A statistical study of 15 years of the spinal cord injury care system of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is reported. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) is the rehabilitation component of the Midwest Regional Spinal Cord Injury Care System, a collaborative programme with Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University. Data are reported on 1382 patients, a representative sample of the over 2000 patients treated since the inception of the centre. The sample was predominantly male (83%, N = 1147) and caucasian (64%, N = 888). The most common aetiology was motor vehicle accidents (36%, N = 505). During the 15-year period there were significant decreases in both acute and rehabilitation lengths of stay. Ninety three per cent of the patients were discharged home. Rehabilitation benefits were demonstrated by improvements in the Modified Barthel Index. The research, educational and clinical programmes are described.