OBJECTIVES: Estimating the burden of Staphylococcus aureus infections among U.S. children is important for planning appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. The objectives of this study were to characterize national estimates of S. aureus SSTIs in pediatric patients from 2001 to 2010 and assess trends in hospital length of stay (LOS). METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of the U.S. National Hospital Discharge Surveys from 2001 to 2010. Eligible cases included children < 18 years of age hospitalized with a principle ICD-9-CM diagnosis code for SSTI. S. aureus, methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), and methicillin-resistant S. aureus(MRSA) were defined by ICD-9 CM diagnosis codes. Data weights were used to derive national estimates. Annual incidence rates were reported per 10,000 pediatric hospitalizations. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to determine differences in hospital LOS. RESULTS: Overall, these data represent over 4.6 million pediatric hospital discharges for SSTIs nationwide from 2001 to 2010. The rate of hospitalization for SSTIs increased 60%, from 491/10,000 in 2001 to 784/10,000 in 2010. S. aureus SSTIs increased over the study period from 6/10,000 in 2001 and peaked at 37/10,000 in 2008. This was mostly attributable to the dramatic increase in MRSA SSTIs, from 1.3 cases per 10,000 in 2001 to 31.4 cases per 10,000 in 2010. Additionally, MSSA SSTIs nearly tripled throughout the study period (4 per 10,000 in 2001 to 12 per 10,000 in 2010). The median (interquartile range) hospital LOS for S. aureus SSTIs significantly decreased from 3 (2-5) days in 2001 to 2 (1-3) days in 2010 (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS:   The incidence of MSSA and MRSA SSTI hospitalizations among U.S. children has dramatically increased from 2001 to 2010.