The States and Cities Most Obsessed with Pickleball
from Rachel Perez
RachelPerez@Northstarinbound.net
The Association of Pickleball Professionals reported more than 36.5 million players in 2022, and this number is continuing to grow. It’s almost as popular as solitaire! With celebrities like LeBron James and Tom Brady joining in and cities across the country building more courts, the sport is enjoying growth in popularity.
With such tremendous growth, our team used online search interest to find which cities and states across the country are joining in. If you are looking for a new outdoor activity to keep you active this summer, maybe it’s time to learn how to play pickleball. So grab your paddle, find a court near you, and check out where your city or state ranks in the pickleball craze!
Key Takeaways
The most pickleball-obsessed U.S. cities per capita are Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; and Atlanta, GA.
Laredo, TX; Columbus, OH; Houston, TX; and New York, NY, are the cities with the largest increase in pickleball search interest year-over-year.
Based on search interest, residents in Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Florida are most pickleball obsessed.
Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, Nevada, and Ohio have recorded the largest increase in pickleball search interest year-over-year.
List of cities most obsessed with pickleball
The U.S. Cities Most Obsessed with Pickleball
While pickleball is becoming increasingly popular all across the country, some states are more obsessed than others. At the top of our ranking with the most search interest per capita is Miami, FL. In February, the Miami-Dade commissioners unanimously approved a resolution requesting that the county’s mayor assess how viable it would be to have a sports complex dedicated to pickleball, illustrating the increasing demand for places to play.
Second on our list is Orlando, FL, so it comes as no surprise that Florida has the second most pickleball courts in the country — 770 in total — as of February 2023. With so many courts to choose from and beautiful weather to play outdoors, we understand Florida residents’ obsession with the sport.
Coming in at third is Atlanta, GA, with nearly 40 courts in the city. According to Atlanta News First, PCKL, a performance pickleball gear company based in the state’s capital, and the city’s pickleball center have teamed up to open courts for people to play for free.
Wrapping up our top-five most obsessed cities are Tampa, FL, in fourth, and Minneapolis, MN, coming in at fifth.
**********Raleigh, N.C. ranks at #17 on the list of cities most obsessed with Pickleball….**********