Nearly 20 million people played pickleball in US in 2024, new report says

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Mar 19 2025

Category

News

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Pickleball was the fastest growing sport in America last year.

That probably sounds familiar because it’s the fourth straight year that’s been the case.

There were an estimated 19.8 million players in the U.S. in 2024, an increase of 45.8% from the previous year and a 311% jump over the past three years, according to the latest Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s Topline Participation Report, which was released recently.

Just getting started in pickleball? Check out the best beginner paddles

The SFIA report broke down participation into two groups:

Casual players (1-7 times per year): 13.6 million, a 56% increase from 2023.
Core players (8+ times per year): 6.2 million, a 28% increase from 2023.

Pickleball participation by age group

That growth has occurred across all age groups, but players in the 25-34 range were the most represented group in a separate report released by SFIA in November, accounting for 16.7% of all players.

Read next: How did we get here? — A deep dive into the past 25 years of pickleball in America

The second largest age bracket was 65 and over, as those players made up 15.4% of total participants. Players between 18-24 were third at 13.3% and there were 1 million players under the age of 18 who started playing.

Pickleball infrastructure also sees big growth, but more courts needed

2024 also saw big growth in terms of pickleball infrastructure, according to USA Pickleball. There was a 55% increase in the number of places to play compared to 2023, and there are now nearly 70,000 courts in the U.S., including dedicated courts and other courts such as tennis courts with temporary lines.

But there’s still a huge need in terms of infrastructure to meet demand. In the November report it was estimated that an $855 million investment in court construction was needed over the next 5-7 years.

Pickleball is big business

With millions of new players comes millions of dollars being spent in the pickleball industry. A report in January from Market.us projects the sport’s value to skyrocket from $1.9 billion in 2023 to $7.9 billion by 2033 – a 15.3% compound annual growth rate over the next decade.

Equipment sales – paddles, balls, nets, apparel and footwear – represents the largest share of growth, accounting for 41.5% of total revenue in 2023. But it doesn’t stop at gear, as the sport’s rapid rise is fueling other areas as well:

Court construction: New facilities are popping up everywhere, from dedicated pickleball clubs to repurposed tennis courts.

Tournament growth: Prize money is increasing, sponsorships are rolling in and events are drawing bigger crowds.

Training programs: More players means more coaching, clinics and instructional content.

Digital sales: 55.8% of pickleball purchases in 2023 happened online.