First Aid merit badge extended its reign atop the charts in 2018, while the Exploration, Animation and Bugling merit badges each saw double-digit gains in popularity.
And how’s this for unusual: The exact same number of Scouts earned the Search and Rescue merit badge in 2017 and 2018: 10,107.
Those are just three of the dozens of storylines one can glean from the 2018 merit badge data, released last week by the Boy Scouts of America.
Today, let’s chop, sort and digest those numbers every which way. As always, the goal is to find trends that are interesting and informative.
At the end of this post, I’ll include the raw numbers so you can do your own spreadsheet wizardry. Leave a comment with anything cool you’re able to find.
The Actual Top 10
As usual, every merit badge on this list is required to earn the Eagle Scout award, Scouting’s highest honor.
It makes sense that these would rank highly; they’re the badges the BSA deems most important.
Rank
Merit Badge
2018 earned
1
First Aid
69,565
2
Swimming
62,796
3
Citizenship in the World
55,843
4
Environmental Science
54,237
5
Citizenship in the Nation
52,944
6
Communication
51,541
7
Cooking
50,185
8
Camping
49,893
9
Citizenship in the Community
49,863
10
Personal Fitness
49,600
The Alternative Top 10
What happens when we exclude Eagle-required merit badges from the rankings?
When given the choice to earn any of the 120 non-Eagle-required merit badges, which do Scouts prefer?
I think you’ll find a common theme with these 10: They’re offered at most summer camps, giving Scouts an excellent opportunity to complete them.
Rank
Merit Badge
2018 earned
1
Fingerprinting
38,239
2
Rifle Shooting
37,695
3
Archery
34,487
4
Leatherwork
33,740
5
Wood Carving
31,910
6
Kayaking
31,362
7
Wilderness Survival
29,392
8
Chess
28,260
9
Canoeing
26,094
10
Fishing
24,688
The Bottom 10
The list excludes Computers (replaced by Digital Technology in 2014) and Cinematography (replaced by Moviemaking in 2013), even though a few Scouts earned each in 2018.
How is that possible? According to the Guide to Advancement, once a Scout starts working on a merit badge, there’s no time limit for finishing — other than the Scout’s 18th birthday.
Some readers will look at the list below and say, “challenge accepted.”
Can you help get your favorite merit badge out of the bottom 10? All it takes is a few motivated merit badge counselors.
Rank
Merit Badge
2018 earned
128
Composite Materials
1,646
129
Landscape Architecture
1,495
130
Gardening
1,428
131
Drafting
1,231
132
Journalism
1,153
133
American Labor
1,109
134
Surveying
1,065
135
Stamp Collecting
836
136 (tie)
American Business
551
136 (tie)
Bugling
551
Who’s up, and who’s down?
One year of numbers can’t tell the whole story. That’s why I like to compare each year’s numbers to the previous year.
When we do that, we discover which merit badges gained and lost popularity year over year.
Top 5 gains
Merit Badge
2017
2018
Rise/Fall
Exploration
2,090
3,351
60.3%
Public Health
1,798
2,382
32.5%
Animation
5,462
6,981
27.8%
Traffic Safety
5,689
7,100
24.8%
Surveying
863
1,065
23.4%
I’m not surprised to see Exploration get such a big jump. As the BSA’s newest merit badge, Exploration should gain in popularity as more Scouts and leaders learn about its existence.
The Animation merit badge, meanwhile, continues its surge up the charts. It has seen double-digit gains in popularity every year since its 2015 debut.
At No. 7 in gains, Bugling merit badge just missed the top 5, but it’s worth mentioning. The badge saw a 21.4 percent popularity jump from 2017 to 2018, meaning that many more campsites were filled with the sweet sounds of bugles last year.
