Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury Statistics

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reported the following statistics in April 1999. The information is derived from a database of 19,000 Americans with spinal cord injuries who were rehabbed since 1973 at one of the federally funded Model System Spinal Cord Injury centers.

Causes. Since 1990, motor vehicle crashes account for about 37% of the spinal cord injuries that have been reported. The next largest cause of spinal cord injury is acts of violence, followed by falls and recreational sporting activities.
Incidence. It is estimated that there are approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injury cases each year.
Prevalence. It is estimated that between 183,000 – 230,000 persons currently live with some form of spinal cord injury.
Age. Spinal cord injuries are most common in young adults between the ages of 16 and 30 years old.
Gender. It is estimated that up to 82% of all spinal cord injury victims are male.
Cost of spinal cord injury. The average cost of coping with a spinal cord injury in the first year can be as high as $530,000 for the most severe injuries. For each year after that, the average cost is approximately $95,000. The average spinal cord injury costs approximately $250,000 in the first year and $30,000 for each year after that.