Triathlon Demographics

Quick Facts: As published by Triathlete Magazine

Age: Almost 75% of triathletes are between ages of 30 and 49;

Average age:  39
Gender:  72% male, 28% female
Education:  86% Graduated College; 43% Post-Graduate degree or Post-Graduate Work
Median Household Income: $116,900
Amount Spent Yearly On Equipment: $4,100
Home ownership: 73%
Mobile: 59% own an SUV
Marital / Family Status: 74% married; 26% Single;
    53% have one or more children
Where they live: 28% Southeast; 29% West; 21% North Central; 17% North East

Additional Demographics, As Published by USA Triathlon

USA Triathlon Membership Activity (full-year licenses)

Breakdown of 2005 annual membership per age group
(Numbers are approximate)

2005 Annual memberships by state: (Top 10)

Single Event Permit Activity (one-day licenses) 

A one-day license must be purchased for a USAT-sanctioned race if the person in not an annual member.
Be aware that one person may purchase multiple one-day licenses over the course of a season

1994: 49,083
1995: 50,128
1998: 83,612
1999: 108,764
2000: 101,047
2001: 116,799 (includes one-days sold at 2000 Danskin series races) 
2002: 140,743 
2003: 145,889
2004: 177,040

2005 Female Members of USA Triathlon

Total members: 58,940
Females:           19,038 (32.30%)

Total number of elites: 467
Female elites:               184 (39.40%)

Total Under23 members: 3,541
Females Under23:           1,376 (39.40%)

2005 USA Triathlon Largest Events - (Top 25)
 

USA Triathlon Registered Clubs
2000 50
2001 130
2002 158
2003 237
2004 366
2005 375

Collegiate 44

Avg. # of Members 87

Over 1000 Members       4 clubs

Between 500 and 1000   0 clubs

Between 250-500           19 clubs

Between 100-250           59 clubs

Under 100                     293 clubs

1.  CA   43

2.  TX    27

3.  NY   26

4.  IL     19

5.  CO   19

Approximate Education Range of Multi-sport Athletes 
(based on a 2000 survey of 925  members and non-members)

Approximate Household Income of Multi-sport Athletes
(based on a 2000 survey of 925  members and non- members)

It is estimated that between 150,000-250,000 people try a multi-sport event in the United States each year. This includes triathlons (swim, bike run), duathlons (run, bike, run) and aquathlons (swim and run).

USA Triathlon's female membership has increased from 11 percent in the early 90s, to about 29 percent today. This is especially impressive considering a survey by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association that found women prefer non-competitive events to maintain physical fitness.

USA Triathlon has many commissions of volunteers that help run the organization. Among these are the Age Group Commission, the Athlete Advisory Council, the Duathlon Commission, the Women's Commission, the Clubs Commission, the Officials Commission and the Race Directors Commission. It also has 10 active regional federations.

A 2000 survey of 925 multi-sport athletes found:

• 35% value their bike at $2,000-$4,000; 18% spend $1,500-$2,000

• Most triathletes (28%) spend $50-$100 on swim equipment; 23% spend $25-50 on swim equipment.

• 36% spend under $300 on their bike equipment; 22% spend $1,000-$3000 on their bike equipment; 19% spend $300-$500.

• 54% spend $100-$299 on their running equipment; 26% spend $300-$500.

Before, during and after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, USA Triathlon and its elite athletes appeared in such publications as the New York Times, the L.A. Times, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, USA Today, the Orlando Sentinel, the Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News, the Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press and a host of others. Olympic bronze medalist Susan Williams was interviewed on NBC, the Today Show and did numerous interviews with NBC affiliates across the country.

NBC's prime time Olympic coverage on Aug. 25, 2004, which included coverage of the women's Olympic triathlon, was the third most-watched prime time show for the week of Aug. 22, 2004. The first and second most-watched shows were also the prime time Olympic coverage. The women's triathlon was seen in 24.3 million households, according the Nielsen Media Research.

Through the first weekend, NBC's coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, which included coverage of the women's triathlon, was the most watched non-U.S. Summer Games in history with 111 million people tuned-in to all or part of the broadcasts, according to NBC Sports research.

Ratings for the 2003 NBC broadcast of the Ironman World Championship were 1.9 rating/4 share for the lead-in broadcast and the signature broadcast received an incredible 2.5 rating/4 share. These figures are particularly exciting as the telecast went up against several other popular football events - the SEC Championship, the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Football.

ITU World Cup and Ironman races are shown on the Outdoor Life Network. The Ironman World Championship is shown yearly on NBC and NBC's coverage has won numerous Emmys.