The Biggest Myth about the Growth of Pickleball, Visualized

We’ve all read about or heard about the growth of pickleball. It’s a sport we all love and subsequently love to share with others. And over the past two years, it’s been featured on morning shows, late shows, popular magazines, and online outlets.

But what’s the real truth about the growth of pickleball? And more surprisingly, what’re the myths about the growth of pickleball?

We broke down the numbers. But we’re more “visual people” so we broke them down visually.

There are now more than four million pickleball players in the United States of America.

To start, let’s talk about the overall growth of pickleball in America. From 2019 to 2020, participation grew 21.3%, up to 4.2 million players. While the overall number of participants in the sport is comparable to other popular sports in the states, the growth rate makes it one of the fastest growing sports in America.

No one can predict the future. Not even us. But we suspect the rapid growth of pickleball will continue. Why? Well, keep reading and we’ll get to that.

Florida is still the pickleball capital of America.

It’s not surprising that the sunshine state and its neighbors are still where a lot of pickleball is being played. About 22% of pickleball is played in the south atlantic region of the United States. But what is surprising is the next biggest pickleball region. East north central America accounts for 17% of pickleball play.

Our guess is that we’ll see major growth in the west south central region in years to come. Texas is becoming a hotspot for the sport and for pickleball pros.

Young Pickleball Players Account for Most of the Pickleball Growth

The biggest myth about pickleball is that it’s only for older people. While it is a sport that you can continue to play for a lifetime, that fact is simply not true. Actually, the fastest growing segment of pickleball players from 2019-2020 was 6-17 year olds. Earlier in this article we said we predict that the rapid growth of pickleball will likely continue. And this is why. As younger generations get involved in the sport, more and more people of all backgrounds will discover what we all love about pickleball. We’re also seeing more and more brands introduce products aimed at the youth age groups, like youth pickleball paddles.

There you have it—myth, busted!

We’ll continue to track the progress, evolution, and growth of pickleball! For updates delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter. When you do, you’ll get our free eBook, too!

Statistics pulled from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association 2021 Single Sport Report on Pickleball.