Presenting the 2017 Merit Badge Rankings: Which were the most and least popular?
First Aid? First place.
Exactly 69,563 Scouts earned the Eagle-required First Aid merit badge in 2017. That’s good enough for a gold medal, and it marks three consecutive years of First Aid dominance.
The silver medal went to Swimming (62,057 earned), and Citizenship in the World (55,917) took bronze.
Not surprisingly, each merit badge in 2017’s top 10 is required for the Eagle Scout Award. Remove all the Eagle-required badges, though, and the evidence points to Fingerprinting as your 2017 champ.
The top 10 (with Eagle-required badges included)
| Rank | 2017 | 2016 |
| 1 | First Aid | First Aid |
| 2 | Swimming | Swimming |
| 3 | Citizenship in the World | Environmental Science |
| 4 | Environmental Science | Citizenship in the World |
| 5 | Citizenship in the Nation | Citizenship in the Nation |
| 6 | Cooking | Cooking |
| 7 | Camping | Camping |
| 8 | Communication | Communication |
| 9 | Personal Fitness | Personal Fitness |
| 10 | Personal Management | Citizenship in the Community |
No big surprises there, though we did see Personal Management knock Citizenship in the Community out of the top 10.
But many Scouters would shrug at this list. Of course the top 10 will be filled with Eagle-required badges, they’d say.
To those Scouters I say: Keep reading!
The top 10 (with Eagle-required badges excluded)
| Rank | 2017 | 2016 |
| 1 | Fingerprinting | Rifle Shooting |
| 2 | Rifle Shooting | Fingerprinting |
| 3 | Leatherwork | Archery |
| 4 | Archery | Leatherwork |
| 5 | Wood Carving | Wilderness Survival |
| 6 | Wilderness Survival | Wood Carving |
| 7 | Kayaking | Kayaking |
| 8 | Chess | Canoeing |
| 9 | Canoeing | Chess |
| 10 | Fishing | Fishing |
Ah, now things get interesting. This list of exclusively elective merit badges reveals two things:
- Interest. These are merit badges that Scouts themselves select. They could’ve chosen any from the list of 137, but they chose these.
- Opportunity. These are merit badges frequently offered at summer camp, meaning qualified merit badge counselors are readily available.
The bottom 10
Let’s not call these unpopular. Let’s call them rare.
If a Scout in your troop has earned one or more of these, he’s in rare company.
Note: You won’t see Computers or Cinematography on this list, though a couple-hundred Scouts earned each in 2017. The Computers phase-out began in 2014, and Cinematography was changed to Moviemaking in 2013. Scouts who started work before those badges’ official demise are allowed to finish that work.
| Rank | 2017 | 2016 |
| 137 | Bugling | Bugling |
| 136 | American Business | American Business |
| 135 | Surveying | Stamp Collecting |
| 134 | American Labor | American Labor |
| 133 | Stamp Collecting | Journalism |
| 132 | Drafting | Surveying |
| 131 | Journalism | Drafting |
| 130 | Composite Materials | Gardening |
| 129 | Gardening | Landscape Architecture |
| 128 | Landscape Architecture | Composite Materials |
The bulls and the bears
Which merit badges saw the biggest percentage gain in popularity from 2016 to 2017? Which saw their popularity fall?
I’m glad you asked.
Top 5 gains
| Merit Badge | 2016 | 2017 | Diff. |
| Stamp Collecting | 793 | 954 | 20.3% |
| Animation | 4,637 | 5,462 | 17.8% |
| Inventing | 2,834 | 3,296 | 16.3% |
| Journalism | 970 | 1,127 | 16.2% |
| Genealogy | 4,570 | 5,213 | 14.1% |
Top 5 drops
| Merit Badge | 2016 | 2017 | Diff. |
| Safety | 4,267 | 3,280 | -23.1% |
| Whitewater | 3,476 | 2,832 | -18.5% |
| Geocaching | 15,210 | 12,604 | -17.1% |
| Surveying | 1,028 | 863 | -16.1% |
| Painting | 3,829 | 3,222 | -15.9% |
Once again, I did not include the discontinued Computers and Cinematography merit badges in these calculations.
The 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 numbers (warning: for stats geeks only!)
Beyond this point are the full lists. This is raw data, and it’s only suitable for the geekiest of geeks like myself.
You’ve been warned.
