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In my county, which has a population 895,000 and somewhere in the top 20 of most affluent counties in the country*, soccer is the norm.
Disclaimer: These are my guesses in talking with people, working around youth, and observing, for my town. I have worked in youth recreational athletics so these numbers aren't just me "driving around."
The town I know best has its rich parts (which are entire towns some places in the county) and has its middle class parts (which are representitive of more suburban-urban towns in the area.) As for the urban setting, none of them play anything but street basketball and a little bit of baseball so forget those parts.'
Girls factor is X.6 on the boys rate.
Population: 57,000.
Soccer:
Average number of teams per grade (K-8): 14
-many of these are just Town Rec leagues, some are travel in the 3rd-5th grade levels)
Average number of kids per team: 9
Total kids playing (K-8): 1900
Percentage of kids playing youth soccer : 27%
Football (boys only):
Average number of teams per grade (3rd-8th): 3
Average number of kids per team: 25
Total kids playing (3rd-8th): 75
Percentage 3rd-8th playing: 1.5%
Baseball/Softball (girls rate reduced to .4:
Average boys number of teams per grade (3rd-8th): 14
Average boys number of kids per team: 12
Total kids: 1400
Percentage (3rd-8th): 28%
Basketball:
Average number of teams per grade (3rd-8th): 12
Average kids per team: 10
Percentage (3rd-8th): 22%
Been about like that for as long as I can remember (15 years).
*I say that not to brag, just to point out the socioeconomics of it if anybody cared. Obviously football is alot more expensive, yet nobody plays it here where they have as much money as anythign
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