High School Football Participation, 2025

There are over one million high school football players and 15,952 programs spread throughout the United States.  This makes for the average squad size to be close to 66 players.  This ranges from a high of 155 in Texas to a low of 29 in Vermont.  Missouri averages 55 players per squad while Iowa has nearly 56 per squad. When mapped by state the Midwest and South have the highest number of participants per population. This pattern is most likely impacted by population density and settlement patterns. More rural states with smaller sized high schools would provide more opportunity for an athlete to make the team.