{"id":49,"date":"2015-03-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bsatroopsonline.com\/?p=49"},"modified":"2015-03-26T13:58:33","modified_gmt":"2015-03-26T20:58:33","slug":"off-topic-2014-merit-badge-rankings-which-were-the-most-and-least-popular","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bsatroopsonline.com\/index.php\/off-topic-2014-merit-badge-rankings-which-were-the-most-and-least-popular\/","title":{"rendered":"Off Topic: 2014 merit badge rankings: Which were the most and least popular?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merit Badges are a big deal at summer camp. While not the only part of summer camp it’s an important aspect of the program you offer. Are you curious about which merit badges you offer and how they stack up to others? If so you might want to check out this article from Bryan Wendell<\/a><\/p>\n

\"http:\/\/blog.scoutingmagazine.org\/2015\/03\/26\/purple-patch-relationship-bsa-world-scouting\/\"<\/a>

http:\/\/blog.scoutingmagazine.org\/2015\/03\/26\/purple-patch-relationship-bsa-world-scouting\/<\/p><\/div>\n

Step aside, First Aid. There\u2019s\u00a0a new king of merit badges.<\/p>\n

The Cooking<\/strong> merit badge, which joined the Eagle-required list on Jan. 1, 2014, was\u00a0last year\u2019s most-earned merit badge. First Aid<\/strong>\u00a0came in second after being\u00a0No. 1 every year\u00a0since at least 2009 \u2014 the first year for which statistics\u00a0are available.<\/p>\n

A whopping 99,908 Scouts earned the Cooking MB last year. That was\u00a0nearly\u00a019,000\u00a0more than First Aid.<\/p>\n

What were\u00a0Nos. 3\u00a0through 136? Find the complete list and tons of analysis after the jump.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Cooking MB\u2019s big\u00a0leap<\/h3>\n

Now that Cooking is required for Eagle, we can expect to see it near the top of\u00a0the merit badge leaderboard for some time. But its rise to No. 1 in 2014 might have been a one-time thing.<\/p>\n

A revised Cooking merit badge pamphlet and new requirements were released in 2013<\/a>. During 2014 (and 2014 only),\u00a0a\u00a0Scout\u00a0could\u00a0use either the old or the new requirements \u2014 his choice. Either version\u00a0counts\u00a0toward Eagle, and it\u00a0looks like a ton of Scouts decided to go ahead and earn Cooking using the old requirements last year.<\/p>\n

(By the way, any Scout who begins work\u00a0on the Cooking merit badge on or after\u00a0Jan. 1, 2015, must\u00a0use the new requirements.)<\/p>\n

Cooking merit badge\u2019s new spot atop the rankings is the big news for 2014, but it isn’t the only\u00a0noteworthy statistic.<\/p>\n

Where I got these numbers<\/h3>\n

As with\u00a0my 2014 analysis of the 2013 data<\/a>, these figures come from Local Council Charter Applications. That means they\u2019re based on the actual number earned, not on sales of the badges. Some troops purchase extra emblems in anticipation of future badge earnings, so sales numbers can be skewed.<\/p>\n

The Top 25<\/h3>\n

As you\u2019d expect,\u00a0Nos. 1 to 13 are Eagle-required merit badges.\u00a0These are the merit badges Scouts must earn on their journey to Eagle, so they\u2019ll always top the list.<\/p>\n

Nos. 14 to 22 \u2014 Rifle Shooting<\/strong>, Fingerprinting<\/strong>, Archery<\/strong>, Leatherwork<\/strong>, Wilderness<\/strong> Survival<\/strong>,Wood Carving<\/strong>,\u00a0Kayaking<\/strong>, Canoeing<\/strong> and Fishing<\/strong> \u2014 are offered at most summer camps, giving Scouts a convenient opportunity to earn them\u00a0while spending a week at camp with their friends.<\/p>\n

Same with No. 25, Lifesaving<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0let\u2019s consider\u00a0Nos. 23 and 24:\u00a0Art <\/strong>and Chess<\/strong>. They aren\u2019t summer camp staples, and they\u2019re not exactly stereotypical Scouting topics.<\/p>\n

To me, these two show how well-rounded most Boy Scouts are. The Art merit badge taps into a boy\u2019s creativity and artistic spirit, while the Chess MB harnesses his brain\u2019s cognitive abilities.<\/p>\n

Chess could be the fastest-growing new merit badge. It debuted in\u00a0September 2011, and it\u2019s been in the top 25 every full year since\u00a0(2012, 2013 and 2014).<\/p>\n

The Bottom 10<\/h3>\n

There are no bad merit badges. There are some merit badges, however, that aren\u2019t earned as often as the \u201cbig guys.\u201d Scouts who have one (or more) of these merit badges on their sash can feel pretty good knowing they\u2019ve done something few other Scouts have done.<\/p>\n

2014\u2019s\u00a0rarest merit badges\u00a0were:\u00a0Gardening<\/strong>, Composite Materials<\/strong>, Landscape Architecture<\/strong>,Drafting<\/strong>, Surveying<\/strong>, American Labor<\/strong>, Journalism<\/strong>, Stamp Collecting<\/strong>, American Business\u00a0<\/strong>and Bugling<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How rare were these merit badges? Well, consider this: Last year, more Scouts earned the\u00a0Game Design<\/strong> MB than these 10 merit badges combined.<\/p>\n

Does your Scout have\u00a0more than one<\/em> of these rare merit badges? Wow! Let me know in the comments section.<\/p>\n

By the way, if you\u2019re up for a challenge and are qualified, why not offer to be a merit badge counselor for one\u00a0of these rare merit badges in your district or council?<\/p>\n

Movers and shakers<\/h3>\n

Which merit badges saw the biggest jumps? Which saw the biggest falls?\u00a0Here goes \u2026<\/p>\n

Top 5 gains:<\/strong><\/p>\n