Map the Fastest-Growing Sport in America

SFIA’s participation findings, as reported by The Dink, keep pickleball the fastest growing sport in America among the sports it tracks. Its estimate: 24.3 million Americans played in 2025. A different lens, new DUPR users over the prior 12 months, puts Cleveland first and Philadelphia fourth on a city growth list. One number measures nationwide play; the other tells you where the rating platform gained users. Do not confuse them.

For North Jersey players, Philadelphia pickleball growth is a useful nearby signal; Ashburn, Virginia, also made the list. Neither is a count of open courts. Before you call your own waitlist proof of a national ranking, see what each source actually counted.

Editorial illustration; the growth-map artwork is conceptual, not a map of court supply or city-by-city participation.

Why SFIA calls pickleball the fastest growing sport in America

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s 2026 Topline Participation Report estimates 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025. The Dink reports that this is 22.8% above 2024 and 171.8% above three years earlier. That is the basis for the fastest-growing claim here: SFIA’s tracked-sport participation finding, not a ranking invented by Pickleball Near Me.

the dominant multi-year growth leader across all tracked sports

SFIA, quoted by The Dink

How many people play pickleball depends on the definition and the year. SFIA’s estimate includes people who played at least once during 2025; it does not say 24.3 million players need a reservation every Tuesday night. That distinction matters when a rec director uses national participation to plan local court time.

What DUPR measured, and what it did not

The Dink’s September 15 report ranks cities by growth in new DUPR users over the prior 12 months. A DUPR rating is a player’s performance rating based on recorded match results; a new platform user is not automatically a new player or an extra person on one particular court. The reported list is about platform participation, not a census of everyone who picked up a paddle.

That is still valuable. A cluster of new rated users can signal more players interested in leagues, organized matches and level-based open play. It cannot tell us how many public courts Cleveland has, what proportion of Philadelphia players live across the river, or whether a particular New Jersey club has room tomorrow. The denominator and collection method differ from SFIA’s survey.

The top 10 DUPR growth cities

Source: The Dink, Alex E. Weaver (September 15, 2026), ranking cities by growth in new DUPR users over the previous 12 months. No city percentages are inferred from the article’s Instagram graphics.

The list is more varied than the familiar Florida-and-Sun-Belt shorthand. Cleveland pickleball leads this platform measure; Huntsville and Seattle follow. Philadelphia is fourth. The placement tells you where DUPR onboarding accelerated, not which city is “best” for a road trip or a relocation.

Read Philly and Ashburn from North Jersey

Philadelphia at fourth is geographically relevant to a North Jersey player considering a weekend match or following regional tournaments. Ashburn at sixth adds a Northern Virginia marker. Neither city gives us a measured North Jersey spillover effect. The practical move is to check actual booking inventory and open-play calendars before assuming the same rate of growth applies at home.

No New Jersey city appears in this top ten. That is not evidence that local courts are empty, and it is not a verdict on the state’s pickleball popularity. DUPR’s snapshot selects for people joining a ratings system. A neighborhood park session where no one logs a match is largely invisible to that particular measure.

Casual players and core players use courts differently

SFIA, through The Dink, estimates 16.8 million casual participants, defined as people playing one to seven times in the year, up 23.9% year over year. The core group, eight or more sessions annually, reached 7.48 million, up 20.4% from 2024. These are national participation figures, not city splits. They offer two different questions for anyone planning programming.

A first-timer may need a loaner paddle and a welcoming beginner slot. A regular might need a consistent ladder, enough court time and opponents at a similar level. If a facility measures only booked league sessions, it may miss the first group. If it counts every one-off trial as enduring demand, it may overbuild for the second. Good programming tests both assumptions rather than letting one big national total answer every local question.

That is also why the DUPR rating signal and SFIA’s participation estimate should sit side by side. One may tell a director where structured play is catching on. The other says that participation overall continues to grow. Neither replaces a count of players turned away at a specific local session.

What PBN readers should do next

Use our Trends hub for the wider participation picture, then look at North Jersey courts and clubs for places to check near home. Call or open the club’s current booking page before traveling: a city ranking cannot tell you whether today’s open play has space.

If you are helping a new player get on court, start with a paddle they can comfortably try, not a made-up city-wide gear verdict. Amazon’s changing best-seller list is one browsing route, not our tested recommendation.

Planning a weekend of matches in Philly or Northern Virginia? Confirm the actual venue and schedule first. Connectivity is a separate road-trip consideration, not part of the growth data.

The next useful number is local: a real booking slot, a beginner session or a full waitlist at the court you would actually use. Start there, and let the national map add context rather than make the decision for you.