The National High School Track and Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (NHSTFXCCA) has set the standard for what it means to be All-American eligible in high school track and field, and the data reveals some fascinating insights into which states are leading the way in producing top-tier athletes.
Curious of the association's standards? You can find them here.
What were the results?
Texas tops the list with an impressive 2,414 All-Americans, with California following with 1,095. Those numbers reflect each state's large population and robust track and field memberships.
Florida and Georgia also stand out, with 720 and 796 All-Americans, respectively, highlighting the Southeast as a hotbed for track and field talent.
New York rounds out the top five with 715. Other notable states include Illinois with 487, Ohio with 542 and Pennsylvania with 426, each contributing a significant number of athletes to the national stage.
Below, you'll see a graph with the number of All-American eligible athletes, the total high school participation (based off 2022-2023 NFHS participation numbers), each state ranked by the number of All American eligible athletes and participation, as well as custom formula that creates a grade on each state based on the number of All Americans they have in relation to how many athletes they have participating.
| State | All-Americans | High School Participation | All-Americans Rank | Participation Rank | All American Grade |
| Alabama | 179 | 20,826 | 27 | 20 | 30.08% |
| Alaska | 1 | 463 | 50 | 50 | 7.56% |
| Arizona | 227 | 16,794 | 23 | 25 | 47.31% |
| Arkansas | 81 | 9,033 | 36 | 36 | 31.38% |
| California | 1095 | 92,598 | 2 | 2 | 41.39% |
| Colorado | 307 | 17,378 | 13 | 23 | 61.83% |
| Connecticut | 85 | 13,679 | 35 | 31 | 21.75% |
| Delaware | 72 | 2,711 | 38 | 47 | 92.95% |
| Florida | 720 | 36,123 | 4 | 9 | 69.76% |
| Georgia | 796 | 27,959 | 3 | 13 | 99.65% |
| Hawaii | 9 | 3,718 | 48 | 45 | 8.47% |
| Idaho | 129 | 9,054 | 31 | 35 | 49.87% |
| Illinois | 487 | 45,156 | 7 | 5 | 37.75% |
| Indiana | 266 | 25,676 | 17 | 17 | 36.26% |
| Iowa | 228 | 21,153 | 22 | 19 | 37.73% |
| Kansas | 260 | 17,675 | 18 | 22 | 51.49% |
| Kentucky | 66 | 12,314 | 41 | 32 | 18.76% |
| Louisiana | 272 | 18,169 | 16 | 21 | 52.40% |
| Maine | 11 | 4,666 | 46 | 43 | 8.25% |
| Maryland | 297 | 14,089 | 14 | 29 | 73.78% |
| Massachusetts | 138 | 26,148 | 30 | 16 | 18.47% |
| Michigan | 242 | 39,681 | 20 | 7 | 21.35% |
| Minnesota | 111 | 31,129 | 33 | 11 | 12.48% |
| Mississippi | 119 | 12,139 | 32 | 34 | 34.31% |
| Missouri | 419 | 28,714 | 11 | 12 | 51.07% |
| Montana | 67 | 6,531 | 40 | 40 | 35.91% |
| Nebraska | 141 | 15,362 | 29 | 27 | 32.12% |
| Nevada | 104 | 6,310 | 34 | 41 | 57.69% |
| New Hampshire | 18 | 4,065 | 44 | 44 | 15.50% |
| New Jersey | 275 | 36,309 | 15 | 8 | 26.51% |
| New Mexico | 59 | 7,506 | 42 | 38 | 27.51% |
| New York | 715 | 43,230 | 5 | 6 | 57.89% |
| North Carolina | 471 | 26,993 | 8 | 15 | 61.07% |
| North Dakota | 73 | 4,728 | 37 | 42 | 54.04% |
| Ohio | 542 | 49,140 | 6 | 3 | 38.60% |
| Oklahoma | 223 | 13,905 | 24 | 30 | 56.13% |
| Oregon | 156 | 16,818 | 28 | 24 | 32.47% |
| Pennsylvania | 426 | 48,480 | 10 | 4 | 30.75% |
| Rhode Island | 11 | 3,354 | 47 | 46 | 11.48% |
| South Carolina | 206 | 16,101 | 25 | 26 | 44.78% |
| South Dakota | 69 | 6,938 | 39 | 39 | 34.81% |
| Tennessee | 395 | 15,273 | 12 | 28 | 90.52% |
| Texas | 2414 | 127,234 | 1 | 1 | 66.41% |
| Utah | 260 | 12,157 | 19 | 33 | 74.85% |
| Vermont | 8 | 810 | 49 | 49 | 34.57% |
| Virginia | 232 | 21,367 | 21 | 18 | 38.00% |
| Washington | 433 | 27,471 | 9 | 14 | 55.17% |
| West Virginia | 40 | 7,616 | 43 | 37 | 18.38% |
| Wisconsin | 197 | 34,176 | 26 | 10 | 20.17% |
| Wyoming | 12 | 2,601 | 45 | 48 | 16.15% |
How does your state measure up in the race to produce the next generation of track and field stars?
