Trophy and Awards Industry Statistics
Sourced, dated figures on where awards come from, who gives them, when people shop for them and who engraves them, from Census, NFHS, Google Trends and BLS data.
By MX Trophies · Published · Data through September 2026 (imports) and May 2025 (wages)
Research / Trophy and awards statistics
Headline finding
The US imported $1,697.3 million of base-metal and plastic statuettes and ornaments in 2025, the customs categories that include metal and plastic trophies, and 77.6% of it came from China. US high schools reported 8,415,684 sports participation entries in 2025-26, and the 7,750 etchers and engravers counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earned a median $43,310 a year in May 2025.
Key numbers
- $1,697.3 millionUS imports of base-metal and plastic statuettes and ornaments in 2025 (HTS 8306.29.0000 and 3926.40.0090), the customs categories that include trophiesU.S. Census Bureau trade data
- 77.6%Share of those imports that came from China in 2025U.S. Census Bureau trade data
- 8,415,684High school sports participation entries in 2025-26 (a student on two teams counts twice)NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey
- 7,750Etchers and engravers employed in the US in May 2025, with a median annual wage of $43,310BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
- 43%How much higher US Google search interest in trophies was in May than in September, on average from 2021 to 2025Google Trends
Imports and duties
These figures cover two whole customs categories. They include figurines and decorative ornaments as well as trophies, so they are the size of the category, not of the trophy market. Details and country tables are in our study of trophy and statuette imports by country.
- US imports of base-metal statuettes and ornaments (HTS 8306.29.0000), the category for metal sporting trophies, cups and award medals not worn as jewelry: $781.8 million in 2025, 75.7% from China and 13.5% from India. (imports study)
- US imports of plastic statuettes and ornamental articles (HTS 3926.40.0090), where CBP has classified a plastic award trophy: $915.6 million in 2025, 79.2% from China and 12.8% from Vietnam. (imports study)
- Duties collected on the metal category rose from 0.0% of import value in 2024 to 17.3% in 2025 ($135.3 million); on the plastic category, from 5.2% to 24.0%. (imports study)
- Duties on the two categories together came to $353.2 million in 2025. (imports study)
- January to September 2026: metal-category imports of $844.9 million, 38.9% more than the same months of 2025, with duties at 12.0% of value (plastic: 17.1%). (imports study)
How trophies are classified at the border
US customs records have no line for trophies. Classification follows the material and form of the article, as these U.S. Customs and Border Protection rulings show:
- Metal trophies, cups and award medallions not worn as jewelry: HTS 8306.29, statuettes and other ornaments of base metal not plated with precious metal (HQ 968022, June 13, 2006; framed award medal, NY L85724, June 30, 2005).
- Plastic award trophy: HTS 3926.40.0090 (NY N350591, July 3, 2025).
- Medals worn on a ribbon: HTS 7117.19.9000, imitation jewelry (NY N302469, February 21, 2019), so they are not in the import figures above.
High school sports
The NFHS counts participation entries: a student who plays two sports counts twice. More in our study of high school sports participation by state.
- 8,415,684 high school sports participation entries in 2025-26 (4,761,095 boys, 3,654,589 girls). (participation study)
- Nationally, 487 entries per 1,000 residents aged 14 to 17 in 2025-26, up from 460 in 2015-16. (participation study)
- Highest state rate: Iowa, 843 per 1,000. Lowest: Nevada, 274. (participation study)
- Largest state totals: Texas (911,405) and California (859,022). (participation study)
- Girls flag football grew from 10,867 entries in 2015-16 to 102,360 in 2025-26; girls wrestling from 13,496 to 88,771. (participation study)
When people shop for awards
Google Trends reports relative search interest, not numbers of searches. More in our study of trophy and plaque search seasonality.
