The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) and the online platform Pickleheads have released a report on the state and growth of pickleball in the U.S.. By its estimate, the sport has grown 85.7 percent year-on-year and 158.6 percent over three years.
In 2022 there were some 8.9 million players in the country, with the year’s new players outnumbering the overall total for 2021. The average player is 35 years old. The age group with the most players is 25–34, with the 18–24 and 65-plus groups tied for second place.
The region to enjoy the most growth was South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia), with 1.9 million players. Next came Pacific (1.5 million) and East North Central (1.4 million). Mountain (including Arizona, California, Utah) had the highest number of dedicated courts per thousand players, with 4.6 – more than double the national average. Middle Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) had the lowest number, with one per thousand.
America’s big cities tend to lag behind the demand for pickleball courts. The top two metropolitan areas, New York and Los Angeles, are both 98 percent below national averages for dedicated courts per 10,000 people. About seven in ten courts are “temporary in nature.”
By Pickleheads co-founder and COO Brandon Mackie’s estimate, the sport requires investments of more than $900 million in court infrastructure – a deficit that should make the coming years “very exciting for the pickleball industry.”
The 2023 State of Pickleball: Participation & Infrastructure Report is available for purchase online.
Photo source: Joan Azeka, Unsplash
