Updated October 8, 2026
Most pickleball statistics pages copy each other. This one doesn’t. Every figure below comes from a primary source — the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), USA Pickleball, or a peer-reviewed journal — with the date the source was published, and where sources disagree we say so instead of picking the bigger number. If you run a club, write about the sport, or plan facilities, you are welcome to cite or link any of it. Last verified September 29, 2026.
An estimated 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020, with 7.5 million playing eight or more times a year (SFIA, June 2026). USA Pickleball counts 82,613 known courts at 18,258 locations and approved 718 paddles in 2025, down from 1,225 in 2024. From October 1, 2026, newly certified paddles must spin at 2,100 RPM or less. Falls cause about two-thirds of pickleball ER visits, mostly among players aged 65–80.
The headline numbers
| Statistic | Figure | Source (as of) |
|---|---|---|
| Americans who played pickleball in 2025 | 24.3 million | SFIA 2026 Pickleball Single Sport Report (June 4, 2026) |
| Players in 2020 | 4.2 million | SFIA (June 4, 2026) |
| Core players (8+ times a year), 2025 | 7.5 million | SFIA (June 4, 2026) |
| Core players, 2020 | 1.4 million | SFIA (June 4, 2026) |
| Women as share of players, 2025 | 42.9% (38.6% in 2020) | SFIA (June 4, 2026) |
| Known courts in the US | 82,613 | USA Pickleball Annual Growth Report (updated Jan. 30, 2026) |
| Known places to play | 18,258 | USA Pickleball (Jan. 30, 2026) |
| USA Pickleball members | 104,828 | USA Pickleball (Jan. 30, 2026) |
| Paddles approved in 2025 | 718 (plus 72 balls) | USA Pickleball (Jan. 30, 2026) |
| Pickleball wholesale sales growth, 2025 | +22% year over year | SFIA Manufacturers’ Sales by Category (Mar. 31, 2026) |
| ER injuries 2013–2022, national estimate | 66,350 | Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (Jan. 23, 2025) |
How many people play pickleball?
SFIA’s 2026 Single Sport Report puts US participation at 24.3 million in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020 — in SFIA’s words, “more than fivefold in just five years.” SFIA has called pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for five consecutive years.
The number that matters more for clubs and retailers is the core count: people who play eight or more times a year. That group went from 1.4 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2025. Roughly seven in ten players are still casual (one to seven sessions a year), which is the pool every club, league and rating system is trying to convert.
Year-by-year participation (SFIA)
| Year | Total participants | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4.2M | — | SFIA 2026 report |
| 2022 | 8.9M | +85.7% vs 2021 | SFIA release, Aug. 10, 2023 |
| 2023 | 13.6M | +51.8% | SFIA, as cited in the USA Pickleball 2023 Annual Growth Report |
| 2024 | 19.8M | +45.8% | SFIA 2025 report, as reported by Pickleheads (SFIA’s own page no longer shows it) |
| 2025 | 24.3M | +22.7% (computed from 19.8M) | SFIA 2026 report |
Two things to notice. First, growth is decelerating in percentage terms — from +85% to about +22% — while still adding roughly 4.5 million new players a year. Second, SFIA’s participation page describes 2022-to-2025 growth as 171.8%; that is a three-year figure, and it gets misquoted as an annual rate constantly.
Who plays
- Gender: women were 42.9% of players in 2025, up from 38.6% in 2020 (SFIA, June 2026). SFIA’s participation page rounds this to 57% male, 43% female.
- Age: SFIA says 13-to-24-year-olds now post “the highest participation rates of any age segment” (June 2026). Its 2023 release reported an average age of 35, with 25–34 the largest bracket. The “retiree sport” framing is out of date for participation — but not for injuries, as the data further down shows.
- Methodology: SFIA surveys about 18,000 Americans aged 6 and up each year and tracks more than 120 activities. It is the only participation series with a consistent method going back to 2020, which is why we use it and not larger figures floated elsewhere.
A number we don’t use: you will see “48.3 million players” cited from an APP-commissioned survey. It measures something different (anyone who played once in the prior 12 months, different sample) and is not comparable to SFIA’s series. Don’t mix them.
How many pickleball courts are there in the US?
USA Pickleball’s Annual Growth Report counts known courts and locations from the Places to Play database (maintained by Pickleheads). The true count is higher; nobody has a census of private and backyard courts.
| Report year | Known courts | Courts added | Locations | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 50,003 | — | 11,885 | early 2024 |
| 2024 | 68,458 | +18,455 | 15,910 | Jan. 14, 2025 |
| 2025 | 82,613 | +14,155 | 18,258 | Jan. 30, 2026 |
So the US added roughly 14,000 known courts in 2025 after 18,000 in 2024 — a slowdown in additions, though the database is also cleaned up over time, so treat year-to-year deltas as approximate. SFIA’s 2023 analysis estimated the country needed about 25,000 more courts and $900 million of investment to keep up with demand; by the 2025 report, more than that many had been added.