Keep scrolling to find:
- 2017 rankings
- Merit badge popularity over the last five years
- Lifetime rankings, 1911 to 2017
- Every merit badge ranked by its percent change from 2016 to 2017
The raw numbers: 2017 rankings
What the colors mean:
- Blue: merit badge is required for Eagle
- Red: merit badge is considered “new” — released in 2013 or later
- Purple: merit badge is required for Eagle and is considered “new”
| Rank | Merit Badge | 2017 earned |
| 1 | First Aid | 69,563 |
| 2 | Swimming | 62,057 |
| 3 | Citizenship in the World | 55,917 |
| 4 | Environmental Science | 55,703 |
| 5 | Citizenship in the Nation | 52,949 |
| 6 | Cooking | 51,004 |
| 7 | Camping | 50,871 |
| 8 | Communication | 50,503 |
| 9 | Personal Fitness | 50,428 |
| 10 | Personal Management | 49,287 |
| 11 | Family Life | 48,774 |
| 12 | Citizenship in the Community | 48,736 |
| 13 | Emergency Preparedness | 43,351 |
| 14 | Fingerprinting | 38,989 |
| 15 | Rifle Shooting | 37,796 |
| 16 | Leatherwork | 35,490 |
| 17 | Archery | 35,301 |
| 18 | Wood Carving | 32,943 |
| 19 | Wilderness Survival | 30,814 |
| 20 | Kayaking | 30,466 |
| 21 | Chess | 26,919 |
| 22 | Canoeing | 26,052 |
| 23 | Fishing | 24,343 |
| 24 | Art | 21,567 |
| 25 | Lifesaving | 20,748 |
| 26 | Shotgun Shooting | 19,703 |
| 27 | Space Exploration | 18,994 |
| 28 | Mammal Study | 18,715 |
| 29 | Geology | 18,674 |
| 30 | Climbing | 18,356 |
| 31 | Indian Lore | 17,003 |
| 32 | Astronomy | 15,702 |
| 33 | Basketry | 15,406 |
| 34 | Robotics | 15,031 |
| 35 | Aviation | 14,347 |
| 36 | Small Boat Sailing | 14,182 |
| 37 | Pioneering | 13,870 |
| 38 | Game Design | 13,810 |
| 39 | Photography | 13,550 |
| 40 | Metalwork | 12,990 |
| 41 | Weather | 12,690 |
| 42 | Geocaching | 12,604 |
| 43 | Engineering | 11,773 |
| 44 | Fire Safety | 11,746 |
| 45 | Orienteering | 11,742 |
| 46 | Fish & Wildlife Management | 11,615 |
| 47 | Nature | 11,586 |
| 48 | Forestry | 11,456 |
| 49 | Welding | 10,656 |
| 50 | Music | 10,592 |
| 51 | Chemistry | 10,248 |
| 52 | Automotive Maintenance | 10,205 |
| 53 | Search and Rescue | 10,107 |
| 54 | Motor Boating | 9,517 |
| 55 | Soil and Water Conservation | 9,484 |
| 56 | Moviemaking | 9,262 |
| 57 | Electricity | 9,245 |
| 58 | Digital Technology | 8,768 |
| 59 | Sculpture | 8,715 |
| 60 | Horsemanship | 8,641 |
| 61 | Rowing | 8,239 |
| 62 | Pottery | 7,940 |
| 63 | Oceanography | 7,763 |
| 64 | Electronics | 7,524 |
| 65 | Signs, Signals and Codes | 7,364 |
| 66 | Sustainability | 7,295 |
| 67 | Snow Sports | 7,267 |
| 68 | Hiking | 7,084 |
| 69 | Public Speaking | 7,035 |
| 70 | Pulp and Paper | 6,879 |
| 71 | Archaeology | 6,876 |
| 72 | Crime Prevention | 6,721 |
| 73 | Nuclear Science | 6,702 |
| 74 | Railroading | 6,663 |
| 75 | Sports | 6,556 |
| 76 | Reptile and Amphibian Study | 6,053 |
| 77 | Scouting Heritage | 5,916 |
| 78 | Salesmanship | 5,908 |
| 79 | Radio | 5,840 |
| 80 | Cycling | 5,742 |
| 81 | Traffic Safety | 5,689 |
| 82 | American Heritage | 5,496 |
| 83 | Animation | 5,462 |
| 84 | Law | 5,402 |
| 85 | Disabilities Awareness | 5,239 |
| 86 | Genealogy | 5,213 |
| 87 | Woodwork | 5,212 |
| 88 | Bird Study | 4,965 |
| 89 | Mining in Society | 4,673 |
| 90 | Fly Fishing | 4,597 |
| 91 | Plumbing | 4,398 |
| 92 | Pets | 4,289 |
| 93 | Scholarship | 4,171 |
| 94 | Collections | 4,140 |
| 95 | Programming | 4,138 |
| 96 | Coin Collecting | 3,930 |
| 97 | Animal Science | 3,848 |
| 98 | Architecture | 3,654 |
| 99 | Medicine | 3,561 |
| 100 | Reading | 3,524 |
| 101 | Backpacking | 3,498 |
| 102 | Entrepreneurship | 3,473 |
| 103 | Home Repairs | 3,432 |
| 104 | Inventing | 3,296 |
| 105 | Safety | 3,280 |
| 106 | Golf | 3,248 |
| 107 | Painting | 3,222 |
| 108 | Dentistry | 3,135 |
| 109 | Graphic Arts | 3,066 |
| 110 | Water Sports | 2,966 |
| 111 | Whitewater | 2,832 |
| 112 | Athletics | 2,754 |
| 113 | Energy | 2,749 |
| 114 | Dog Care | 2,661 |
| 115 | Insect Study | 2,644 |
| 116 | Model Design and Building | 2,564 |
| 117 | Truck Transportation | 2,466 |
| 118 | Veterinary Medicine | 2,451 |
| 119 | Theater | 2,332 |
| 120 | Farm Mechanics | 2,307 |
| 121 | American Cultures | 2,298 |
| 122 | Textile | 2,205 |
| 123 | Plant Science | 2,107 |
| 124 | Exploration | 2,090 |
| 125 | Scuba Diving | 1,842 |
| 126 | Public Health | 1,798 |
| 127 | Skating | 1,785 |
| 128 | Landscape Architecture | 1,483 |
| 129 | Gardening | 1,450 |
| 130 | Composite Materials | 1,407 |
| 131 | Journalism | 1,127 |
| 132 | Drafting | 1,119 |
| 133 | Stamp Collecting | 954 |
| 134 | American Labor | 901 |
| 135 | Surveying | 863 |
| 136 | American Business | 613 |
| 137 | Bugling | 454 |
| 138 | Cinematography | 231 |
| 139 | Computers | 207 |
The raw numbers: Merit badge popularity over the last five years
Sorted alphabetically.
