Law Merit Badge History
Earned through 2020218,325
Best year20107,333 earned
All-time popularity#103official, as of 2020#106by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 1975. Peak year 2010 with 7,333. 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. "#87 of 141" means the badge was number 87 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.
1974—
19751,097#123 of 128
19762,896#96 of 130
19773,391#86 of 130
19783,042#84 of 131
19792,338#84 of 132
19801,594#83 of 132
19812,590#81 of 134
1982—
1983—
1984—
1985—
1986—
1987—
1988—
1989—
1990—
1991—
1992—
19935,067#65 of 123
1994—
1995—
19964,725#68 of 134
1997—
1998—
1999—
20005,274#74 of 128
20014,977#76 of 129
20026,120#69 of 129
20036,357#66 of 130
20046,400#66 of 121
20055,666#68 of 121
20065,652#67 of 121
20075,545#71 of 121
20085,949#70 of 121
20097,044#70 of 122
20107,333#66 of 125
20117,315#61 of 129
20127,274#58 of 132
20136,946#49 of 129
20145,463#83 of 136
20155,633#80 of 138
20165,226#83 of 138
20175,402#84 of 139
20185,656#82 of 139
20195,681#82 of 139
20205,962#56 of 137
2021—#91 of 137
2022—#90 of 138
2023—#89 of 138
2024—#91 of 138
2025—#87 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.