[Steven Smith (KG5VK)]

Mr. Charles Penry asked me what the current ARRL membership number is

The current number of ARRL members as of last month is 115,952

This time last year (as of last month 2024) was 125,855

That is a loss of 9,903 members within the last 12 months of the reporting period, which ends prior to our current calendar month.

This is a live database only available to Section Managers and above.

Apologies to Charles that I did not have that number with me this morning.

Cheers!

Steve
KG5VK

ARRL NTX Section Manager

[Steven Smith (KG5VK)]

A bit more data…….

The nose dive continues

Here are the current numbers  as per the ARRL database as of June (stats are always at least one full month behind)

Section
Full
Members
Associate
Members
Full+
Associate
Foreign
Members
Subs
Total
Jun 2025
Percent
Change

Jul 2024
Percent
Change

First line below is this July

ARRL Totals
115,952
9,901
125,853
5,545
72
131,470
132,533
-0.8

141,099
-6.8

Next line (below) is One year ago

ARRL Totals
125,855
9,046
134,901
6,186
12
141,099
142,605
-1.1

151,251
-6.7

 

125,855
115,952
—————–
A Loss of 9,903 member in 12 months

Now let’s look a smaller numbers June of 2025 versus July of this year………..

First line below is June 2025

ARRL Totals
117,053
9,828
126,881
5,583
69
132,533
133,594
-0.8

142,605
-7.1

Next line below is July 2025

ARRL Totals
115,952
9,901
125,853
5,545
72
131,470
132,533
-0.8

141,099
-6.8

 

117,053
115,952
1101 loss over One single month

I did this look two months ago, month before last month and the decline was 950 members
Seems it is getting worse not better

Please keep in mind there is still Value in being a members of the ARRL
Even at just the Section Level, I work hard to ensure our members get answers that I can provide
even though I can not provide all the answers I want to give you.
And some of the answers I hate to provide but I remain transparent and do so.
I will not sugar coat it !!!

Value if you are not a member you can not expect to call the ARRL and ask for assistance in renewing your license.
You will not be able to receive DXCC Certificates or any other AWARDS (WAS etc) from the league.
As a member for the last 24 consecutive months are eligible to run as an ARRL Section Manager when the incumbents term is nearing an end (2 year terms) and 36 months for the three year terms as a Division Director.

By the way my current term ends April of 2027
at that time I will have served 8 years as your ARRL Section Manager.

Any awards that I issue from within the North Texas Section are only available to ARRL members which reside within North Texas
as these awards come out of the Section Management Budget, iow from the ARRL.

Any questions just send me an email or ask here and I should see it as I have Notify me of follow-up replies.

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

 

 

[Mark Johnson (W5PTX)]

Interesting. Those total member numbers are lower than I thought they would have been. If AI is correct (i didn’t fact check it) and there are 744,395 amateur radio operators in the U.S. Then total membership is around 15%. Seems like we would want to get that percentage much higher. I don’t know the best way to do that, but maybe there are some ideas out there.

[Mark Johnson (W5PTX)]

I think some more positives are the ARRL audio news, the magazines, publications, contests, and digital bulletins. I like using those features.

[Steven Smith (KG5VK)]

Mark,

You are right on both counts…..

I have received over a dozen email inquiries tonight based on the email stats I sent out to all North Texas members on this  topic just this evening

Members are concerned, rightfully so.

Here is a reply I just sent to more than a few that you and others may find helpful

Esp the layout of the numbers and the charts (graphics) from K4FMH who I mentioned at this mornings club meeting.

One member asked if the SK’s in the organization contributed greatly to these numbers

Here was my reply…….

First off in my opinion without attempting to find the stats.
There are not enough SK hams in the whole world to get these bad of numbers departing the league from silent keys.

And Other organizations are growing, such as WRL and POTA etc etc.

I share these numbers not because I want to focus on the down slide but because our members deserve the Facts
And appreciate everyone that enters a dialogue on this.

I will stress even under these trying times ARRL membership does have value for some of us
We each must look at what it does for us and decide.
I remain a member so I can serve fellow Amateurs as the Section Manager
And maybe something more in the future, iow I do not want to burn any bridges.
Although select staffers at the league and the CEO would love to see me gone, because I am to vocal in their opinion.

So maybe some bridges are already burned, so be it I will not sugar coat things to members and member prospects.

These are West Gulf Numbers (Our ARRL Division)
To get the numbers formatted better I had to post on my Blog and link it here
Hopefully the link works.

I believe you will find the national membership number is falling faster that our Section numbers
However, it still is far from pretty and of course I have no votes at ARRL HQ

ARRL Overall stats July 2025 as compared to 2024

And while John Robert Stratton our Division Director does have a Vote
He and only several others are voting for what Members want, but the majority of the Directors are siding with the CEO
On whatever he wants and causing severe damage.

The projected attitude in the most recent Editorial by the CEO in QST
Stating the ARRL is not a democracy pretty much says it all on his attitude towards members.
Of course that is just my opinion and I am reading between some of the lines he stated.

I also encourage members to look at K4FMH Blog
He is a retired professional Statistician and lays it out graphically very well
https://k4fmh.com/2025/01/31/they-went-down-down-down-and-the-flames-are-higher-but-its-not-too-late/

They went down, down, down..and the flames are higher … but it’s not too late – K4FMH
The interactive chart above uses the “full” member number as the figure for the lowest membership number since 2000. It would still be that even with the foreign and associates were added, totalling some 137,218 as of November 2024. (Internal word is that the “ransomware” attack prevents the League’s HQ from having firm membership numbers, although my sources say they can count about …
k4fmh.com
I hope Frank K4FMH stats is helpful to you

Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK

[Steven Smith (KG5VK)]

appears my links to my blog are not working…….

So you may have to copy and paste into your browser

https://sdxa.blogspot.com/2025/08/arrl-stats-this-year-july-as-compared.html

Or just go to my Blog and view the last two posts
https://sdxa.blogspot.com/

[Steven Smith (KG5VK)]

Some of you may be thinking how much does the Votes of different Division Directors play in the decisions impacting what happens at the ARRL

Here is a a good read on How Division Directors have Voted on Key Issues over the past years

https://k4fmh.com/2025/10/24/a-roll-call-analysis-of-recent-arrl-board-voting/

Frank K4FMH spells it out in showing the facts in a plain to read charts
The easiest to read is the PDF available directly through this link

I will be thrilled to entertain any questions on this

Cheers!

Steve
KG5VK

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