Top 5 losses
Merit Badge
2017
2018
Rise/Fall
Archaeology
6,876
6,056
-11.9%
Stamp Collecting
954
836
-12.4%
Soil and Water Conservation
9,484
8,199
-13.5%
Pulp and Paper
6,879
5,911
-14.1%
Backpacking
3,498
2,295
-34.4%
Once again, I did not include the discontinued Computers and Cinematography merit badges in these calculations.
That’s six straight years of declining numbers for the Backpacking merit badge. To be fair, its requirements are pretty daunting. Scouts must complete three different backpacking treks of at least three days each and at least 15 miles each.
On a personal note, I’m sad to see the Pulp and Paper merit badge here.
I earned that one at the 1997 National Scout Jamboree and still remember the strange thrill of making my own paper by hand. Try that with a Kindle.
What’s my source?
So where did these numbers originate? From Local Council Charter Applications. That means they’re based on the actual number earned, not on sales of the badges. Some troops purchase extra emblems in anticipation of future badge earnings, so sales numbers can mislead.
Special thanks to the BSA’s Lynn Adcock for compiling and providing these numbers each year.
The raw data
WARNING: The following section is for stat geeks only. Do not proceed unless you’re ready to see lots of lots of numbers.
Seriously. You could be scrolling for minutes and dissecting digits for days.
…
Still with me?
OK, so keep heading down this rabbit hole to find:
- The complete 2018 rankings
- Merit badge popularity over the last five years
- Lifetime rankings from 1911 to 2018
- Every merit badge ranked by its percent change from 2017 to 2018
The complete 2018 rankings
What the colors mean:
- Blue: merit badge is required for Eagle
- Red: merit badge is considered “new” — released in 2014 or later
Rank
Merit Badge
2018 earned
1
First Aid
69,565
2
Swimming
62,796
3
Citizenship in the World
55,843
4
Environmental Science
54,237
5
Citizenship in the Nation
52,944
6
Communication
51,541
7
Cooking
50,185
8
Camping
49,893
9
Citizenship in the Community
49,863
10
Personal Fitness
49,600
11
Family Life
48,787
12
Personal Management
48,393
13
Emergency Preparedness
43,063
14
Fingerprinting
38,239
15
Rifle Shooting
37,695
16
Archery
34,487
17
Leatherwork
33,740
18
Wood Carving
31,910
19
Kayaking
31,362
20
Wilderness Survival
29,392
21
Chess
28,260
22
Canoeing
26,094
23
Fishing
24,688
24
Art
21,793
25
Lifesaving
20,952
26
Shotgun Shooting
20,241
27
Space Exploration
19,574
28
Climbing
18,911
29
Mammal Study
17,982
30
Geology
17,242
31
Game Design
16,020
32
Indian Lore
16,003
33
Astronomy
15,531
34
Robotics
15,285
35
Basketry
14,546
36
Photography
14,161
37
Pioneering
14,099
38
Small Boat Sailing
13,886
39
Aviation
13,745
40
Geocaching
12,972
41
Metalwork
12,768
42
Orienteering
12,538
43
Weather
12,430
44
Nature
12,372
45
Engineering
12,280
46
Welding
11,981
47
Music
11,860
48
Fish & Wildlife Management
11,822
49
Fire Safety
11,673
50
Forestry
11,326
