Personal Fitness Merit Badge History

Earned through 20202,793,990

Best year200082,865 earned

All-time popularity#11official, as of 2020#11by 2025 (estimate)

Earned by Year

First earned in 1952. Peak year 2000 with 82,865. Hover over or tap a year for its numbers.

19523,115 earned#60 of 120

195322,739 earned#11 of 105

195424,506 earned#16 of 103

195526,244 earned#17 of 100

195627,144 earned#16 of 100

195729,776 earned#15 of 100

195831,349 earned#15 of 101

195933,449 earned#15 of 101

196066,506 earned#7 of 100

196157,101 earned#9 of 101

196249,852 earned#11 of 101

196352,404 earned#10 of 102

196455,068 earned#9 of 107

196554,343 earned#8 of 109

196656,710 earned#6 of 110

196770,166 earned#5 of 112

196866,742 earned#6 of 112

196966,989 earned#7 of 113

197066,746 earned#7 of 113

197164,066 earned#7 of 113

197263,857 earned#6 of 124

197367,105 earned#4 of 122

197443,881 earned#17 of 121

197536,797 earned#25 of 128

197632,005 earned#26 of 130

197726,746 earned#25 of 130

197821,714 earned#28 of 131

197920,767 earned#25 of 132

198014,427 earned#26 of 132

198121,532 earned#25 of 134

1982No data available

1983No data available

1984No data available

1985No data available

1986No data available

1987No data available

1988No data available

1989No data available

1990No data available

1991No data available

1992No data available

199346,576 earned#14 of 123

1994No data available

1995No data available

199611,927 earned#49 of 134

1997No data available

1998No data available

1999No data available

200082,865 earned#3 of 128

200154,162 earned#11 of 129

200258,995 earned#10 of 129

200354,907 earned#12 of 130

200458,820 earned#10 of 121

200554,348 earned#9 of 121

200655,088 earned#6 of 121

200753,030 earned#8 of 121

200854,068 earned#8 of 121

200958,461 earned#10 of 122

201058,988 earned#8 of 125

201156,588 earned#8 of 129

201256,908 earned#8 of 132

201356,295 earned#4 of 129

201450,693 earned#10 of 136

201552,499 earned#9 of 138

201652,079 earned#9 of 138

201750,428 earned#9 of 139

201849,600 earned#10 of 139

201949,802 earned#5 of 139

202040,355 earned#6 of 137

2021No data available#9 of 137

2022No data available#10 of 138

2023No data available#8 of 138

2024No data available#9 of 138

2025No data available#9 of 141

Known count No data available

"—" means merit badges were earned that year but the exact number is not currently known. "#9 of 141" means the badge was number 9 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.

19523,115#60 of 120

195322,739#11 of 105

195424,506#16 of 103

195526,244#17 of 100

195627,144#16 of 100

195729,776#15 of 100

195831,349#15 of 101

195933,449#15 of 101

196066,506#7 of 100

196157,101#9 of 101

196249,852#11 of 101

196352,404#10 of 102

196455,068#9 of 107

196554,343#8 of 109

196656,710#6 of 110

196770,166#5 of 112

196866,742#6 of 112

196966,989#7 of 113

197066,746#7 of 113

197164,066#7 of 113

197263,857#6 of 124

197367,105#4 of 122

197443,881#17 of 121

197536,797#25 of 128

197632,005#26 of 130

197726,746#25 of 130

197821,714#28 of 131

197920,767#25 of 132

198014,427#26 of 132

198121,532#25 of 134

1982—

1983—

1984—

1985—

1986—

1987—

1988—

1989—

1990—

1991—

1992—

199346,576#14 of 123

1994—

1995—

199611,927#49 of 134

1997—

1998—

1999—

200082,865#3 of 128

200154,162#11 of 129

200258,995#10 of 129

200354,907#12 of 130

200458,820#10 of 121

200554,348#9 of 121

200655,088#6 of 121

200753,030#8 of 121

200854,068#8 of 121

200958,461#10 of 122

201058,988#8 of 125

201156,588#8 of 129

201256,908#8 of 132

201356,295#4 of 129

201450,693#10 of 136

201552,499#9 of 138

201652,079#9 of 138

201750,428#9 of 139

201849,600#10 of 139

201949,802#5 of 139

202040,355#6 of 137

2021—#9 of 137

2022—#10 of 138

2023—#8 of 138

2024—#9 of 138

2025—#9 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.