| Merit Badge | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| American Business | 805 | 650 | 587 | 627 | 613 |
| American Cultures | 2,649 | 2,174 | 2,233 | 2,218 | 2,298 |
| American Heritage | 6,195 | 5,333 | 5,599 | 4,952 | 5,496 |
| American Labor | 1,090 | 992 | 1,106 | 812 | 901 |
| Animal Science | 4,174 | 4,042 | 4,414 | 3,852 | 3,848 |
| Animation | 0 | 0 | 1,099 | 4,637 | 5,462 |
| Archaeology | 8,913 | 8,652 | 7,590 | 7,388 | 6,876 |
| Archery | 43,879 | 43,238 | 41,879 | 39,419 | 35,301 |
| Architecture | 3,956 | 4,019 | 3,362 | 3,230 | 3,654 |
| Art | 28,031 | 25,438 | 24,374 | 22,990 | 21,567 |
| Astronomy | 16,332 | 15,758 | 16,706 | 16,355 | 15,702 |
| Athletics | 3,709 | 3,241 | 3,604 | 3,125 | 2,754 |
| Automotive Maintenance | 10,084 | 9,763 | 9,961 | 10,748 | 10,205 |
| Aviation | 18,330 | 17,522 | 15,170 | 14,477 | 14,347 |
| Backpacking | 4,114 | 4,169 | 3,973 | 3,963 | 3,498 |
| Basketry | 19,364 | 17,531 | 17,158 | 15,282 | 15,406 |
| Bird Study | 6,405 | 5,641 | 5,587 | 5,199 | 4,965 |
| Bugling | 515 | 606 | 492 | 479 | 454 |
| Camping* | 58,982 | 54,265 | 54,342 | 53,534 | 50,871 |
| Canoeing | 33,409 | 31,833 | 29,461 | 28,288 | 26,052 |
| Chemistry | 10,731 | 10,594 | 10,560 | 10,865 | 10,248 |
| Chess | 27,315 | 25,266 | 27,235 | 27,416 | 26,919 |
| Cinematography | 8,465 | 4,026 | 1,260 | 841 | 231 |
| Citizenship in the Community* | 56,928 | 51,728 | 52,071 | 51,975 | 48,736 |
| Citizenship in the Nation* | 61,272 | 56,490 | 57,161 | 57,919 | 52,949 |
| Citizenship in the World* | 64,452 | 61,303 | 60,171 | 59,363 | 55,917 |
| Climbing | 22,861 | 23,200 | 21,574 | 21,171 | 18,356 |
| Coin Collecting | 5,667 | 5,303 | 4,715 | 4,135 | 3,930 |
| Collections | 4,966 | 4,295 | 4,004 | 3,753 | 4,140 |
| Communication* | 57,111 | 54,081 | 55,738 | 53,367 | 50,503 |
| Composite Materials | 1,817 | 1,614 | 2,183 | 1,597 | 1,407 |
| Computers | 15,149 | 12,973 | 1,686 | 354 | 207 |
| Cooking* | 44,903 | 99,908 | 67,691 | 55,841 | 51,004 |
| Crime Prevention | 7,274 | 6,917 | 6,581 | 6,178 | 6,721 |
| Cycling** | 6,551 | 6,268 | 6,626 | 6,334 | 5,742 |
| Dentistry | 4,213 | 3,416 | 3,485 | 2,910 | 3,135 |
| Digital Technology | 0 | 3,014 | 9,383 | 9,344 | 8,768 |
| Disabilities Awareness | 6,690 | 6,204 | 6,153 | 5,833 | 5,239 |
| Dog Care | 3,351 | 2,955 | 2,666 | 2,414 | 2,661 |
| Drafting | 1,440 | 1,318 | 1,339 | 1,168 | 1,119 |
| Electricity | 10,968 | 10,460 | 10,035 | 9,762 | 9,245 |
| Electronics | 8,753 | 8,860 | 8,352 | 7,814 | 7,524 |
| Emergency Preparedness*** | 50,153 | 46,069 | 47,879 | 47,004 | 43,351 |
| Energy | 3,989 | 3,669 | 3,190 | 2,955 | 2,749 |
| Engineering | 10,445 | 11,624 | 11,735 | 11,429 | 11,773 |
| Entrepreneurship | 1,900 | 2,496 | 2,927 | 3,365 | 3,473 |
| Environmental Science**** | 71,609 | 67,218 | 63,783 | 60,026 | 55,703 |
