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%

2018 Merit Badge Rankings: A deep dive into the official numbers, from 1 to 137