51
Chemistry
11,140
52
Automotive Maintenance
10,360
53
Search and Rescue
10,107
54
Electricity
9,979
55
Motor Boating
9,697
56
Moviemaking
9,416
57
Oceanography
9,021
58
Horsemanship
8,837
59
Rowing
8,377
60
Sculpture
8,212
61
Soil and Water Conservation
8,199
62
Pottery
7,890
63
Digital Technology
7,857
64
Electronics
7,731
65
Public Speaking
7,250
66
Sustainability
7,192
67
Signs, Signals and Codes
7,178
68
Traffic Safety
7,100
69
Animation
6,981
70
Snow Sports
6,961
71
Salesmanship
6,936
72
Railroading
6,728
73
Nuclear Science
6,678
74
Sports
6,594
75
Crime Prevention
6,456
76
Hiking
6,362
77
Archaeology
6,056
78
Pulp and Paper
5,911
79
Scouting Heritage
5,901
80
Reptile and Amphibian Study
5,786
81
Cycling
5,671
82
Law
5,656
83
Disabilities Awareness
5,571
84
American Heritage
5,530
85
Radio
5,205
86
Bird Study
5,101
87
Woodwork
4,939
88
Pets
4,890
89
Fly Fishing
4,873
90
Plumbing
4,862
91
Genealogy
4,830
92
Coin Collecting
4,726
93
Programming
4,723
94
Mining in Society
4,650
95
Scholarship
4,433
96
Collections
4,280
97
Architecture
3,881
98
Medicine
3,878
99
Reading
3,873
100
Animal Science
3,769
101
Painting
3,709
102
Home Repairs
3,579
103
Inventing
3,494
104
Entrepreneurship
3,353
105
Exploration
3,351
106
Graphic Arts
3,343
107
Safety
3,322
108
Whitewater
3,199
109
Dentistry
3,110
110
Golf
3,060
111
Dog Care
3,025
112
Water Sports
2,937
113
Athletics
2,808
114
Insect Study
2,716
115
Veterinary Medicine
2,716
116
Model Design and Building
2,674
117
Energy
2,607
118
Plant Science
2,569
119
Textile
2,530
120
American Cultures
2,519
121
Public Health
2,382
122
Truck Transportation
2,313
123
Backpacking
2,295
124
Theater
2,294
125
Farm Mechanics
2,226
126
Scuba Diving
2,036
127
Skating
1,898
128
Composite Materials
1,646
129
Landscape Architecture
1,495
130
Gardening
1,428
131
Drafting
1,231
132
Journalism
1,153
133
American Labor
1,109
134
Surveying
1,065
135
Stamp Collecting
836
136
American Business
551
137
Bugling
551
138
Computers
202
139
Cinematography
1
Merit badge popularity over the last five years
Sorted alphabetically.
Merit Badge
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
American Business
650
587
627
613
551
American Cultures
2,174
2,233
2,218
2,298
2,519
American Heritage
5,333
5,599
4,952
5,496
5,530
American Labor
992
1,106
812
901
1,109
Animal Science
4,042
4,414
3,852
3,848
3,769
Animation
–
1,099
4,637
5,462
6,981
Archaeology
8,652
7,590
7,388
6,876
6,056
Archery
43,238
41,879
39,419
35,301
34,487
Architecture
4,019
3,362
3,230
3,654
3,881
Art
25,438
24,374
22,990
21,567
21,793
Astronomy
15,758
16,706
16,355
15,702
15,531
Athletics
3,241
3,604
3,125
2,754
2,808
Automotive Maintenance
9,763
9,961
10,748
10,205
10,360
Aviation
17,522
15,170
14,477
14,347
13,745
Backpacking
4,169
3,973
3,963
3,498
2,295
Basketry
17,531
17,158
15,282
15,406
14,546
Bird Study
5,641
5,587
5,199
4,965
5,101
Bugling
606
492
479
454
551
Camping*
54,265
54,342
53,534
50,871
49,893
Canoeing
