29 United States at the Summer Olympics by year

Fourteen competitors from the United States competed in three sports at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Americans were the most successful athletes in terms of gold medals, beating host nation Greece, 11 to 10, despite fielding only 14 competitors compared to an estimated 169 Greek entrants. However, the Greeks' 46 total medals dwarfed the Americans' 20.

The United States competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

The United States hosted the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri.

The United States competed at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece. 38 athletes, all men, competed in 28 events in 5 sports.

The United States competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, England. During the opening ceremony, American athletes did not dip their flag to the British royalty in support of the Irish boycott over Great Britain's refusal to grant Irish independence.

The United States competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. 174 competitors, took part in 68 events in 11 sports. Out of the 174 athletes who had participated, 63 won medals.

The United States competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 288 competitors, 274 men and 14 women, took part in 113 events in 18 sports.

The United States competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. 299 competitors, 275 men and 24 women, took part in 108 events in 18 sports.

The United States competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 280 competitors, 236 men and 44 women, took part in 96 events in 15 sports.

The United States was the host nation for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. 474 competitors, 400 men and 74 women, took part in 122 events in 17 sports.

The United States competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The Americans finished second in the medal table to the hosts. 359 competitors, 313 men and 46 women, took part in 127 events in 21 sports.

The United States competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. 300 competitors, 262 men and 38 women, took part in 126 events in 19 sports.

The United States competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 286 competitors - 245 men and 41 women - took part in 133 events in 18 sports. It won 76 medals, including 6 podium sweeps; the highest number of medal sweeps in a single Olympiad by one country since World War II and still a record.

The United States competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. 297 competitors, 251 men and 46 women, took part in 139 events in 18 sports.

The United States competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. It was the first Summer Olympics in which the athletes marched under the present flag. 292 competitors, 241 men and 51 women, took part in 147 events in 17 sports. The 1960 Summer Olympics was the first Olympics in history that was being covered by a television provider. American network CBS became the first official broadcaster of the games, by purchasing the rights to cover the Rome Olympics. The 1960 Summer Olympics also brought one of the first appearances of one of the greatest heavyweight boxers ever, Muhammad Ali. Since these Olympic Games occurred before his conversion to Islam, he fought under the name Cassius Clay.

The United States competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 346 competitors, 267 men and 79 women, took part in 159 events in 19 sports.

The United States competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 357 competitors, 274 men and 83 women, took part in 167 events in 18 sports.

The United States competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 400 competitors, 316 men and 84 women, took part in 185 events in 21 sports.

The United States competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 396 competitors, 278 men and 118 women, took part in 189 events in 19 sports.

The United States was the host nation of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. It was the nineteenth time that Team USA participated, having boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics. 522 competitors, 339 men and 183 women, took part in 217 events in 25 sports.

The United States competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. 527 competitors, 332 men and 195 women, took part in 230 events in 27 sports. The United States finished outside of the top two in the overall medal count for the first time and in the gold medal count for only the second time. That was mainly caused by the extensive state-sponsored doping programs that were developed in these communist countries to fulfil their political agenda on an international stage.

The United States competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. 545 competitors, 355 men and 190 women, took part in 248 events in 28 sports. At the closing ceremony, a segment of American culture was performed, as the country hosted the next Olympics in Atlanta.

The United States of America (USA) was the host nation for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. 646 competitors, 375 men and 271 women, took part in 263 events in 31 sports.

The United States of America (USA) competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. 586 competitors, 333 men and 253 women, took part in 265 events in 31 sports.

The United States competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. 533 competitors, 279 men and 254 women, took part in 254 events in 31 sports.

The United States, represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by the US team and many others in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing, and competed in all Olympic sports except handball.

The United States of America, represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from July 27 to August 12, 2012. U.S. athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow which they boycotted in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 530 athletes to the Games, 262 men and 268 women, to compete in 25 sports. For the first time in its Olympic history, the United States was represented by more female than male athletes.

The United States, represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from August 5 to 21, 2016. U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which they boycotted in protest of the Soviet–Afghan War. For the second consecutive time in the Summer Olympics, the United States was represented by more female than male athletes.

The United States, represented by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), is expected to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games have been postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympics of the modern era, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which they boycotted in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.