stats

Table of Contents

Introduction

We gathered up some data go gain insights into the sport of pickleball.

Fun Pickleball Statistics

How many people play pickleball?

According the APP over 36.5 million people played pickleball in 2022.

What kinds of other sports do people who play pickelball enjoy?

Activity	Participants (000’s)	Participation Rate	Index
Bowling	1,958	40.60%	297
Treadmill	1,925	39.90%	227
Walking for Fitness	1,864	38.70%	102
Free Weights (Dumbbells/Hand Weights)	1,712	35.50%	206
Stationary Cycling (Recumbent/Upright)	1,449	30.10%	282
Basketball	1,427	29.60%	333
Tennis	1,416	29.40%	396
Running/Jogging	1,405	29.20%	181
Bicycling (Road/Paved Surface)	1,395	28.90%	206
Yoga	1,327	27.50%	244
Hiking (Day)	1,302	27.00%	140
Camping (Within 1/4 Mile of Vehicle/Home)	1,272	26.40%	223
High Impact/Intensity Training	1,265	26.30%	364
Table Tennis	1,242	25.80%	511
Free Weights (Barbells)	1,227	25.50%	275
Weight/Resistance Machines	1,164	24.20%	241
Golf on a 9 or 18-hole golf course	1,148	23.80%	289
Elliptical Motion/Cross-Trainer	1,132	23.50%	259
Swimming for Fitness	1,116	23.20%	276
Rowing Machine	1,105	22.90%	603
Kettlebells	1,047	21.70%	489
Fishing (Freshwater/Other)	1,038	21.50%	161
Trail Running	966	20.00%	488

Source: SIFA 2022 Single Sport Pickleball Report

As we can see, pickleball players are generally active people who enjoy many different sports and hobbies to stay fit.

What percent of pickleball players are men, and what percent are women?

We can see a decent amount of women play pickleball already. As the sport grows, and with role models such as Anna Lee Waters, we expect more young girls to pick up the sport.

Do people of all ages play pickleball?

We can see that pickleball is enjoyed by all ages, with the 65+ and 24-35 year old segments accounting for the highest percentage of players.

What socioeconomic information is there about the sport of pickleball?

As we can see, the sport skews towards the wealthy in the 2021 data set. We hope that as the sport grows the demographics will shift to be more inclusive. But as enthusiasts of the sport, we all must do our part to make people from all walks of life feel welcome. We all know how hard it can be to bonk your serve in front of new people. Now imagine if you’re from a different socioeconomic class, or you look different. We need to nurture all comers to the sport to keep pickleball healthy and growing.

How racially inclusive is pickleball?

Here is the biggest challege, and opportunity for the sport of pickleball. Just as the sport skews towards the wealthy, it also is dominated by the caucasion demographic. We need to improve opportunities for players of all types to pick up and enjoy pickleball. This means having access to playing areas that are safe and nearby. This means offering equipment to school districts that may not have funding to purchase pickleball paddles, nets, and balls for their students. With money pouring into the sport in the form of sponsorships and prize pools, we as a community need to earmark funds to ensure inclusion in underserved areas.