Where sources disagree: in mid-2023 SFIA cited 51,937 courts at 12,081 facilities from the same database, while USA Pickleball’s 2023 report says 50,003 at 11,885. Different snapshot dates, same source. Pickleheads’ own 2025 statistics page says “over 70,641” courts across 16,210+ facilities, which sits between the 2024 and 2025 USA Pickleball figures. If you need one number, use USA Pickleball’s most recent published report and date it. If you are pricing a court of your own, see our backyard court cost guide.
USA Pickleball membership, tournaments and equipment approvals
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members | 78,766 | 62,260 | 104,828 |
| Sanctioned tournaments | 195 | 142 | 144 |
| Paddles approved | 1,185 | 1,225 | 718 |
| Balls approved | 92 | 81 | 72 |
| New brands / manufacturers registered | — | 476 | 193 |
| Ambassadors | — | 2,051 | 1,864 |
Sources: USA Pickleball 2023, 2024 and 2025 Annual Growth Reports.
Read these with care. Membership is not a clean growth line — it dropped from 78,766 to 62,260 and then jumped to 104,828, which almost certainly reflects a change in how members are counted rather than 40,000 people joining in one year. USA Pickleball has not published a reconciliation. Sanctioned tournament counts fell from 195 to the low 140s; the reports don’t say why.
The equipment line is the one nobody else reports: paddle approvals fell from 1,225 in 2024 to 718 in 2025, and new brand registrations fell from 476 to 193. The paddle gold rush of 2023–24, when a new brand could get a factory thermoformed paddle approved in weeks, has cooled. Part of that is the stricter testing described next.
The decertified-paddle tracker
USA Pickleball can remove a paddle from its Approved list after certification if production units fail its standards. That matters if you play sanctioned tournaments (a delisted paddle is illegal on court) and it matters for resale value. This table is maintained from USA Pickleball’s Paddle Compliance page and equipment statements. It is not a list of “bad paddles” — several were and are excellent for rec play.
Currently removed or under review (compliance page, checked Sept. 29, 2026)
| Manufacturer | Model | Status | Date listed | Reason given |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facolos | Pro Series Elite X | Removed from Approved list | Mar. 24, 2026 | Exceeded allowable surface roughness; Facolos acknowledged production paddles differed from the version submitted for testing (USA Pickleball statement, May 28, 2026) |
| Proton Sports | Series Three Project Peacock S3PE15 | Under investigation | May 28, 2026 | Not stated |
| Speedup | Tide 14S | Under investigation | May 27, 2026 | Not stated |
| Six Zero | Ruby Pro 14MM | Under investigation | Nov. 20, 2025 | Not stated |
| R.A.W. (Reign and Win) | Multiple models | Compliance issue resolved | Mar. 11, 2026 | Resolved; models remain approved |
Note on Facolos: the compliance page dates the removal March 24, 2026; USA Pickleball’s public statement is dated May 28, 2026. Both are correct — removal first, explanation two months later.
Decertified July 1, 2025 — the PBCoR “trampoline effect” standard
USA Pickleball introduced a Paddle/Ball Coefficient of Restitution (PBCoR) test in Q4 2024 to limit paddles that spring the ball off the face. Six models already on the market failed it and were removed from the Approved list for sanctioned play effective July 1, 2025 (USA Pickleball certification updates). These paddles are decertified and no longer approved for sanctioned play:
| Manufacturer | Model | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| JOOLA | Perseus Mod TA-15, 14mm | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| JOOLA | Perseus Mod TA-15, 16mm | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| Gearbox | Pro Power Elongated | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| ProKennex | Black Ace Pro | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| ProKennex | Black Ace Ovation | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| ProKennex | Black Ace XF | Decertified, removed from list July 1, 2025 |
| ProKennex | Black Ace LG (11mm) | Reinstated June 3, 2025 after retesting — approved, never actually left the list |
The ProKennex Black Ace LG is the trap for anyone copying the original announcement: it was on the delist notice, then USA Pickleball reversed itself on June 3, 2025 based on new testing. It is approved. The other three 11mm Black Ace models were decertified as scheduled.
JOOLA Gen 3 — May 16, 2024
The largest single decertification to date: 17 JOOLA Gen 3 models were removed on May 16, 2024, including the Ben Johns Hyperion 3 (14 and 16mm), Ben Johns Perseus 3 (14 and 16mm), Tyson McGuffin Magnus 3 (14 and 16mm), Collin Johns Scorpeus 3 (16mm), Anna Bright Scorpeus 3 (14mm) and Alpha 2024 variants. USA Pickleball’s stated reason was that JOOLA had submitted the wrong paddles for certification in November 2023 via the similarity process, and that the resubmitted production paddles “did not meet our approved equipment standards.”
The standards behind the tracker
From the USA Pickleball Equipment Standards Manual, Revision 3.0 (January 2025) and the spin-rate update (published July 8, 2026, revised Sept. 16, 2026):
- PBCoR (trampoline effect): limit 0.44 effective Nov. 1, 2024, tightened to 0.43 effective Nov. 1, 2025. We explain what that means for a thick versus thin core in how paddle thickness changes your game.
