Kickoff is right around the corner.
As we get deeper into August, high school football is about to be everywhere (if it isn’t already) – and we’ve got numbers on just how big it is in your state.
Participation numbers from the National Federation of State High School Associations, reported in 2008, 2018, 2021 and 2024, paint a picture of the sport's obvious prevalence across the country. As of 2024, the total number of high school football players in America was 1,029,558, across 14,269 schools and all 50 states. In the many states – 32, to be exact – their numbers are only continuing to rise.
The state with the most players should come as no surprise – after all, everything’s bigger in Texas. With 174,126 football players at the 2024 count, the Lone Star State has nearly double the players of runner-up California with their 91,411 participants. It’s a gaping drop off after those two titans to the number three state, which is Ohio with 39,439.
It follows then, that Texas and California have also seen the largest growths, tacking on 32,828 and 11,806 players, respectively, since 2008. A dark horse takes the third spot, with Mississippi slotting in after those two with a growth of 11,416 since 2008. Not too shabby for a state with just over 28,000 participants total.
Of course, growth in football participation is not a perfect, ascending line. It was not immune to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw many states’ participation numbers take a hit. Nationally, America lost 32,221 football participants from 2018 to 2021, a number they more than recouped by the time the 2024 count came around.
Some participation losses, whether related to COVID-19 or not, have had more longevity. Michigan and Illinois have had the biggest losses since 2008, each losing a net of more than 8,000 players – that’s nearly 25% of their player body for Michigan and a little more than 23% for Illinois.
Now that you know a few of the trends, where does your state fall among them? Check out each state’s high school football participants in 2008 and 2024 to see how much football has grown (or shrunk) in your state.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is football growing or shrinking in your state? The participation numbers are in