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Spinal Cord Injury Statistics

Did you know that statistics tell us that every hour of every day, another person is spinal cord injured?

According to the 2023 SCI Data Sheet from the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC):

General Statistics

  • Approximately 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries (tSCI) each year in the USA.
  • Males account for about 79% of new tSCI cases since 2015.
  • Approximately 302,000 people with tSCI live in the United States with a range of 255,000 to 383,000 persons.
  • Average age at injury is 43 years old currently.
  • Lengths of stay in the hospital acute care unit have declined to 12 days since 2015.
  • Lengths of stay in rehabilitation have declined to 31 days since 2015.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injury: The chart below illustrates the most common causes of spinal cord injuries. Vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of injury, followed by falls, acts of violence and sports/recreation activities.

Since 2015 Vehicular Falls Violence Sports Medical/
Surgical
Other
37.6% 31.5% 15.4% 8.3% 3.6% 3.6%

Neurological Level and Extent of Lesion: Incomplete tetraplegia is currently the most frequent neurological category.

Since 2015 Incomplete
Tetraplegia
Incomplete
Paraplegia
Complete
Paraplegia
Complete
Tetraplegia
Normal
47.1% 20.1% 19.8% 12.5% 0.6%

Lifetime Costs: The average yearly expenses (health care costs and living expenses) and the estimated lifetime costs that are directly attributable to SCI vary greatly based on education, neurological impairment, and pre-injury employment history. These estimates do not include any indirect costs such as losses in wages, fringe benefits, and productivity.

  Average Yearly Expenses
(in 2022 dollars)
Estimated Lifetime Costs by
Age at Injury (discounted at 2%)
Severity of Injury First Year
Each Subsequent Year
25 Years Old
50 Years Old
High Tetraplegia (C1-C4) AIS ABC $1,315,554 $228,450 $5,837,155 $3,208,001
Low Tetraplegia (C5-C8) AIS ABC $950,603 $140,144 $4,264,990 $2,623,350
Paraplegia AIS ABC $641,153 $84,934 $2,854,343 $1,873,220
Motor Functional at Any Level AIS D $429,348 $52,150 $1,950,102 $1,376,436

Life Expectancy (years) for Post-Injury by Severity of Injury at Age at Injury:
For Persons Who Survive the First 24 Hours/For Persons Surviving at Least 1 Year Post-Injury

Age at Injury No SCI AIS D
Motor Functional
(Any Level)
AIS ABC
Para
AIS ABC
Low Tetra
(C5-C8)
AIS ABC
High Tetra
(C1-C4)
Ventilator Dependent
(Any Level)
AIS D
Motor Functional
(Any Level)
AIS ABC
Para
AIS ABC
Low Tetra
(C5-C8)
AIS ABC
High Tetra
(C1-C4)
Ventilator Dependent
(Any Level)
20 57.7 49.9 42.1 36.6 29.7 8.6 50.4 42.7 37.5 30.9 15.5
40 39.3 33.2 27.6 22.9 18.6 7.3 33.6 28.2 23.6 19.8 11.8
60 22.2 18.2 14.9 12.0 10.1 3.2 18.6 15.5 12.8 11.4 7.3

For more statistics on SCI see:

SCI Facts and Figures at a Glance from NSCISC, or contact:
The National SCI Statistical Center
1717 6th Avenue South, Room 515
Birmingham, AL 35233-7330
E-MAIL: NSCISC@uab.edu
PHONE: 205-934-3320; TDD: 205-934-4642
FAX: 205-934-2709