31,833
29,461
28,288
26,052
26,094
Chemistry
10,594
10,560
10,865
10,248
11,140
Chess
25,266
27,235
27,416
26,919
28,260
Cinematography
4,026
1,260
841
231
1
Citizenship in the Community*
51,728
52,071
51,975
48,736
49,863
Citizenship in the Nation*
56,490
57,161
57,919
52,949
52,944
Citizenship in the World*
61,303
60,171
59,363
55,917
55,843
Climbing
23,200
21,574
21,171
18,356
18,911
Coin Collecting
5,303
4,715
4,135
3,930
4,726
Collections
4,295
4,004
3,753
4,140
4,280
Communication*
54,081
55,738
53,367
50,503
51,541
Composite Materials
1,614
2,183
1,597
1,407
1,646
Computers
12,973
1,686
354
207
202
Cooking*
99,908
67,691
55,841
51,004
50,185
Crime Prevention
6,917
6,581
6,178
6,721
6,456
Cycling**
6,268
6,626
6,334
5,742
5,671
Dentistry
3,416
3,485
2,910
3,135
3,110
Digital Technology
3,014
9,383
9,344
8,768
7,857
Disabilities Awareness
6,204
6,153
5,833
5,239
5,571
Dog Care
2,955
2,666
2,414
2,661
3,025
Drafting
1,318
1,339
1,168
1,119
1,231
Electricity
10,460
10,035
9,762
9,245
9,979
Electronics
8,860
8,352
7,814
7,524
7,731
Emergency Preparedness***
46,069
47,879
47,004
43,351
43,063
Energy
3,669
3,190
2,955
2,749
2,607
Engineering
11,624
11,735
11,429
11,773
12,280
Entrepreneurship
2,496
2,927
3,365
3,473
3,353
Environmental Science****
67,218
63,783
60,026
55,703
54,237
Exploration
–
–
–
2,090
3,351
Family Life*
49,516
51,008
50,177
48,774
48,787
Farm Mechanics
2,486
2,244
2,368
2,307
2,226
Fingerprinting
43,820
43,743
40,700
38,989
38,239
Fire Safety
12,395
12,782
12,257
11,746
11,673
First Aid*
80,917
80,716
75,256
69,563
69,565
Fish & Wildlife Management
13,749
13,164
12,647
11,615
11,822
Fishing
28,119
26,050
25,256
24,343
24,688
Fly Fishing
4,537
3,981
4,577
4,597
4,873
Forestry
14,465
12,905
12,519
11,456
11,326
Game Design
11,853
12,313
13,689
13,810
16,020
Gardening
1,641
1,582
1,375
1,450
1,428
Genealogy
5,474
5,316
4,570
5,213
4,830
Geocaching
16,785
15,582
15,210
12,604
12,972
Geology
21,282
22,180
18,516
18,674
17,242
Golf
3,955
3,826
3,605
3,248
3,060
Graphic Arts
3,189
3,356
3,251
3,066
3,343
Hiking**
7,344
6,967
7,485
7,084
6,362
Home Repairs
3,866
3,288
3,325
3,432
3,579
Horsemanship
11,905
10,878
9,457
8,641
8,837
Indian Lore
22,997
22,241
18,234
17,003
16,003
Insect Study
3,164
3,550
2,341
2,644
2,716
Inventing
2,902
3,369
2,834
3,296
3,494
Journalism
955
1,037
970
1,127
1,153
Kayaking
35,533
34,054
33,137
30,466
31,362
Landscape Architecture
1,496
1,434
1,494
1,483
1,495
Law
5,463
5,633
5,226
5,402
5,656
Leatherwork
42,565
40,805
37,920
35,490
33,740
Lifesaving***
24,474
23,983
22,382
20,748
20,952
Mammal Study
24,060
23,427
21,303
18,715
17,982
Medicine
3,725
3,807
3,767
3,561
3,878
Metalwork
12,949
12,340
12,639
12,990
12,768
Mining in Society
3,519
4,613
4,224
4,673
4,650
Model Design and Building
2,612
2,795
2,770
2,564
2,674
Motor Boating
10,748
9,880
9,515
9,517
9,697
Moviemaking
6,195
10,064
10,851
9,262
9,416
Music
12,903
12,369
11,689
10,592
11,860
Nature
15,046
14,679
