The Global Market for Bicycle Helmets
Summary: We don't have good data on the global market for bicycle helmets.
We don't have what we would consider authoratative or reliable statistics on the size of the US or global market for bicycle helmets.
The data may or may not be gathered, but if they are, the numbers are considered proprietary and not reported anywhere in the public domain.
We have a number of guesses and speculations, and we have collected those in the items below. They won't answer the question, but will give you all the hints we have heard here and there. We update this page whenever we get a new inkling of what the total numbers may be, so you are welcome to email us, but we won't have anything newer that the refresh date at the bottom of this page!
We recommend looking at our Statistics Page as well for distantly related numbers on total numbers of cyclists and bicycle sales.
Statistics from Pure Speculation
by the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
How Many Helmets are Sold Each Year?
(Updated February, 2005. Nothing new since)
We have asked many manufacturers if they had a good estimate of how many helmets are sold in the US market each year. If they do have that info, they are not sharing it. So we are reduced to reporting rumor and speculation on this subject. The best guesses we have found are in the 12 to 15 million helmets per year range. The bulk of those would be mass merchant sales, rather than the helmets sold in bike shops. We noted a small price increase in advertised mass merchant sales prices in our area after 2000, ending in mid-2004 when Wal-Mart began marketing a helmet for $7.14, and Target soon followed. (Here is a collage of recent Sunday newspaper ads from our area.) In the May 1, 2002 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, reporter Matt Wiebe says that helmet sales in the US for 2001 totaled $150 million. He does not attribute that estimate, but quotes Bell Sports' President Bill Fry on something else in the next paragraph, so at least he was talking to Bell.
One manufacturer who was willing to give us an estimate put the total world market for bicycle helmets at 25 to 30 million helmets per year. We have no idea whether or not that is correct.
Below are the only stats we have seen that a manufacturer has actually published, but they date back to the mid-1990's and the manufacturer is no longer in business.
Old Statistics from the Headstrong Group:
How Many Helmets are Sold Each Year?
From Headstrong Group (no longer in business--this is old stuff!)
Market Share of Some Major Manufacturers:
Manufacturer 1993 1994 Percent 1995 est.
Bell Sports 3,000 4,000 40% 4,500
Cycle Products 1,500 2,000 20 2,000
Headstrong 1,700 17 3,300
Troxel 1,500 1,000 10 1,000
Other 1,000 1,300 13 2,200
----- ----- ----- -----
Total 7,000 10,000 100 13,000
Note: The brochure where this chart appears did not make it clear whether these estimates are for the U.S., North American or World helmet markets. It also does not say whether or not it includes the non-bicycle part of Headstrong's sales of baseball, equestrian, ski, snowboard and skating helmets. Source is cited as "Various industry reports and internal estimates." Whatever the accuracy of the figures, we are indebted to Headstrong Group as the only manufacturer to publicly publish their estimates.
Statistics from the Bicycle Market Research Institute:
How Many Active American Cyclists are There?
(As reported in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News on April 15, 1995)
- There are 58.7 million Americans who are active cyclists.
- Thirty percent of them live in California, New York and Illinois.
- California accounts for 14.5 percent of the nation's riders and 18
percent of all its mountain bike riders.
These numbers are much lower than others often cited, including those from the Bicycle Federation and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. We do not have the definition of "active cyclist" to confirm how the total was reached. This data is contained in a study titled BIKETRAC Bicycling
Participation and Usage Study. For more information on purchasing this study you can contact BMRI at (617) 277-5660.
Statistics from American Sports Data
No Data Available!
American Sports Data advertises a study for $395 that covers "Helmet Sports" nation-wide. We don't know what it contains, since we can't afford it. American Sports Data, Inc., 234 North Central Avenue, Hartsdale, NY 20530. 914-328-8877. asd@cloud9.com.
Statistics from the National Sporting Goods Association:
How Many Active American Cyclists are There?
(As reported in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News on September 1, 1995)
- Some 49.8 million Americans rode their bicycles in 1994.
- That's an increase from 47.9 million in 1993
- But it falls well short of the peak figure for 1989, which was 56.9 million.
- Cycling placed third behind exercise walking and swimming.
- As a percentage of state population, cycling is the number one sport in Colorado, Iowa and Oregon. In California, cycling placed behind backpacking, camping, hiking and table tennis.
This study defines a bicyclist as someone over the age of 6 who has ridden at least six times during the year. The same participation was applied to walkers and swimmers. Campers,
hikers and table tennis players required only one time.
The NSGA will sell you a copy of the full survey for $275. You can call them at (708) 439-4000.
A Look At Some Of The Bicycle Industry's Vital Statistics
The U.S. bicycle industry is approximately a $3.5 billion per year industry, counting the retail value of bicycles, related parts, and accessories through all channels of distribution, according to the Bicycle Market Research Institute. Bicycle sales for the U.S., including both the dealer and mass merchant channels are as follows:
Year Million Bicycles Sold *
1994 12.5
1993 13.0
1992 11.6
1991 11.6
1990 10.8
1989 10.7
1988 9.9
1987 12.6
1986 12.3
1985 11.4
1984 10.1
1983 9.0
1982 6.8
1981 8.9
1980 9.0
1979 10.8
1978 9.4
...1973 15.2 (record high year)
*Source: Bicycle Manufacturers Association, includes bicycle wheel sizes 20-in. and over
Bicycles and related products appeal primarily to a recreation market in the United States, though there is an influential and growing number of people using bicycles for transportation.
Bicycle usage is at an all-time high, with over 100 million U.S. bicycle owners, a figure which has grown substantially each year since 1983, according to the Bicycle Institute of
America. Of that 100 million, 55 million were adults (age 16 and up), while 45 million were children. 31 million adults rode regularly, defined as at least once a week. There were about
4.9 million bicycle commuters, 250,000 bicycle racers, 25 million mountain bike/hybrid riders, 1.7 million bicycle tourers, and 3.8 million participants in recreational bicycle events.
Statistics from American Bicyclist:
Some Bike Shops Still Do Not Carry Helmets
(As reported in American Bicyclist in August, 1995)
Ninety-three percent of bike shops carry helmets. Two percent plan to add them in the coming year. American Bicyclist asks if that can mean that one bike shop in 20 still does not carry helmets.
Source: American Bicyclist research by Readex.
Statistics from Bell Helmets, 2002-2003
Bell Sports manufactures more than four million bicycle helmets per year in the US, although it has some models made in Asia.
Statistics from Other Manufacturers
Strategic has told us that they sell more than millions of helmets to the US market every year.
Kuji Sports informed us in 2004 that they are shipping 3 million helmets per year to the US market.
Check our page on helmets for the current season, and do a search for the word million to see if we have added anything and failed to update this page.
This page was last revised on: March 9, 2006.
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