Spinal Cord Injury Statistics

• Each year, nearly 11,000 Americans suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury, and many of them suffer permanent disabilities.
• More than 253,000 people in this country live with paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury
• Most of those who suffer a spinal cord injury are between the ages of 16 and 30.
• The average age at injury is 38 years.
• 77.8% of spinal cord injuries occurr among males.
• The most common cause of spinal cord injury is motor vehicle crashes, accounting for 46.9 percent of these injuries.
• Falls cause about 24 percent of spinal cord injuries.
• Acts of violence cause 13.7 percent of spinal cord injuries.
• Sports-related accidents cause 9 percent of all spinal cord injuries.
• More than half (64.2 percent) of those with a spinal cord injury were employed at the time of their injury.
• By post-injury year 10, 32.4 percent of paraplegics are employed.
• Of all persons with a spinal cord injury who are discharged alive from a hospital or rehabilitation facility, 88.1 percent go to a private resident (in most cases, their home before the injury), and only 5.4 percent are discharged to a nursing home. The remainder are discharged to hospitals, group homes, or other destinations.
• 51.6 percent of those who suffer a spinal cord injury are single when the injury occurs.
• In 2004, the average days hospitalized in an acute care unit immediately following a spinal cord injury was 15. Following hospitalization, the average days spent in a rehabilitation unit was 39.
• Expenses associated with spinal cord injuries vary greatly according to the severity of the injury. Those who suffer an injury resulting in paralysis of both arms and legs spend an average of $741,425 the first year, and $132,807 each subsequent year. Those who suffer an injury that results in paraplegia spend an average of $270,913 in the first year, and $27,568 each subsequent year. Those who suffer a spinal cord injury that affects motor function spend an average of $218,504 the first year, and $15,313 each subsequent year. These figures do not include lost wages, fringe benfits and productivity, which avergaed $59,212 per year in March 2006.
• Estimated lifetime costs associated with spinal cord injuries also vary greatly according to the severity of the injury, as well as the age at injury. A person who is 25 and suffers an injury that results in paralysis of both arms and legs will spend an average of $2,924,513 over the course of his or her lifetime. If injury age is 50, that figure is reduced to $1,721,677. A person who is 25 and suffers an injury that results in paraplegia will spend an average of $977,142 over the course of his or her lifetime. If injury age is 50, that figure is reduced to $666,473. A 25-year-old who suffers a spinal cord injury that affects motor function will spend an average of $651,827 over the course of his or her lifetime. If injury age is 50, that figure is reduced to $472,392. These figures do not include lost wages, fringe benefits and productivity, which averaged $59,212 per year in March 2006.