13,635
11,586
12,372
Nuclear Science
6,657
6,728
7,005
6,702
6,678
Oceanography
9,991
9,892
8,499
7,763
9,021
Orienteering
16,871
15,642
13,753
11,742
12,538
Painting
4,346
4,245
3,829
3,222
3,709
Personal Fitness*
50,693
52,499
52,079
50,428
49,600
Personal Management*
48,299
51,105
50,251
49,287
48,393
Pets
4,821
4,645
4,278
4,289
4,890
Photography
17,804
16,931
15,142
13,550
14,161
Pioneering
18,117
17,341
15,959
13,870
14,099
Plant Science
2,680
2,922
2,363
2,107
2,569
Plumbing
4,982
4,960
4,510
4,398
4,862
Pottery
9,050
8,384
8,230
7,940
7,890
Programming
2,970
3,577
4,085
4,138
4,723
Public Health
1,821
1,780
1,837
1,798
2,382
Public Speaking
7,091
7,793
7,497
7,035
7,250
Pulp and Paper
6,250
7,379
6,081
6,879
5,911
Radio
6,665
6,709
6,442
5,840
5,205
Railroading
6,694
7,651
6,599
6,663
6,728
Reading
4,712
4,179
3,574
3,524
3,873
Reptile and Amphibian Study
7,547
6,700
6,411
6,053
5,786
Rifle Shooting
45,839
43,196
41,444
37,796
37,695
Robotics
13,708
13,700
14,264
15,031
15,285
Rowing
10,557
9,995
9,408
8,239
8,377
Safety
3,778
3,937
4,267
3,280
3,322
Salesmanship
6,648
6,412
6,031
5,908
6,936
Scholarship
5,362
4,911
4,316
4,171
4,433
Scouting Heritage
5,572
5,558
5,266
5,916
5,901
Scuba Diving
1,989
2,135
1,792
1,842
2,036
Sculpture
9,887
10,042
8,900
8,715
8,212
Search and Rescue
12,359
11,725
10,361
10,107
10,107
Shotgun Shooting
23,970
21,895
20,912
19,703
20,241
Signs, Signals and Codes
–
3,453
8,025
7,364
7,178
Skating
2,010
1,972
1,953
1,785
1,898
Small Boat Sailing
16,511
15,092
14,108
14,182
13,886
Snow Sports
8,227
7,251
7,177
7,267
6,961
Soil and Water Conservation
11,296
10,437
10,341
9,484
8,199
Space Exploration
22,625
21,607
20,137
18,994
19,574
Sports
8,032
8,272
7,626
6,556
6,594
Stamp Collecting
863
996
793
954
836
Surveying
1,065
879
1,028
863
1,065
Sustainability ****
5,428
6,625
6,813
7,295
7,192
Swimming**
72,503
71,821
67,446
62,057
62,796
Textile
3,694
3,225
2,480
2,205
2,530
Theater
2,273
2,665
2,543
2,332
2,294
Traffic Safety
7,088
5,604
6,072
5,689
7,100
Truck Transportation
2,182
2,157
2,391
2,466
2,313
Veterinary Medicine
2,875
2,764
2,580
2,451
2,716
Water Sports
3,594
3,389
3,123
2,966
2,937
Weather
15,846
14,622
12,665
12,690
12,430
Welding
11,061
11,019
10,737
10,656
11,981
Whitewater
3,565
2,888
3,476
2,832
3,199
Wilderness Survival
40,395
37,581
35,221
30,814
29,392
Wood Carving
38,749
36,890
34,938
32,943
31,910
Woodwork
5,198
5,242
4,975
5,212
4,939
Total
2,077,550
2,011,860
1,919,912
1,813,834
1,822,137
* On required list for Eagle Rank
** Required for Eagle (must complete Cycling, Hiking or Swimming)
*** Required for Eagle (must complete Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving)
**** Required for Eagle (must complete Environmental Science or Sustainability)
Lifetime rankings from 1911 to 2018
Two notes:
- This list includes only merit badges that could be earned in 2018. Sorry, but that means Poultry Farming merit badge didn’t make the cut.
