1.03
Georgia 11,029 1,615 24 1.5 0.22
Hawaii 1,435 93 8 8.6 0.56
Idaho 1,965 275 7 2.5 0.36
Illinois 12,550 1,241 41 3.3 0.33
Indiana 6,862 898 31 3.5 0.45
Iowa 3,207 377 5 1.3 0.16
Kansas 2,941 387 6 1.6 0.20
Kentucky 4,526 814 16 2.0 0.35
Louisiana 4,574 811 35 4.3 0.77
Maine 1,396 135 0 (2) (3)
Maryland 6,180 621 15 2.4 0.24
Massachusetts 7,001 343 9 2.6 0.13
Michigan 10,037 1,094 24 2.2 0.24
Minnesota 5,738 409 6 1.5 0.10
Mississippi 2,940 732 13 1.8 0.44
Missouri 6,196 991 10 1.0 0.16
Montana 1,133 208 2 1.0 0.18
Nebraska 1,978 227 6 2.6 0.30
Nevada 3,194 389 14 3.6 0.44
New Hampshire 1,402 130 1 0.8 0.07
New Jersey 9,291 606 27 4.5 0.29
New Mexico 2,114 437 12 2.7 0.57
New York 19,571 1,114 49 4.4 0.25
New Carolina 10,835 1,561 46 2.9 0.42
New Dakota 784 106 0 (2) (3)
Ohio 11,786 1,242 22 1.8 0.19
Oklahoma 4,054 718 15 2.1 0.37
Oregon 4,233 587 17 2.9 0.40
Pennsylvania 12,962 1,211 29 2.4 0.22
Rhode Island 1,096 71 2 2.8 0.18
South Carolina 5,374 1,047 25 2.4 0.47
South Dakota 919 140 0 (2) (3)
Tennessee 7,126 1,323 11 0.8 0.15
Texas 30,503 4,291 106 2.5 0.35
Utah 3,418 280 9 3.2 0.26
Vermont 647 69 1 1.4 0.15
Virginia 8,716 913 15 1.6 0.17
Washington 7,813 810 18 2.2 0.23
West Virginia 1,770 260 4 1.5 0.23
Wisconsin 5,911 583 8 1.4 0.14
Wyoming 584 144 2 1.4 0.34
U.S. Total 334,915 40,901 1,166 2.9% 0.35

(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, 2023 (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 8,258,035 204 22 10.8% 2.47 0.27 23
Los Angeles, CA 3,820,914 329 10 3.0 8.61 0.26 24
Chicago, IL 2,664,452 167 7 4.2 6.27 0.26 24
Houston, TX 2,314,157 296 16 5.4 12.79 0.69 4
Phoenix, AZ 1,650,070 308 7 2.3 18.67 0.42 16
Philadelphia, PA 1,550,542 135 9 6.7 8.71 0.58 9
San Antonio, TX 1,495,295 178 8 4.5 11.90 0.54 10
San Diego, CA 1,388,320 94 2 2.1 6.77 0.14 33
Dallas, TX 1,302,868 207 5 2.4 15.89 0.38 17
Jacksonville, FL 985,843 164 6 3.7 16.64 0.61 7
Austin, TX 979,882 94 5 5.3 9.59 0.51 13
Fort Worth, TX 978,468 118 0 (4) 12.06 (5) 37
San Jose, CA 969,655 61 2 3.3 6.29 0.21 26
Columbus, OH 913,175 98 3 3.1 10.73 0.33 18
Charlotte, NC 911,311 89 1 1.1 9.77 0.11 36
Indianapolis, IN 879,293 120 6 5.0 13.65 0.68 5
San Francisco, CA 808,988 34 1 2.9 4.20 0.12 35
Seattle, WA 755,078 35 1 2.9 4.64 0.13 34
Denver, CO 716,577 76 2 2.6 10.61 0.28 21
Oklahoma City, OK 702,767 101 2 2.0 14.37 0.28 21
Nashville, TN 687,788 110 1 0.9 15.99 0.15 30
Washington, DC 678,972 44 3 6.8 6.48 0.44 15
El Paso, TX 678,958 84 0 (4) 12.37 (5) 37
Las Vegas, NV 660,929 42 1 2.4 6.35 0.15 30
Boston, MA 653,833 18 1 5.6 2.75 0.15 30
Detroit, MI 633,218 131 3 2.3 20.69 0.47 14
Portland, OR 630,498 69 2 2.9 10.94 0.32 19
Louisville, KY 622,981 118 4 3.4 18.94 0.64 6
Memphis, TN 618,639 244 2 0.8 39.44 0.32 19
Baltimore, MD 565,239 46 1 2.2 8.14 0.18 28
Milwaukee, WI 561,385 79 3 3.8 14.07 0.53 12
Albuquerque, NM 560,274 109 3 2.8 19.45 0.54 10
Tucson, AZ 547,239 147 8 5.4 26.86 1.46 2
Fresno, CA 545,716 52 1 1.9 9.53 0.18 28
Sacramento, CA 526,384 69 8 11.6 13.11 1.52 1
Mesa, AZ 511,648 69 7 10.1 13.49 1.37 3
Atlanta, GA 510,823 84 1 1.2 16.44 0.20 27
Kansas City, MO 510,704 98 3 3.1 19.19 0.59 8

(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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