- Surface roughness: average Rz no more than 30 µm, no single reading above 33 µm.
- Kinetic coefficient of friction: no more than 0.1875.
- Spin rate (new): from Oct. 1, 2026, every paddle submitted for certification must post a measured spin rate of 2,100 RPM or less on USA Pickleball’s dual-camera test. Paddles certified before that date under the roughness and friction standards stay on the list; nothing already approved is affected. Expect the approval count to dip in Q4 2026 as manufacturers re-engineer surfaces.
We update this section when the compliance page changes. If you spot a removal we have missed, email info@pickleballinsiders.com. The jargon (PBCoR, Rz, sanctioned) is defined in our pickleball glossary.
Pickleball injuries: what the data actually says
The participation data skews young; the injury data does not.
Emergency-room injuries, 2013–2022. A 10-year analysis of the CPSC’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), published in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine on Jan. 23, 2025, found 1,110 recorded cases representing an estimated 66,350 pickleball injuries treated in US emergency departments over the decade, with a statistically significant upward trend. Key findings:
- 61.1% of injured patients were aged 65–80.
- Falls were the mechanism in 65.5% of cases.
- Fractures were the most common diagnosis (32.7%), followed by sprains (30.8%).
- Women accounted for 69.1% of fractures.
- The wrist was the most injured body part (12.7%).
Single-institution study, 2017–2022. A study published Feb. 14, 2025 (also in OJSM) tracked 487 patients with 618 pickleball injuries at one health system. Injuries rose 6.8-fold over six years — faster than national participation grew over the same period. Soft-tissue strains and ruptures were the most common injury (47.9%); women were about twice as likely as men to sustain fractures; patients over 60 had more fractures and joint pain.
Review in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2024): the review reports that muscle strains, sprains and fractures dominate ED presentations; men presented with strains and sprains at roughly three times the rate of women, while women had fractures roughly three times as often as men.
The practical read: for players over 60, the injury the data points to is a fall-related fracture, not an overuse injury — which is why our beginner’s guide spends more words on court shoes and footwork than on paddles.
The pickleball equipment market
There is no primary source that publishes paddle-only unit or dollar sales. What exists:
- SFIA Manufacturers’ Sales by Category Report (Mar. 31, 2026): pickleball was again the fastest-growing category, with wholesale sales up 22% year over year in 2025, within a US sporting-goods industry of roughly $130 billion. The pickleball dollar figure is behind SFIA’s paywall.
- SFIA 2024 report (covering 2023): pickleball sales up 30.7% over 2022, with paddles and balls the fastest-growing sub-category.
- Circana (formerly NPD), via The Dink, July 31, 2023: US pickleball equipment retail sales of $304.2 million in the 12 months to June 2023, up from $50.8 million three years earlier, out of $684 million for all racquet-sports equipment.
We don’t publish figures from paid market-research reports. They disagree with each other by a factor of five depending on scope, and none disclose methodology.
How to cite this page
Cite the original source and date shown in each table — that is what they are there for. If you want to link here as the compiled reference: Pickleball Insiders, “Pickleball Statistics 2026,” pickleballinsiders.com/pickleball-statistics/, last verified Sept. 29, 2026. Every table on this page is free to reproduce with attribution.
Frequently asked questions
How many people play pickleball in the US in 2026?
The most recent full-year figure is 24.3 million Americans in 2025, from SFIA’s 2026 Pickleball Single Sport Report (June 4, 2026). 2026 full-year data will not be published until spring 2027.
Is pickleball still the fastest-growing sport in America?
Yes by SFIA’s count — 2025 was the fifth consecutive year it held that title — but the growth rate has slowed from +85.7% in 2022 to about +22% in 2025.
How many pickleball courts are there in the United States?
USA Pickleball’s 2025 Annual Growth Report (updated Jan. 30, 2026) counts 82,613 known courts at 18,258 locations. Private and backyard courts are largely uncounted, so the real number is higher.
Which pickleball paddles have been decertified?
Currently: the Facolos Pro Series Elite X (removed March 24, 2026), the six PBCoR paddles decertified July 1, 2025 (JOOLA Perseus Mod TA-15 14mm and 16mm, Gearbox Pro Power Elongated, ProKennex Black Ace Pro, Ovation and XF), and 17 JOOLA Gen 3 models (May 16, 2024). The ProKennex Black Ace LG 11mm was reinstated and is approved.
What is the most common pickleball injury?
In US emergency-department data (2013–2022), fractures were the most common diagnosis at 32.7%, falls caused 65.5% of injuries, and 61.1% of patients were aged 65–80.
What changes for paddles on October 1, 2026?
Every paddle submitted for USA Pickleball certification from that date must measure 2,100 RPM or less on the new spin-rate test. Paddles already approved keep their approval.