Pickleball participation hit 24.3 million Americans in 2025, SFIA says
Short answer: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association reported on 4 June 2026 that 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, more than five times the 4.2 million in 2020, and called it the fastest-growing US sport for five consecutive years.
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) released its 2026 Pickleball Single Sport Report on 4 June 2026. Here are the headline numbers from its press release.
- 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020.
- SFIA says it is the nation's fastest-growing sport for five consecutive years.
- Teens and young adults aged 13-24 posted the highest participation rates of any age segment.
- Women were 42.9% of players, up from 38.6% in 2020.
- Core players, defined as those who play eight or more times a year, grew from 1.4 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2025.
What it means
SFIA's research head Alex Kerman described the story as "the broadening and diversification of the player base", pointing to younger players, more women and a larger core group. The sport has moved beyond its early image as a pastime for older adults, at least by these measures.
A note on the numbers
The full report breaks participation down by gender, age, region, income, education, ethnicity and cross-sport participation, but it is sold, at $150 for SFIA members and $500 for non-members. This article uses only the public press release.
Sources
Sources checked 14 Oct 2026. Header photo: Pickleball courts under a large covered roof with open sides, by Spellck, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