| Exploration | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2,090 |
| Family Life* | 55,080 | 49,516 | 51,008 | 50,177 | 48,774 |
| Farm Mechanics | 2,421 | 2,486 | 2,244 | 2,368 | 2,307 |
| Fingerprinting | 45,140 | 43,820 | 43,743 | 40,700 | 38,989 |
| Fire Safety | 12,988 | 12,395 | 12,782 | 12,257 | 11,746 |
| First Aid* | 87,477 | 80,917 | 80,716 | 75,256 | 69,563 |
| Fish & Wildlife Management | 13,411 | 13,749 | 13,164 | 12,647 | 11,615 |
| Fishing | 29,788 | 28,119 | 26,050 | 25,256 | 24,343 |
| Fly Fishing | 4,690 | 4,537 | 3,981 | 4,577 | 4,597 |
| Forestry | 14,874 | 14,465 | 12,905 | 12,519 | 11,456 |
| Game Design | 2,657 | 11,853 | 12,313 | 13,689 | 13,810 |
| Gardening | 1,972 | 1,641 | 1,582 | 1,375 | 1,450 |
| Genealogy | 5,740 | 5,474 | 5,316 | 4,570 | 5,213 |
| Geocaching | 17,031 | 16,785 | 15,582 | 15,210 | 12,604 |
| Geology | 22,103 | 21,282 | 22,180 | 18,516 | 18,674 |
| Golf | 4,921 | 3,955 | 3,826 | 3,605 | 3,248 |
| Graphic Arts | 3,140 | 3,189 | 3,356 | 3,251 | 3,066 |
| Hiking** | 7,856 | 7,344 | 6,967 | 7,485 | 7,084 |
| Home Repairs | 3,790 | 3,866 | 3,288 | 3,325 | 3,432 |
| Horsemanship | 10,977 | 11,905 | 10,878 | 9,457 | 8,641 |
| Indian Lore | 24,535 | 22,997 | 22,241 | 18,234 | 17,003 |
| Insect Study | 3,613 | 3,164 | 3,550 | 2,341 | 2,644 |
| Inventing | 2,704 | 2,902 | 3,369 | 2,834 | 3,296 |
| Journalism | 945 | 955 | 1,037 | 970 | 1,127 |
| Kayaking | 36,217 | 35,533 | 34,054 | 33,137 | 30,466 |
| Landscape Architecture | 1,872 | 1,496 | 1,434 | 1,494 | 1,483 |
| Law | 6,946 | 5,463 | 5,633 | 5,226 | 5,402 |
| Leatherwork | 44,344 | 42,565 | 40,805 | 37,920 | 35,490 |
| Lifesaving*** | 25,945 | 24,474 | 23,983 | 22,382 | 20,748 |
| Mammal Study | 24,064 | 24,060 | 23,427 | 21,303 | 18,715 |
| Medicine | 3,990 | 3,725 | 3,807 | 3,767 | 3,561 |
| Metalwork | 13,259 | 12,949 | 12,340 | 12,639 | 12,990 |
| Mining in Society | 0 | 3,519 | 4,613 | 4,224 | 4,673 |
| Model Design and Building | 3,628 | 2,612 | 2,795 | 2,770 | 2,564 |
| Motor Boating | 11,012 | 10,748 | 9,880 | 9,515 | 9,517 |
| Moviemaking | 0 | 6,195 | 10,064 | 10,851 | 9,262 |
| Music | 14,223 | 12,903 | 12,369 | 11,689 | 10,592 |
| Nature | 16,164 | 15,046 | 14,679 | 13,635 | 11,586 |
| Nuclear Science | 7,666 | 6,657 | 6,728 | 7,005 | 6,702 |
| Oceanography | 10,769 | 9,991 | 9,892 | 8,499 | 7,763 |
| Orienteering | 16,909 | 16,871 | 15,642 | 13,753 | 11,742 |
| Painting | 4,911 | 4,346 | 4,245 | 3,829 | 3,222 |
| Personal Fitness* | 56,295 | 50,693 | 52,499 | 52,079 | 50,428 |
| Personal Management* | 53,273 | 48,299 | 51,105 | 50,251 | 49,287 |
| Pets | 5,659 | 4,821 | 4,645 | 4,278 | 4,289 |
| Photography | 17,800 | 17,804 | 16,931 | 15,142 | 13,550 |
| Pioneering | 19,525 | 18,117 | 17,341 | 15,959 | 13,870 |
| Plant Science | 2,712 | 2,680 | 2,922 | 2,363 | 2,107 |
| Plumbing | 5,178 | 4,982 | 4,960 | 4,510 | 4,398 |
