The 20 most (and least) earned merit badges of 2011

What were the hottest merit badges last year?

I’ve got the answer. Maybe.

So first, a caveat: The friendly folks at the Supply Division tell me there’s no way to determine exact numbers of merit badges earned. That info is tracked by troops — not the National Council.

That said, by examining sales figures, we can get some idea which badges sold more than others in 2011. I’m thinking that if a Scouter buys a merit badge emblem in a Scout Shop or at ScoutStuff.org, chances are good that a Scout recently earned the badge.

After examining the 2011 sales list, here’s what I’ve come up with for the 20 top-selling merit badges of 2011:

1. First Aid*
2. Swimming*
3. Environmental Science*
4. Citizenship in the World*
5. Citizenship in the Nation*
6. Camping*
7. Communication*
8. Citizenship in the Community*
9. Personal Fitness*
10. Family Life*
11. Personal Management*
12. Rifle Shooting
13. Fingerprinting
14. Emergency Preparedness*
15. Leatherwork
16. Wilderness Survival
17. Wood Carving
18. Archery
19. Canoeing
20. Fishing

Conclusions:

• Each of the top 11 and 12 of the top 20 are required for Eagle (marked with an asterisk above).
• Summer camps typically teach the eight on this list that aren’t Eagle-required.
• The top three are both Eagle-required and taught at most summer camps.
• Scouts have embraced technology (with their excitement for cool new merit badges like Inventing and Robotics), but they’re still enjoying “classics” such as Rifle Shooting, Leatherwork, Archery, and Fishing.

What about the other end of the list?

There are no bad merit badges — as far as I’m concerned, they’re all great. But there are some that aren’t earned as often as others, for a variety of reasons.

Adult leaders, I challenge you to add a positive spin to the “bottom 20” by encouraging your Scouts to earn one of the “20 rarest merit badges” the BSA offers.