- The rankings are interesting but don’t tell the whole story. A merit badge released more recently will rank lower than one of the original 1911 merit badges. For example, Home Repairs is No. 17 lifetime, but it was released in 1943. Kayaking is nearly nine times more popular today, but it’s only been around for six years.
Rank
Merit Badge
1911 to 2018
1
First Aid*
7,277,000
2
Swimming**
6,578,887
3
Camping*
4,871,352
4
Cooking*
4,563,082
5
Citizenship in the Community*
3,664,401
6
Citizenship in the Nation*
3,425,710
7
Canoeing
3,133,529
8
Lifesaving***
3,125,473
9
Safety
2,949,820
10
Environmental Science****
2,946,336
11
Personal Fitness*
2,703,833
12
Fire Safety
2,656,110
13
Leatherwork
2,595,034
14
Basketry
2,502,267
15
Citizenship in the World*
2,500,053
16
Pioneering
2,474,477
17
Home Repairs
2,428,794
18
Wood Carving
2,424,339
19
Communication*
2,267,277
20
Fishing
2,089,286
21
Emergency Preparedness***
2,018,626
22
Personal Management*
2,011,022
23
Fingerprinting
1,836,069
24
Wilderness Survival
1,768,336
25
Archery
1,754,930
26
Rowing
1,753,857
27
Nature
1,717,714
28
Public Health
1,525,442
29
Reading
1,498,194
30
Rifle Shooting
1,488,110
31
Art
1,399,534
32
Music
1,365,267
33
Family Life*
1,359,091
34
Hiking**
1,358,115
35
Scholarship
1,294,545
36
Mammal Study
1,276,775
37
Indian Lore
1,271,349
38
Forestry
1,199,151
39
Metalwork
1,185,376
40
Sports
1,174,437
41
Soil and Water Conservation
1,160,706
42
Athletics
1,077,296
43
Woodwork
992,294
44
Orienteering
870,816
45
Electricity
843,826
46
Geology
723,734
47
Small Boat Sailing
709,577
48
Astronomy
703,548
49
Fish & Wildlife Management
702,456
50
Horsemanship
679,532
51
Pets
676,765
52
Reptile and Amphibian Study
673,052
53
Public Speaking
672,078
54
Aviation
662,236
55
Space Exploration
640,183
56
Weather
630,365
57
Motor Boating
624,947
58
Bird Study
603,037
59
Shotgun Shooting
603,031
60
Cycling**
599,551
61
Painting
577,129
62
Photography
565,293
63
Computers
521,257
64
Coin Collecting
514,650
65
Climbing
496,522
66
Snow Sports
479,874
67
Dog Care
442,228
68
Pottery
416,395
69
Plumbing
410,108
70
Gardening
393,348
71
Chemistry
393,276
72
Stamp Collecting
393,086
73
Salesmanship
350,117
74
Sculpture
338,277
75
Oceanography
323,521
76
Railroading
264,996
77
Water Sports
262,469
78
Genealogy
251,567
79
Electronics
247,926
80
Model Design and Building
230,979
81
Architecture
230,572
82
Farm Mechanics
229,947
83
Drafting
229,515
84
Backpacking
228,005
85
Kayaking
222,534
86
Automotive Maintenance
208,359
87
Law
206,682
88
Nuclear Science
200,849
89
Chess
197,711
90
Radio
196,678
91
Engineering
193,753
92
Archaeology
183,900
93
Traffic Safety
182,036
94
Skating
180,968
95
Golf
180,509
96
American Heritage
180,398
97
Insect Study
176,334