| Pottery | 9,869 | 9,050 | 8,384 | 8,230 | 7,940 |
| Programming | 480 | 2,970 | 3,577 | 4,085 | 4,138 |
| Public Health | 2,006 | 1,821 | 1,780 | 1,837 | 1,798 |
| Public Speaking | 7,289 | 7,091 | 7,793 | 7,497 | 7,035 |
| Pulp and Paper | 7,034 | 6,250 | 7,379 | 6,081 | 6,879 |
| Radio | 7,208 | 6,665 | 6,709 | 6,442 | 5,840 |
| Railroading | 7,191 | 6,694 | 7,651 | 6,599 | 6,663 |
| Reading | 5,216 | 4,712 | 4,179 | 3,574 | 3,524 |
| Reptile and Amphibian Study | 8,483 | 7,547 | 6,700 | 6,411 | 6,053 |
| Rifle Shooting | 47,054 | 45,839 | 43,196 | 41,444 | 37,796 |
| Robotics | 13,401 | 13,708 | 13,700 | 14,264 | 15,031 |
| Rowing | 10,944 | 10,557 | 9,995 | 9,408 | 8,239 |
| Safety | 4,349 | 3,778 | 3,937 | 4,267 | 3,280 |
| Salesmanship | 6,438 | 6,648 | 6,412 | 6,031 | 5,908 |
| Scholarship | 5,956 | 5,362 | 4,911 | 4,316 | 4,171 |
| Scouting Heritage | 5,660 | 5,572 | 5,558 | 5,266 | 5,916 |
| Scuba Diving | 2,370 | 1,989 | 2,135 | 1,792 | 1,842 |
| Sculpture | 11,493 | 9,887 | 10,042 | 8,900 | 8,715 |
| Search and Rescue | 10,552 | 12,359 | 11,725 | 10,361 | 10,107 |
| Shotgun Shooting | 24,603 | 23,970 | 21,895 | 20,912 | 19,703 |
| Signs, Signals and Codes | 0 | 0 | 3,453 | 8,025 | 7,364 |
| Skating | 2,406 | 2,010 | 1,972 | 1,953 | 1,785 |
| Small Boat Sailing | 16,857 | 16,511 | 15,092 | 14,108 | 14,182 |
| Snow Sports | 9,134 | 8,227 | 7,251 | 7,177 | 7,267 |
| Soil and Water Conservation | 11,697 | 11,296 | 10,437 | 10,341 | 9,484 |
| Space Exploration | 23,290 | 22,625 | 21,607 | 20,137 | 18,994 |
| Sports | 8,950 | 8,032 | 8,272 | 7,626 | 6,556 |
| Stamp Collecting | 1,131 | 863 | 996 | 793 | 954 |
| Surveying | 1,307 | 1,065 | 879 | 1,028 | 863 |
| Sustainability **** | 590 | 5,428 | 6,625 | 6,813 | 7,295 |
| Swimming** | 72,946 | 72,503 | 71,821 | 67,446 | 62,057 |
| Textile | 4,673 | 3,694 | 3,225 | 2,480 | 2,205 |
| Theater | 2,320 | 2,273 | 2,665 | 2,543 | 2,332 |
| Traffic Safety | 7,582 | 7,088 | 5,604 | 6,072 | 5,689 |
| Truck Transportation | 2,847 | 2,182 | 2,157 | 2,391 | 2,466 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 3,455 | 2,875 | 2,764 | 2,580 | 2,451 |
| Water Sports | 3,935 | 3,594 | 3,389 | 3,123 | 2,966 |
| Weather | 15,958 | 15,846 | 14,622 | 12,665 | 12,690 |
| Welding | 10,919 | 11,061 | 11,019 | 10,737 | 10,656 |
| Whitewater | 3,252 | 3,565 | 2,888 | 3,476 | 2,832 |
| Wilderness Survival | 43,158 | 40,395 | 37,581 | 35,221 | 30,814 |
| Wood Carving | 41,120 | 38,749 | 36,890 | 34,938 | 32,943 |
| Woodwork | 5,602 | 5,198 | 5,242 | 4,975 | 5,212 |
| Total | 2,110,848 | 2,077,550 | 2,011,860 | 1,919,912 | 1,813,834 |
- * 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)
The raw numbers: Lifetime rankings
Note: This list includes only merit badges that could be earned in 2017.
Also, 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 its 2012 release hurts its overall popularity.
