With membership increasing 11 percent over last year, the National FFA Organization has hit a record-high enrollment of 945,988 students. The top five membership states of the organization are Texas, California, Georgia, Illinois, and North Carolina.
The growth has been fueled by the addition of 168 FFA chapters, bringing to 9,163 the total number of chapters in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“It’s exciting to see our numbers grow and know we continue to influence the next generation of leaders,” said National FFA CEO Scott Stump. “This generation is making a difference in their communities and agriculture. We’re excited to see the enthusiasm for agricultural education and FFA reflected in our membership.”
Though recognized in formal settings by their blue corduroy jackets (and the emblem on it), FFA members come from all walks of life and have a variety of aspirations and goals.
Things such as Officer Team opportunities, American Star Awards, talent awards, Distinguished Service awards, and Model of Excellence honors are just some of kinds of recognition that are available to individuals and chapters through FFA. Many of these are handed out and/or announced at the National FFA Convention & Expo, held each fall in Indianapolis.
This year, the school-based youth leadership development organization has more than 150,000 Latino members, more than 50,000 Black members, more than 9,000 Asian members, more than 14,000 American Indian and Alaska Native members, and more than 2,400 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander members. More than 43 percent of the membership is female, and 49.8 percent is male, with 0.6 percent reporting as nonbinary, and 6.4 percent undisclosed.