98
Bugling
172,050
99
Crime Prevention
162,604
100
Collections
158,035
101
Surveying
155,483
102
Textile
153,450
103
Dentistry
148,024
104
Truck Transportation
146,904
105
Disabilities Awareness
144,272
106
Pulp and Paper
140,857
107
Geocaching
132,847
108
Journalism
110,669
109
Cinematography
106,448
110
Robotics
104,058
111
Whitewater
100,847
112
Theater
93,496
113
Energy
91,894
114
Landscape Architecture
87,617
115
Medicine
87,561
116
Veterinary Medicine
86,596
117
American Cultures
77,037
118
Animal Science
76,960
119
Welding
70,395
120
Game Design
70,342
121
Search and Rescue
65,936
122
Graphic Arts
63,959
123
American Business
55,518
124
Plant Science
54,762
125
Scouting Heritage
49,488
126
Moviemaking
45,788
127
Fly Fishing
45,207
128
Digital Technology
38,366
129
Entrepreneurship
35,560
130
Sustainability ****
33,943
131
American Labor
26,736
132
Signs, Signals and Codes
26,020
133
Inventing
24,086
134
Mining in Society
21,679
135
Scuba Diving
20,865
136
Composite Materials
20,078
137
Programming
19,973
138
Animation
18,179
139
Exploration
5,441
Every merit badge ranked by its percent change from 2017 to 2018
Merit Badge
2017
2018
Rise/Fall
Exploration
2,090
3,351
60.3%
Public Health
1,798
2,382
32.5%
Animation
5,462
6,981
27.8%
Traffic Safety
5,689
7,100
24.8%
Surveying
863
1,065
23.4%
American Labor
901
1,109
23.1%
Plant Science
2,107
2,569
21.9%
Bugling
454
551
21.4%
Coin Collecting
3,930
4,726
20.3%
Salesmanship
5,908
6,936
17.4%
Composite Materials
1,407
1,646
17.0%
Oceanography
7,763
9,021
16.2%
Game Design
13,810
16,020
16.0%
Painting
3,222
3,709
15.1%
Textile
2,205
2,530
14.7%
Programming
4,138
4,723
14.1%
Pets
4,289
4,890
14.0%
Dog Care
2,661
3,025
13.7%
Whitewater
2,832
3,199
13.0%
Welding
10,656
11,981
12.4%
Music
10,592
11,860
12.0%
Veterinary Medicine
2,451
2,716
10.8%
Plumbing
4,398
4,862
10.6%
Scuba Diving
1,842
2,036
10.5%
Drafting
1,119
1,231
10.0%
Reading
3,524
3,873
9.9%
American Cultures
2,298
2,519
9.6%
Graphic Arts
3,066
3,343
9.0%
Medicine
3,561
3,878
8.9%
Chemistry
10,248
11,140
8.7%
Electricity
9,245
9,979
7.9%
Nature
11,586
12,372
6.8%
Orienteering
11,742
12,538
6.8%
Disabilities Awareness
5,239
5,571
6.3%
Skating
1,785
1,898
6.3%
Scholarship
4,171
4,433
6.3%
Architecture
3,654
3,881
6.2%
Inventing
3,296
3,494
6.0%
Fly Fishing
4,597
4,873
6.0%
Chess
26,919
28,260
5.0%
Law
5,402
5,656
4.7%
Photography
13,550
14,161
4.5%
Engineering
11,773
12,280
4.3%
Model Design and Building
2,564
2,674
4.3%
Home Repairs
3,432
3,579
4.3%
Collections
4,140
4,280
3.4%
Public Speaking
7,035
7,250
3.1%
Space Exploration
18,994
19,574
3.1%
Climbing
18,356
18,911
3.0%
Kayaking
30,466
31,362
2.9%
Geocaching
12,604
12,972
2.9%
Electronics
7,524
7,731
2.8%
Bird Study
4,965
5,101