| Rank | Merit Badge | 1911 to 2017 |
| 1 | First Aid* | 7,207,435 |
| 2 | Swimming** | 6,516,091 |
| 3 | Camping* | 4,821,459 |
| 4 | Cooking* | 4,512,897 |
| 5 | Citizenship in the Community* | 3,614,538 |
| 6 | Citizenship in the Nation* | 3,372,766 |
| 7 | Canoeing | 3,107,435 |
| 8 | Lifesaving*** | 3,104,521 |
| 9 | Safety | 2,946,498 |
| 10 | Environmental Science**** | 2,892,099 |
| 11 | Personal Fitness* | 2,654,233 |
| 12 | Fire Safety | 2,644,437 |
| 13 | Leatherwork | 2,561,294 |
| 14 | Basketry | 2,487,721 |
| 15 | Pioneering | 2,460,378 |
| 16 | Citizenship in the World* | 2,444,210 |
| 17 | Home Repairs | 2,425,215 |
| 18 | Wood Carving | 2,392,429 |
| 19 | Communication* | 2,215,736 |
| 20 | Fishing | 2,064,598 |
| 21 | Emergency Preparedness*** | 1,975,563 |
| 22 | Personal Management* | 1,962,629 |
| 23 | Fingerprinting | 1,797,830 |
| 24 | Rowing | 1,745,480 |
| 25 | Wilderness Survival | 1,738,944 |
| 26 | Archery | 1,720,443 |
| 27 | Nature | 1,705,342 |
| 28 | Public Health | 1,523,060 |
| 29 | Reading | 1,494,321 |
| 30 | Rifle Shooting | 1,450,415 |
| 31 | Art | 1,377,741 |
| 32 | Music | 1,353,407 |
| 33 | Hiking** | 1,351,753 |
| 34 | Family Life* | 1,310,304 |
| 35 | Scholarship | 1,290,112 |
| 36 | Mammal Study | 1,258,793 |
| 37 | Indian Lore | 1,255,346 |
| 38 | Forestry | 1,187,825 |
| 39 | Metalwork | 1,172,608 |
| 40 | Sports | 1,167,843 |
| 41 | Soil and Water Conservation | 1,152,507 |
| 42 | Athletics | 1,074,488 |
| 43 | Woodwork | 987,355 |
| 44 | Orienteering | 858,278 |
| 45 | Electricity | 833,847 |
| 46 | Geology | 706,492 |
| 47 | Small Boat Sailing | 695,691 |
| 48 | Fish & Wildlife Management | 690,634 |
| 49 | Astronomy | 688,017 |
| 50 | Pets | 671,875 |
| 51 | Horsemanship | 670,695 |
| 52 | Reptile and Amphibian Study | 667,266 |
| 53 | Public Speaking | 664,828 |
| 54 | Aviation | 648,491 |
| 55 | Space Exploration | 620,609 |
| 56 | Weather | 617,935 |
| 57 | Motor Boating | 615,250 |
| 58 | Bird Study | 597,936 |
| 59 | Cycling** | 593,880 |
| 60 | Shotgun Shooting | 582,790 |
| 61 | Painting | 573,420 |
| 62 | Photography | 551,132 |
| 63 | Computers | 521,055 |
| 64 | Coin Collecting | 509,924 |
| 65 | Climbing | 477,611 |
| 66 | Snow Sports | 472,913 |
| 67 | Dog Care | 439,203 |
| 68 | Pottery | 408,505 |
| 69 | Plumbing | 405,246 |
| 70 | Stamp Collecting | 392,250 |
| 71 | Gardening | 391,920 |
| 72 | Chemistry | 382,136 |
| 73 | Salesmanship | 343,181 |
| 74 | Sculpture | 330,065 |
| 75 | Oceanography | 314,500 |
| 76 | Water Sports | 259,532 |
| 77 | Railroading | 258,268 |
| 78 | Genealogy | 246,737 |
| 79 | Electronics | 240,195 |
| 80 | Model Design and Building | 228,305 |
| 81 | Drafting | 228,284 |
| 82 | Farm Mechanics | 227,721 |
| 83 | Architecture | 226,691 |
| 84 | Backpacking | 225,710 |
| 85 | Law | 201,026 |
| 86 | Automotive Maintenance | 197,999 |
| 87 | Nuclear Science | 194,171 |
| 88 | Radio | 191,473 |
| 89 | Kayaking | 191,172 |
| 90 | Engineering | 181,473 |
| 91 | Skating | 179,070 |
| 92 | Archaeology | 177,844 |
| 93 | Golf | 177,449 |
| 94 | Traffic Safety | 174,936 |
| 95 | American Heritage | 174,868 |
| 96 | Insect Study | 173,618 |
| 97 | Bugling | 171,499 |
| 98 | Chess | 169,451 |
| 99 | Crime Prevention | 156,148 |
| 100 | Surveying | 154,418 |
| 101 | Collections | 153,755 |
| 102 | Textile | 150,920 |
| 103 | Dentistry | 144,914 |
| 104 | Truck Transportation | 144,591 |
| 105 | Disabilities Awareness | 138,701 |
| 106 | Pulp and Paper | 134,946 |
| 107 | Geocaching | 119,875 |
| 108 | Journalism | 109,516 |
