California Is Home to 1 in 5 Olympians but Vermont Is Sending More Athletes Per Capita to the Games
Written by: Anthony Calabrese/US Census
From small towns to city lights, Team USA is sending 594 athletes to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, that officially opened July 24 but will be celebrated today with a lavish opening ceremony.
There are 315 women and 279 men on Team USA, making this the fourth consecutive Olympic Games with more women than men on the team.
This summer, 46 states are sending their hometown heroes to compete against the best athletes in the world.
California, the most populous state, is sending the most (120) followed by Florida (42), Texas (41), Illinois (27) and Pennsylvania (27).
Vermont is sending the most athletes per capita (4.63 per million) followed by Colorado (4.42 per million), Montana (3.53 per million), Hawaii (3.48 per million) and California (3.07 per million).
Throughout this article, all per capita calculations use Vintage 2023 Population Estimates state or city and town population totals.
The full roster of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team shows athletes by state, including their name, sport, hometown and event.
Calculations of athletes per state, athletes per hometown city, or per capita were made using the full roster as of its publication date on July 10, 2024. The team roster is subject to change before and throughout the Olympic games.
Team USA Stats and Fun Facts
- Ten hometown cities are sending five or more Olympians to the Summer Games in Paris: San Diego (11); Houston (10); Los Angeles (9); Atlanta, Chicago and Miami (six each); and Charlotte, Las Vegas, Long Beach and San Jose (five each).
- Of these 10 hometown cities, Miami is sending the most per capita (13.16 per million), followed by Atlanta (11.74 per million) and Long Beach (11.12 per million).
- Several Team USA members hail from hometowns outside the continental United States: Five are from hometowns in Hawaii; two are from Alaska; and one is from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Two athletes’ come from hometowns across the Atlantic Ocean: Frankfurt, Germany, and Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy. Another athlete lists both Beijing, China, and Palo Alto, California, as their hometown.
- There are 315 women and 279 men on Team USA, making this the fourth consecutive Olympic Games with more women than men on the team.
- Gymnast Hezly Rivera (age 16) is the youngest member and equestrian Steffen Peters (age 59) is the oldest member of Team USA.
- To date, 138 athletes have qualified for the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team, which will be announced on August 19. The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are set to take place from August 28 to September 8, featuring 4,400 athletes from around the world competing in 22 sports.
Going for the Gold in 2024
The 2024 Summer Games will feature 329 medal events in 32 sports.
Some are new. Breaking, for example, is now an Olympic sport. This urban dance style, which originated in New York City, is one of the foundational elements of hip hop culture worldwide. The B-Boy and B-Girl competitions begin August 9.
Kiteboarding and Kayak Cross are also new events this year, while Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing and 3X3 Basketball are back after debuting in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Team USA includes more than 250 returning Olympians, 122 Olympic medalists and 66 Olympic champions, according to the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Of the 122 Olympic medalists, 45 have won multiple medals, 23 of them multiple gold medals.
Here’s a closer look at who is competing:
- Swimmer Katie Ledecky (Bethesda, Maryland) leads the team with 10 Olympic medals, including seven gold and three silver medals.
- Gymnast Simone Biles (Spring, Texas) and swimmer Caeleb Dressel (Micanopy, Florida) enter the 2024 Summer Games with seven medals each.
- Swimmer Ryan Murphy (Jacksonville, Florida) has six medals.
- Basketball player Diana Taurasi (Glendale, California); swimmer Lilly King (Evansville, Indiana); and swimmer Simone Manuel (Sugar Land, Texas) each have five medals.
The Team USA roster includes three five-time Olympians:
- Basketball player Diana Taurasi (Glendale, California).
- Equestrian Steffen Peters (San Diego, California).
- Equestrian McLain Ward (Brewster, New York).
Four four-time Olympians are competing:
- Archer Brady Ellison (Billings, Montana).
- Fencer Gerek Meinhardt (Lexington, Kentucky).
- Sailor Stu McNay (Barrington, Rhode Island).
- Marksman Vincent Hancock (Argyle, Texas).
More U.S. Sports Facts
- In 2022, there were 40,786 fitness and recreational sports centers establishments in the United States. They employed 649,964 people and had a $12 billion annual payroll.
- There were about 158,000 athletes, coaches, and umpires in the United States out of a total workforce of nearly 117 million in 2022.
A Brief History of the Olympics, the United States and France
- The modern Olympics began in 1896 in Athens, Greece.
- The United States has hosted more Olympics than any other country: four Summer Games (1904, 1932, 1984, 1996) and four Winter Games (1932, 1960, 1980, 2002).
- The next two Summer Games are set to be held in Los Angeles in 2028 and in Brisbane, Australia in 2032.
- France has now hosted six Olympics: three Summer Games (1900, 1924, 2024) and three Winter Games (1924, 1968, 1992).
- Paris joins London in the United Kingdom as the only two cities to host the Olympic Games three times. London hosted the Summer Games in 1908, 1948, and 2012.
- France is ranked 22nd with a 2024 population of 68.4 million (see below)
