If it seems like your local running path is more crowded than it used to be, you're not imagining things. The number of Americans who run 25 or more days a year has increased by 60.6 percent since 2004, according to data compiled by the National Sporting Goods Association and recently distributed by Running USA.
The graph below shows the growth in what NSGA calls "occasional runners" (those who run 25-109 times per year) and "frequent runners" (those who run 110 or more times per year, or at least twice a week).
NSGA also tracks what it calls "infrequent runners," or those who run 6-24 times per year. NSGA says there were just more than 12.5 million of them in 2013, for a total of just less than 42 million American runners last year.
Growth in the two categories of more regular runners has been strong over the past decade, despite occasional dips. Since 2004, the number of frequent runners has risen from 6.4 million to 9.9 million, a 54.7 percent increase. Growth in the number of occasional runners has been even greater, from 11.9 million to 19.5 million, a 63.9 percent increase.
Counting infrequent, occasional and frequent runners in 2013, women age 25 to 34 had the highest age-group representation, 5.6 million. According to NSGA's data, women runners have outnumbered men in the United States since 2012.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Best Running Shoes 2025, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Stravas 2024 Yearly Report Is Here Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