| 109 | Cinematography | 106,447 |
| 110 | Whitewater | 97,648 |
| 111 | Theater | 91,202 |
| 112 | Energy | 89,287 |
| 113 | Robotics | 88,773 |
| 114 | Landscape Architecture | 86,122 |
| 115 | Veterinary Medicine | 83,880 |
| 116 | Medicine | 83,683 |
| 117 | American Cultures | 74,518 |
| 118 | Animal Science | 73,191 |
| 119 | Graphic Arts | 60,616 |
| 120 | Welding | 58,414 |
| 121 | Search and Rescue | 55,829 |
| 122 | American Business | 54,967 |
| 123 | Game Design | 54,322 |
| 124 | Plant Science | 52,193 |
| 125 | Scouting Heritage | 43,587 |
| 126 | Fly Fishing | 40,334 |
| 127 | Moviemaking | 36,372 |
| 128 | Entrepreneurship | 32,207 |
| 129 | Digital Technology | 30,509 |
| 130 | Sustainability **** | 26,751 |
| 131 | American Labor | 25,627 |
| 132 | Inventing | 20,592 |
| 133 | Signs, Signals and Codes | 18,842 |
| 134 | Scuba Diving | 18,829 |
| 135 | Composite Materials | 18,432 |
| 136 | Mining in Society | 17,029 |
| 137 | Programming | 15,250 |
| 138 | Animation | 11,198 |
| 139 | Exploration | 2,090 |
| Total | 125,111,691 |
The raw numbers: Percent change rankings
| Merit Badge | 2016 | 2017 | Rise/Fall |
| Stamp Collecting | 793 | 954 | 20.3% |
| Animation | 4,637 | 5,462 | 17.8% |
| Inventing | 2,834 | 3,296 | 16.3% |
| Journalism | 970 | 1,127 | 16.2% |
| Genealogy | 4,570 | 5,213 | 14.1% |
| Architecture | 3,230 | 3,654 | 13.1% |
| Pulp and Paper | 6,081 | 6,879 | 13.1% |
| Insect Study | 2,341 | 2,644 | 12.9% |
| Scouting Heritage | 5,266 | 5,916 | 12.3% |
| American Heritage | 4,952 | 5,496 | 11.0% |
| American Labor | 812 | 901 | 11.0% |
| Mining in Society | 4,224 | 4,673 | 10.6% |
| Collections | 3,753 | 4,140 | 10.3% |
| Dog Care | 2,414 | 2,661 | 10.2% |
| Crime Prevention | 6,178 | 6,721 | 8.8% |
| Dentistry | 2,910 | 3,135 | 7.7% |
| Sustainability **** | 6,813 | 7,295 | 7.1% |
| Gardening | 1,375 | 1,450 | 5.5% |
| Robotics | 14,264 | 15,031 | 5.4% |
| Woodwork | 4,975 | 5,212 | 4.8% |
| American Cultures | 2,218 | 2,298 | 3.6% |
| Law | 5,226 | 5,402 | 3.4% |
| Home Repairs | 3,325 | 3,432 | 3.2% |
| Entrepreneurship | 3,365 | 3,473 | 3.2% |
| Truck Transportation | 2,391 | 2,466 | 3.1% |
| Engineering | 11,429 | 11,773 | 3.0% |
| Scuba Diving | 1,792 | 1,842 | 2.8% |
| Metalwork | 12,639 | 12,990 | 2.8% |
| Programming | 4,085 | 4,138 | 1.3% |
| Snow Sports | 7,177 | 7,267 | 1.3% |
| Railroading | 6,599 | 6,663 | 1.0% |
| Game Design | 13,689 | 13,810 | 0.9% |
| Geology | 18,516 | 18,674 | 0.9% |
| Basketry | 15,282 | 15,406 | 0.8% |
| Small Boat Sailing | 14,108 | 14,182 | 0.5% |
| Fly Fishing | 4,577 | 4,597 | 0.4% |
| Pets | 4,278 | 4,289 | 0.3% |
| Weather | 12,665 | 12,690 | 0.2% |
| Motor Boating | 9,515 | 9,517 | 0.0% |
| Animal Science | 3,852 | 3,848 | -0.1% |
| Landscape Architecture | 1,494 | 1,483 | -0.7% |
| Welding | 10,737 | 10,656 | -0.8% |
| Aviation | 14,477 | 14,347 | -0.9% |
| Reading | 3,574 | 3,524 | -1.4% |
| Chess | 27,416 | 26,919 | -1.8% |
| Personal Management* | 50,251 | 49,287 | -1.9% |
| Salesmanship | 6,031 | 5,908 | -2.0% |
| Sculpture | 8,900 | 8,715 | -2.1% |
| Public Health | 1,837 | 1,798 | -2.1% |
| American Business | 627 | 613 | -2.2% |
| Search and Rescue | 10,361 | 10,107 | -2.5% |
| Plumbing | 4,510 | 4,398 | -2.5% |
| Farm Mechanics | 2,368 | 2,307 | -2.6% |
| Family Life* | 50,177 | 48,774 | -2.8% |
| Personal Fitness* | 52,079 | 50,428 | -3.2% |
| Scholarship | 4,316 | 4,171 | -3.4% |
| Pottery | 8,230 | 7,940 | -3.5% |
| Fishing | 25,256 | 24,343 | -3.6% |
| Electronics | 7,814 | 7,524 | -3.7% |
| Astronomy | 16,355 | 15,702 | -4.0% |
