The Modern Modification Lifestyle: Piercing and Tattoo Statistics

In the late 1970s when America’s first body piercing studio opened its doors, less than one percent of the population had piercings in places other than their earlobes, and the percentage of tattooed persons was equally miniscule. Many things have changed in the United States over the decades, and the popularity of body art is certainly no exception. Just check out this info about the 2010s:

Several studies have ball-parked the percentage of Americans who have their earlobes pierced today at around 83%, but more interestingly persons who have piercings in locations other than their lobes have risen to between 14 and 16 percent. Of those who fall into that grouping, approximately three quarters are female, with women ages 16 to 24 comprising the largest percentage of that segment. As far as the prevalence of specific piercings go (ear lobes being of course the highest), piercings of the navel, nose, ear cartilage, and tongue narrowly round out the top five for women, while piercings of the nipples, eyebrow, and ear cartilage steal the top spots for modified gentlemen.

Concerning tattooing, the numbers are considerably more well-matched across gender, with men very slightly more likely to have ink. Age however continues to be a deciding factor, with up to a third of those under the age of 29 claiming at least a single tattoo. Of those who have been tattooed whilst amongst these younger age groups, approximately 17% would consider getting their ink covered up or removed.

Some other interesting body mod statistics:

In studies conducted at University of Illinois, it was found that persons who claimed the lowest household income were the most likely (by approximately 30%) to be pierced, tattooed or otherwise modified. Also of interest within the same study, those who are common-lawed, divorced, or widowed hold a higher percentage of both ink and piercings than persons who were never married.