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Press kit: The State of Youth Programs 2026

This page collects the numbers, charts and citation for The State of Youth Programs 2026. The full report is free to read and reuse.

Disclosure: BackPR wrote the report and sells registration and payment software to the same kinds of programs: free for registered nonprofits and by quote for other organizations. BackPR is not one of the 48 platforms counted. The report's method, limitations and full disclosure are on the report page. Read the full disclosure.

Download the report (PDF)Read the reportLogos and product images

Key statistics

The numbers at a glance

MeasureFigure
Youth and community nonprofits171,592 active 501(c)(3) organizations
Under $50,000 in revenue or no amount on file77% of those organizations (73% counting only those that report under $50,000 or file the 990-N)
Nonprofits per 10,000 children23.8 nationally; 57.7 in Wyoming and 15.4 in Utah
Universal mandated reporting18 states require every adult to report suspected child abuse
Youth camp licensingDay and overnight camps need a camp license or permit in 18 states; only some camp types do in 20; 13 jurisdictions, including DC, have none
School-age staff ratioFrom 1:10 in New York to 1:26 in Texas; the median falls between 1:16 and 1:18
Registration platforms reviewed48 registration and management platforms, from their own public pages (BackPR not counted)
Plan prices published19 of 48
No nonprofit offer published40 of 48
Annual or longer contracts18 of 48
Card processing rates published10 of 48; 4 publish a rate for only some payments

All figures come from The State of Youth Programs 2026. The report lists its sources, method and limitations. Where a state sets more than one school-age ratio, the report uses the ratio for the youngest group. A partial card rate means the company publishes a rate for some payments but not all card payments.

What's in the report

Four sections, eight charts

  • Who runs youth programs: IRS counts by state and category, plus revenue size.
  • The rules: mandated reporting, camp licensing and staff ratios in 50 states and DC.
  • What platforms publish about price: prices, nonprofit terms, contracts, onboarding fees and card rates at 48 platforms.
  • Fees added at checkout: platform fees, card processing and Spanish support.

Charts

Download the charts

Map of the United States: youth and community program nonprofits per 10,000 children by state, 2026. Wyoming is highest at 57.7 and Utah lowest at 15.4. The national rate is 23.8. Source: BackPR analysis of IRS and Census Bureau data.
Active 501(c)(3) organizations in youth, sports, recreation, PTA, children's, arts education and childcare categories, per 10,000 children under 18. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart of 171,592 youth and community nonprofits by main activity: amateur sports 65,671, youth development 58,326, PTAs and PTOs 19,984, recreation, camps and clubs 10,141, children's and youth services 8,392, arts education 5,384 and childcare 3,694. Source: IRS records, September 2026.
Active 501(c)(3) organizations by their main IRS activity code. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: in 18 states both day and overnight camps need a license or permit written for camps, in 20 only some camp types do and 13 jurisdictions, including DC, have no statewide camp license or permit. Source: BackPR state rules library, checked October 2026.
How the 50 states and DC regulate youth camps. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: 2 jurisdictions require 1 adult per 12 or fewer school-age children, 20 require 1:13 to 1:15, 10 require 1:16 to 1:18, 11 require 1:19 to 1:21 and 7 allow 1:22 or more. Source: BackPR state rules library, checked October 2026.
Required staff-to-child ratios for school-age children in licensed centers, in the 50 of 51 jurisdictions with a confirmed ratio. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: of 48 registration and management platforms, 19 publish plan prices, 9 publish only some prices or a single starting price and 20 publish no plan prices. BackPR, which sells registration software, is not counted. Source: the platforms' own pages, checked October 10 to 19, 2026.
What 48 registration and management platforms publish about price. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: of 48 registration and management platforms, 40 publish no nonprofit offer, 7 mention limited or unpublished nonprofit terms, 1 publishes a discount with an amount and none is free for nonprofits in general. BackPR, which sells registration software, is not counted. Source: the platforms' own pages, checked October 10 to 19, 2026.
Nonprofit offers published by the same platforms. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: of 48 registration and management platforms, 18 publish annual or longer terms, 14 offer month-to-month plans or cancel anytime, 9 set the term in each contract and 7 do not publish it. BackPR, which sells registration software, is not counted. Source: the platforms' own pages, checked October 10 to 19, 2026.
Contract terms published by the same platforms. Download PNG WebP
Bar chart: of 48 registration and management platforms, 6 add a fee to what families pay by default, 27 let the program choose, 1 publishes that it adds none and 14 do not publish whether they add one. BackPR, which sells registration software, is not counted. Source: the platforms' own pages, checked October 10 to 19, 2026.
Fees added at checkout, as published by the same platforms. Download PNG WebP

Citation

How to cite the report

BackPR. "The State of Youth Programs 2026." October 2026. https://backpr.com/resources/state-of-youth-programs-2026 (CC BY 4.0).

The report and charts are licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit BackPR and link to the report and the license. If you changed anything, say so. Logos and product images are on the brand page. Read the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

About BackPR

About the company

BackPR is online registration and payment software for youth and community programs in the United States: camps, after-school programs, childcare, classes, sports, schools, PTAs and churches. Families register and pay in one checkout, in English or Spanish, and programs manage forms, payment plans, check-in and parent messages in one place. BackPR is free for registered nonprofits, with no subscription and no BackPR fees; card payments run on Stripe at Stripe's standard rates. Learn more at backpr.com.

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Contact

Questions about the data?

Email support@backpr.com with "press" in the subject line.

Email support@backpr.com