2.7%
Shotgun Shooting
19,703
20,241
2.7%
Insect Study
2,644
2,716
2.7%
Citizenship in the Community*
48,736
49,863
2.3%
Journalism
1,127
1,153
2.3%
Horsemanship
8,641
8,837
2.3%
Communication*
50,503
51,541
2.1%
Athletics
2,754
2,808
2.0%
Motor Boating
9,517
9,697
1.9%
Fish & Wildlife Management
11,615
11,822
1.8%
Robotics
15,031
15,285
1.7%
Rowing
8,239
8,377
1.7%
Moviemaking
9,262
9,416
1.7%
Pioneering
13,870
14,099
1.7%
Automotive Maintenance
10,205
10,360
1.5%
Fishing
24,343
24,688
1.4%
Safety
3,280
3,322
1.3%
Swimming**
62,057
62,796
1.2%
Art
21,567
21,793
1.0%
Lifesaving***
20,748
20,952
1.0%
Railroading
6,663
6,728
1.0%
Landscape Architecture
1,483
1,495
0.8%
American Heritage
5,496
5,530
0.6%
Sports
6,556
6,594
0.6%
Canoeing
26,052
26,094
0.2%
Family Life*
48,774
48,787
0.0%
First Aid*
69,563
69,565
0.0%
Search and Rescue
10,107
10,107
0.0%
Citizenship in the Nation*
52,949
52,944
0.0%
Citizenship in the World*
55,917
55,843
-0.1%
Scouting Heritage
5,916
5,901
-0.3%
Rifle Shooting
37,796
37,695
-0.3%
Nuclear Science
6,702
6,678
-0.4%
Mining in Society
4,673
4,650
-0.5%
Fire Safety
11,746
11,673
-0.6%
Pottery
7,940
7,890
-0.6%
Emergency Preparedness***
43,351
43,063
-0.7%
Dentistry
3,135
3,110
-0.8%
Water Sports
2,966
2,937
-1.0%
Astronomy
15,702
15,531
-1.1%
Forestry
11,456
11,326
-1.1%
Cycling**
5,742
5,671
-1.2%
Sustainability ****
7,295
7,192
-1.4%
Gardening
1,450
1,428
-1.5%
Cooking*
51,004
50,185
-1.6%
Theater
2,332
2,294
-1.6%
Personal Fitness*
50,428
49,600
-1.6%
Metalwork
12,990
12,768
-1.7%
Personal Management*
49,287
48,393
-1.8%
Camping*
50,871
49,893
-1.9%
Fingerprinting
38,989
38,239
-1.9%
Weather
12,690
12,430
-2.0%
Animal Science
3,848
3,769
-2.1%
Small Boat Sailing
14,182
13,886
-2.1%
Archery
35,301
34,487
-2.3%
Computers
207
202
-2.4%
Signs, Signals and Codes
7,364
7,178
-2.5%
Environmental Science****
55,703
54,237
-2.6%
Wood Carving
32,943
31,910
-3.1%
Entrepreneurship
3,473
3,353
-3.5%
Farm Mechanics
2,307
2,226
-3.5%
Mammal Study
18,715
17,982
-3.9%
Crime Prevention
6,721
6,456
-3.9%
Aviation
14,347
13,745
-4.2%
Snow Sports
7,267
6,961
-4.2%
Reptile and Amphibian Study
6,053
5,786
-4.4%
Wilderness Survival
30,814
29,392
-4.6%
Leatherwork
35,490
33,740
-4.9%
Energy
2,749
2,607
-5.2%
Woodwork
5,212
4,939
-5.2%
Basketry
15,406
14,546
-5.6%
Sculpture
8,715
8,212
-5.8%
Golf
3,248
3,060
-5.8%
Indian Lore
17,003
16,003
-5.9%
Truck Transportation
2,466
2,313
-6.2%
Genealogy
5,213
4,830
-7.3%
Geology
18,674
17,242
-7.7%
American Business
613
551
-10.1%
Hiking**
7,084
6,362
-10.2%
Radio
5,840
5,205
-10.9%
Archaeology
6,876
6,056
-11.9%
Stamp Collecting
954
836
-12.4%
Soil and Water Conservation
9,484
8,199
-13.5%
Pulp and Paper
6,879
5,911
-14.1%
Backpacking
3,498
2,295
-34.4%