Personal Fitness: workbook data

Printings (73)

Have	Year	Month	Cover	Back	Run	©	BSA #	UPC	SKU	SA #	HC	Notes
x	1953	June	6		25M	1953
x	1954	June	6		20M	1953
x	1955	May	6		20M	1953					HCJV1
x	1956	May	6		20M	1953
x	1957	March	6		25M	1953
x	1958	April	6		25M	1953
x	1959	May	6		24M	1953
x	1960	April	6		25M	1953
x	1960	July	6		30M	1953					HCJV2
x	1961	May	6		35M	1953
x	1962	April	6		35M	1953					HCJ
x	1963	July	6		35M	1953					HCK, HCP
x	1964	June	6		35M	1953					HCK
x	1965	April	6		40M	1953					HCK
x	1966	May	7A		45M	1953					HCL, HCP
x	1967	May	7A		40M	1953
x	1968	November	7A		50M	1968					HCL
x	1969	September	7B		50M	1968					HCL, HCM
	1970	not made
x	1971	January	7B		45M	1968
x	1972	January	7C		45M	1968
x	1973	May	8A		36M	1968					HCSV2, HCT
x	1974	April	8A		38M	1968					HCT
	1975	not made
x	1976	August	8B		17M	1968
	1977	not made
x	1978	February	8B		12M	1968
x	1979	April	8B		12M	1968
x	1980	April	9X		11M	1968						with wilderness survival merit badge mistakenly printed on front cover
x	1981	May	9A		12M	1968
x	1982	April	9A		12M	1968
x	1983	April	9A		12M	1968
x	1984	January	9A		10M	1968
x	1984	September	9A		12M	1968
x	1985	December	9A		12M	1968
x	1986	October	9A		12M	1968
x	1987	September	9A		12M	1968
x	1988	August	9A		12M	1968
x	1989	May	9A		15M	1968
x	1990	October	9A		15M
x	1990	October	9B-1		15M
	1991	not made
x	1992	March	9B-1		15M
x	1993	June	9B-1		12M
x	1994	July	9B-1		12M
x	1995	September	9		12M
x	1996	November	9		10M
	1997	not made
x	1998	September	9B-3									revised 1992 10 9 8 7 6 in front
x	1999		9B-3			1999
x	1999		9B-3			1999						2nd printing
x	1999		9B-3			1999						3rd printing
x	2000		9C			1999						© 1999 and 1999 edition
x	2000		9C			1999						2000 printing of the 1999 edition
x	2000		9C			1999						second 2000 printing of the 1999 edition
x	2001		9			1999
x	2001		9			1999						2nd printing
x	2002		9			1999
x	2003		9C			1999
x	2004		9C			1999
x	2005		9C
x	2006		9
c	2007		9D
x	2007		9D									2nd printing
x	2008		10A
x	2009		10B
x	2010		10C
x	2011		10C
x	2012		10C
x	2013		10C
x	2013		10C									spanish version
x	2014		10C
x	2015		10C
x	2016		10C
	2017	not made
	2018	not made
x	2019		10D			2019
	2020	not made
	2021	not made
x	2022		10D
x	2023		10D
x	2024		11A	back-1125		2024	35927	7301766568944	656894	300082738
	2025	not made

Earned and rank by year

Year	Earned	Rank	Of
1952	3,115	60	120
1953	22,739	11	105
1954	24,506	16	103
1955	26,244	17	100
1956	27,144	16	100
1957	29,776	15	100
1958	31,349	15	101
1959	33,449	15	101
1960	66,506	7	100
1961	57,101	9	101
1962	49,852	11	101
1963	52,404	10	102
1964	55,068	9	107
1965	54,343	8	109
1966	56,710	6	110
1967	70,166	5	112
1968	66,742	6	112
1969	66,989	7	113
1970	66,746	7	113
1971	64,066	7	113
1972	63,857	6	124
1973	67,105	4	122
1974	43,881	17	121
1975	36,797	25	128
1976	32,005	26	130
1977	26,746	25	130
1978	21,714	28	131
1979	20,767	25	132
1980	14,427	26	132
1981	21,532	25	134
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993	46,576	14	123
1994
1995
1996	11,927	49	134
1997
1998
1999
2000	82,865	3	128
2001	54,162	11	129
2002	58,995	10	129
2003	54,907	12	130
2004	58,820	10	121
2005	54,348	9	121
2006	55,088	6	121
2007	53,030	8	121
2008	54,068	8	121
2009	58,461	10	122
2010	58,988	8	125
2011	56,588	8	129
2012	56,908	8	132
2013	56,295	4	129
2014	50,693	10	136
2015	52,499	9	138
2016	52,079	9	138
2017	50,428	9	139
2018	49,600	10	139
2019	49,802	5	139
2020	40,355	6	137
2021		9	137
2022		10	138
2023		8	138
2024		9	138
2025		9	141