Archaeology Merit Badge History
Earned through 2020192,293
Best year201210,316 earned
All-time popularity#111official, as of 2020#111by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 1996. Peak year 2012 with 10,316. Hover over or tap a year for its numbers.
Known count No data available
"—" means merit badges were earned that year but the exact number is not currently known. "#83 of 141" means the badge was number 83 of the 141 merit badges earned that year. National counts have not been published since 2020, but the rankings have. The grand total comes from official reports and includes the years without a known count. The 2025 all-time place is an estimate, because the counts for 2021 to 2025 are worked out from each year's official ranking and the total number of merit badges earned that year.
19961#133 of 134
1997—
1998—
1999—
20002,742#94 of 128
20013,372#86 of 129
20024,347#85 of 129
20034,617#83 of 130
20045,018#81 of 121
20053,766#91 of 121
20064,946#79 of 121
20075,522#72 of 121
20086,527#62 of 121
20097,821#59 of 122
20107,939#61 of 125
20119,586#54 of 129
201210,316#50 of 132
20138,913#44 of 129
20148,652#64 of 136
20157,590#68 of 138
20167,388#69 of 138
20176,876#71 of 139
20186,056#77 of 139
20195,722#81 of 139
20202,671#106 of 137
2021—#76 of 137
2022—#78 of 138
2023—#81 of 138
2024—#84 of 138
2025—#83 of 141
Grand total through 2020:
This page keeps growing. More of this badge's history, including its patches and pamphlets, is being checked and will be added once it is confirmed.