- US search interest in trophies (Gifts & Special Event Items category) peaks in late April and May. From 2021 to 2025, May averaged 43% above September, the quietest month; for plaques the gap was 39%. (seasonality study)
- Of the 10 busiest weeks for trophy searches from 2021 to 2025, 9 fell between mid-April and the end of May. (seasonality study)
- Arkansas gave trophies the largest share of its Google searches of any state over 2021 to 2025. (seasonality study)
Etchers and engravers: jobs and wages
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 7,750 etchers and engravers (occupation 51-9194) in the US in May 2025, across all industries, with a median wage of $20.82 an hour or $43,310 a year and a mean of $46,320. The median is 15% below the median for all occupations ($50,980) and below the median for production occupations ($46,990), the group BLS files it under.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Etchers and engravers (51-9194), US wages, May 2025
| Measure | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $15.49 | $32,210 |
| 25th percentile | $17.98 | $37,400 |
| Median | $20.82 | $43,310 |
| 75th percentile | $25.51 | $53,050 |
| 90th percentile | $30.46 | $63,360 |
| Mean | $22.27 | $46,320 |
Median wages compared, May 2025
| Occupation group | Median hourly | Median annual |
|---|---|---|
| Etchers and engravers (51-9194) | $20.82 | $43,310 |
| Production occupations (51-0000) | $22.59 | $46,990 |
| All occupations (00-0000) | $24.51 | $50,980 |
The occupation covers anyone whose main job is etching or engraving, in any industry, so it is broader than the awards trade. The industries that employ the most etchers and engravers are other miscellaneous retailers, other miscellaneous manufacturing, and coating, engraving, heat treating and allied activities, according to the BLS occupation profile. The employment estimate has a relative standard error of 4.8%. Business owners who engrave their own work are not counted, because OEWS surveys employers about their employees.
What these numbers mean for award buyers
- China supplied 77.6% of US imports in the two statuette and ornament categories in 2025, and duties on them rose sharply that year. If you are comparing quotes for stock trophies, ask what each quote includes and how long it holds.
- High school sports keep growing, and the newest teams, such as girls flag football and girls wrestling, need award categories of their own. Our list of sports award categories is a starting point.
- Spring is the busiest season for award shopping searches. Settling the award list before late April helps, and the event award planning guide covers the rest.
- MX Trophies designs and builds its awards in its own shop in Carson City, Nevada. For how custom awards are put together, see how trophies are made.
Method, sources and limits
Every figure on this page comes from one of our three studies or from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Study figures are copied from each study’s data file, not retyped, and each study’s own check (a second, independent download of its headline figures from a different table or query) passed before this page was built.
BLS figures come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national file for May 2025. A separate script compared them with the BLS occupation profile for etchers and engravers and with Table 1 of the BLS news release for May 2025, two different BLS publications; every figure matched.
Sources
- MX Trophies, trophy and statuette imports by country, U.S. Census Bureau trade data, January 2019 to September 2026
- MX Trophies, high school sports participation by state, NFHS surveys and Census Bureau estimates, 2015-16 and 2025-26
- MX Trophies, trophy and plaque search seasonality, Google Trends, 2021 to 2025
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates, May 2025, national file, occupation 51-9194
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS occupation profile: etchers and engravers, May 2025
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025, Table 1, median hourly wages by occupation
- CBP ruling NY N350591, plastic award trophy, July 3, 2025
- CBP ruling HQ 968022, base metal medals, June 13, 2006
- CBP ruling NY L85724, framed award medal, June 30, 2005
- CBP ruling NY N302469, award medals and a volunteer award coin, February 21, 2019
Limits
- Import figures describe customs categories that also hold non-award goods, and they are customs values before duties, freight and markups.
- NFHS figures count participation entries, not students, and reporting differs between states.
- Google Trends figures are relative interest, scaled within each request, not counts of searches.
- BLS wage figures are estimates for employees in May 2025 and leave out self-employed engravers. OEWS is not designed for comparing one year with another.
- No figure here describes MX Trophies’ own orders, prices or costs.
Cite this study
MX Trophies. “Trophy and Awards Industry Statistics.” November 12, 2026. https://mx-trophies.com/research/trophy-awards-statistics/
Download the data: trophy-awards-statistics.csv. The table is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a credit and a link to this page. It lists every figure on this page with its period, source and source link.
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