| Fire Safety | 12,257 | 11,746 | -4.2% |
| Drafting | 1,168 | 1,119 | -4.2% |
| Fingerprinting | 40,700 | 38,989 | -4.2% |
| Nuclear Science | 7,005 | 6,702 | -4.3% |
| Bird Study | 5,199 | 4,965 | -4.5% |
| Coin Collecting | 4,135 | 3,930 | -5.0% |
| Camping* | 53,534 | 50,871 | -5.0% |
| Veterinary Medicine | 2,580 | 2,451 | -5.0% |
| Water Sports | 3,123 | 2,966 | -5.0% |
| Automotive Maintenance | 10,748 | 10,205 | -5.1% |
| Bugling | 479 | 454 | -5.2% |
| Electricity | 9,762 | 9,245 | -5.3% |
| Hiking** | 7,485 | 7,084 | -5.4% |
| Communication* | 53,367 | 50,503 | -5.4% |
| Medicine | 3,767 | 3,561 | -5.5% |
| Reptile and Amphibian Study | 6,411 | 6,053 | -5.6% |
| Space Exploration | 20,137 | 18,994 | -5.7% |
| Chemistry | 10,865 | 10,248 | -5.7% |
| Graphic Arts | 3,251 | 3,066 | -5.7% |
| Wood Carving | 34,938 | 32,943 | -5.7% |
| Shotgun Shooting | 20,912 | 19,703 | -5.8% |
| Citizenship in the World* | 59,363 | 55,917 | -5.8% |
| Public Speaking | 7,497 | 7,035 | -6.2% |
| Digital Technology | 9,344 | 8,768 | -6.2% |
| Art | 22,990 | 21,567 | -6.2% |
| Citizenship in the Community* | 51,975 | 48,736 | -6.2% |
| Traffic Safety | 6,072 | 5,689 | -6.3% |
| Leatherwork | 37,920 | 35,490 | -6.4% |
| Indian Lore | 18,234 | 17,003 | -6.8% |
| Archaeology | 7,388 | 6,876 | -6.9% |
| Energy | 2,955 | 2,749 | -7.0% |
| Environmental Science**** | 60,026 | 55,703 | -7.2% |
| Lifesaving*** | 22,382 | 20,748 | -7.3% |
| Model Design and Building | 2,770 | 2,564 | -7.4% |
| First Aid* | 75,256 | 69,563 | -7.6% |
| Emergency Preparedness*** | 47,004 | 43,351 | -7.8% |
| Canoeing | 28,288 | 26,052 | -7.9% |
| Swimming** | 67,446 | 62,057 | -8.0% |
| Kayaking | 33,137 | 30,466 | -8.1% |
| Fish & Wildlife Management | 12,647 | 11,615 | -8.2% |
| Signs, Signals and Codes | 8,025 | 7,364 | -8.2% |
| Soil and Water Conservation | 10,341 | 9,484 | -8.3% |
| Theater | 2,543 | 2,332 | -8.3% |
| Forestry | 12,519 | 11,456 | -8.5% |
| Citizenship in the Nation* | 57,919 | 52,949 | -8.6% |
| Skating | 1,953 | 1,785 | -8.6% |
| Horsemanship | 9,457 | 8,641 | -8.6% |
| Oceanography | 8,499 | 7,763 | -8.7% |
| Cooking* | 55,841 | 51,004 | -8.7% |
| Rifle Shooting | 41,444 | 37,796 | -8.8% |
| Radio | 6,442 | 5,840 | -9.3% |
| Cycling** | 6,334 | 5,742 | -9.3% |
| Music | 11,689 | 10,592 | -9.4% |
| Golf | 3,605 | 3,248 | -9.9% |
| Disabilities Awareness | 5,833 | 5,239 | -10.2% |
| Archery | 39,419 | 35,301 | -10.4% |
| Photography | 15,142 | 13,550 | -10.5% |
| Plant Science | 2,363 | 2,107 | -10.8% |
| Textile | 2,480 | 2,205 | -11.1% |
| Backpacking | 3,963 | 3,498 | -11.7% |
| Athletics | 3,125 | 2,754 | -11.9% |
| Composite Materials | 1,597 | 1,407 | -11.9% |
| Mammal Study | 21,303 | 18,715 | -12.1% |
| Rowing | 9,408 | 8,239 | -12.4% |
| Wilderness Survival | 35,221 | 30,814 | -12.5% |
| Pioneering | 15,959 | 13,870 | -13.1% |
| Climbing | 21,171 | 18,356 | -13.3% |
| Sports | 7,626 | 6,556 | -14.0% |
| Orienteering | 13,753 | 11,742 | -14.6% |
| Moviemaking | 10,851 | 9,262 | -14.6% |
| Nature | 13,635 | 11,586 | -15.0% |
| Painting | 3,829 | 3,222 | -15.9% |
| Surveying | 1,028 | 863 | -16.1% |
| Geocaching | 15,210 | 12,604 | -17.1% |
| Whitewater | 3,476 | 2,832 | -18.5% |
| Safety | 4,267 | 3,280 | -23.1% |
| Exploration | n/a | 2,090 | n/a |
This is the end of the blog post.
You made it to the end. Impressive!
Once your fingers recover from all that scrolling, please leave a comment with your favorite takeaways from this year’s stats.
Presenting the 2017 Merit Badge Rankings: Which were the most and least popular?