MEMBERSHIP
Today, there are 540,379 FFA members, aged 12‒21, in 7,489 chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- 43% of FFA members are female; women hold approximately 50% of state leadership positions.
- 76% of our membership is Caucasian; 16% is Hispanic; 4% is African-American; 2% is Native American.
- 88% of FFA members are in grades 9-12; 7% are in middle school; 5% are high school graduates.
- 70% of FFA members live in rural/farm areas; 19% live in small towns; 10% live in urban/suburban areas.
- FFA chapters are in 18 of the 20 largest U.S. cities, including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
- The top five membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma.
- The 2011 National FFA Convention was host to 53,358 members, FFA advisors and FFA supporters.
EDUCATION
More than 11,000 FFA advisors and agriculture teachers deliver an integrated model of agricultural education providing students with innovative and leading-edge education, enabling them to grow into competent leaders.
- 992% offer agriscience; 71% offer advanced agriscience and biotechnology; 59% offer agricultural mechanics; 49% offer horticulture; 43% offer animal science; and 24% offer environment-related
- In 2001, 59% of qualified agricultural education graduates pursued teaching, 35 agriculture programs closed due to lack of qualified teachers and 365 agriculture teachers teach in more than one school
- 23% of teachers have five or fewer years of teaching experience
- The shortage of qualified agriculture teachers is the greatest challenge facing FFA and agricultural education
CAREER EXPLORATION
FFA classroom activities include math and science as well as hands-on work experience and the development of life skills, helping members discover their career path and realize success.
- Collectively, FFA members earn more than $4 billion annually through their hands-on work experience.
- Members participate and learn advanced career skills in 47 national proficiency areas based on their hands-on work experiences ranging from agricultural communications and food science and technology to turf grass management and wildlife production and management.
- According to the student magazine readership study, 87% of our students are interested in learning about career exploration, 81% about college preparation and 81% about technology.
- Through 24 national career development events and one activity, FFA members are challenged to real-life, hands-on tests of skills used to prepare them for more than 300 careers in the agriculture industry.
INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer, with more than 23 million jobs (17 percent of the civilian workforce) involved in some facet of American agriculture.
- The National FFA Foundation has raised more than $232 million for the National FFA Organization since 1944.
- Over 3,000 sponsors provided more than $16 million for FFA and agricultural programs and activities in 2011.
- In 2011, 129 sponsors provided 1,590 individual scholarships worth over $1.9 million through the National FFA Organization.
- To date, more than $34 million in FFA collegiate scholarships have been awarded to students pursuing higher education.
- At the National FFA Convention and Expo, the exhibit halls utilize more than 225,000 net square feet, attracting more than 400 exhibitors and vendors.
