Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
Did you know that statistics tell us that every hour of every day, another person is spinal cord injured?
According to the 2024 SCI Data Sheet from the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC):
General Statistics
- Approximately 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries (tSCI) each year in the USA.
- Males account for about 79% of new tSCI cases since 2015.
- Approximately 305,000 people with tSCI live in the United States with a range of 257,000 to 388,000 persons.
- Average age at injury is 43 years old currently.
- Lengths of stay in the hospital acute care unit have declined to 19 days since 2015.
- Lengths of stay in rehabilitation have declined to 37 days since 2015.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury: The chart below illustrates the most common causes of spinal cord injuries. Vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of injury, followed by falls, acts of violence and sports/recreation activities.
| Since 2015 | Vehicular | Falls | Violence | Sports | Medical/ Surgical |
Other |
| 37.5% | 31.7% | 15.4% | 8.0% | 3.7% | 3.8% |
Neurological Level and Extent of Lesion: Incomplete tetraplegia is currently the most frequent neurological category.
| Since 2015 | Incomplete Tetraplegia |
Incomplete Paraplegia |
Complete Paraplegia |
Complete Tetraplegia |
Normal |
| 47.4% | 20.0% | 19.7% | 12.3% | 0.5% |
Lifetime Costs: The average yearly expenses (health care costs and living expenses) and the estimated lifetime costs that are directly attributable to SCI vary greatly based on education, neurological impairment, and pre-injury employment history. These estimates do not include any indirect costs such as losses in wages, fringe benefits, and productivity.
| Average Yearly Expenses (in 2023 dollars) |
Estimated Lifetime Costs by Age at Injury (discounted at 2%) |
|||
| Severity of Injury | First Year |
Each Subsequent Year |
25 Years Old |
50 Years Old |
| High Tetraplegia (C1-C4) AIS ABC | $1,369,755 | $237,862 | $6,077,646 | $3,340,171 |
| Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) AIS ABC | $989,768 | $145,918 | $4,440,708 | $2,731,432 |
| Paraplegia AIS ABC | $667,569 | $88,433 | $2,971,942 | $1,950,396 |
| Motor Functional at Any Level AIS D | $447,037 | $54,298 | $2,030,446 | $1,433,145 |
Life Expectancy (years) for Post-Injury by Severity of Injury at Age at Injury:
For Persons Who Survive the First 24 Hours/For Persons Surviving at Least 1 Year Post-Injury
| Age at Injury | No tSCI | AIS D Motor Functional (Any Level) |
AIS ABC Para |
AIS ABC Low Tetra (C5-C8) |
AIS ABC High Tetra (C1-C4) |
Ventilator Dependent (Any Level) |
AIS D Motor Functional (Any Level) |
AIS ABC Para |
AIS ABC Low Tetra (C5-C8) |
AIS ABC High Tetra (C1-C4) |
Ventilator Dependent (Any Level) |
|
| 20 | 57.7 | 49.3 | 41.7 | 36.2 | 29.6 | 9.0 | 49.4 | 41.8 | 36.7 | 30.2 | 15.6 | |
| 40 | 39.3 | 32.7 | 27.3 | 22.5 | 18.6 | 7.7 | 32.7 | 27.3 | 22.8 | 19.1 | 11.8 | |
| 60 | 22.2 | 17.9 | 14.7 | 11.7 | 10.2 | 3.5 | 17.8 | 14.7 | 12.0 | 10.9 | 7.1 |
For more statistics on SCI see:
SCI Facts and Figures at a Glance from NSCISC, or contact:
The National SCI Statistical Center
1717 6th Avenue South, Room 515
Birmingham, AL 35233-7330
E-MAIL: NSCISC@uab.edu
PHONE: 205-934-3320; TDD: 205-934-4642
FAX: 205-934-2709