Measured by courts per resident, the best pickleball city in the US among large metro areas is Grand Rapids, Michigan, with 38.1 courts per 100,000 residents. Among mid-size metros the leader is Naples, Florida, at 72.6, and among small metros it's Wildwood-The Villages, Florida, at 199.7. We ranked 385 US metro areas by listed pickleball courts per 100,000 residents, and grouped them by size so a retirement town isn't compared with Los Angeles.

Every row in the tables below is a metropolitan statistical area, which takes in the suburbs and nearby towns around the named city. "Grand Rapids" here means the whole Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood metro, not just the city limits.

Across all 385 metros, the average is 24.6 courts per 100,000 residents. That's the yardstick for everything that follows. Large metros (1,000,000 or more people) average 22.5, mid-size metros (250,000 to 999,999) average 27.4, and small metros (under 250,000) average 31.8. Smaller places have more courts per head, which is the main reason the ranking is split by size.

Best US cities for pickleball: large metros

These are the 15 metros with at least a million residents that have the most listed courts per 100,000 people. "Free courts" is the share of the metro's listed courts that cost nothing to play; "Indoor courts" is the share that are indoors.

Rank	Metro area	Courts per 100k	Courts	Free courts	Indoor courts
1	Grand Rapids, MI	38.1	451	53%	35%
2	Tucson, AZ	35.4	380	19%	18%
3	Phoenix, AZ	34.8	1,821	22%	17%
4	St. Louis, MO-IL	34.6	973	45%	44%
5	Milwaukee, WI	34.2	538	43%	43%
6	Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI	34.1	1,293	60%	41%
7	Salt Lake City, UT	33.9	443	64%	38%
8	Birmingham, AL	32.7	392	65%	45%
9	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	31.0	718	49%	40%
10	Rochester, NY	29.9	316	60%	38%
11	Charlotte, NC-SC	29.8	876	40%	34%
12	Cleveland, OH	29.5	638	45%	43%
13	Columbus, OH	28.5	639	46%	44%
14	Indianapolis, IN	28.0	618	43%	52%
15	Baltimore, MD	27.0	771	42%	38%

The headline is the Midwest. Eight of the top 15 are Midwestern metros: Grand Rapids, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Indianapolis. Ohio alone has three of them. These metros also lean indoor: seven of the eight have 40% or more of their courts under a roof, which matters in a place with real winters.

The two Arizona metros tell a different story. Tucson and Phoenix sit second and third on supply, but they have the lowest free shares in the top 15: 19% in Tucson and 22% in Phoenix. Most of their listed courts are not free to play. Phoenix is also notable for sheer volume: its 1,821 listed courts are almost as many as Los Angeles has (1,832), in a metro of 5,228,938 people against 12,844,441.

If free play matters most to you, look at Birmingham (65% free), Salt Lake City (64%) and Minneapolis-St. Paul and Rochester (60% each). All four are in the top 10 on supply, and all four have 60% or more of their courts free. Indianapolis is the only top-15 large metro where more than half of courts are indoors, at 52%.

A few of the big facilities behind these numbers: the PPA Mesa Campus at Arizona Athletic Grounds lists 41 courts, Match Point Pickleball club in Columbus lists 38, and Quail Creek Pickleball Club in Sahuarita, south of Tucson, lists 32.

Why the biggest cities rank low

New York has more listed pickleball courts than any other US metro, 3,065 of them. It still ranks 53rd of 56 large metros, because those courts are spread across more than 20 million people. Per resident, the biggest cities have the hardest time keeping up.

Rank	Metro area	Courts per 100k	Courts	Free courts	Indoor courts
52	Memphis, TN-MS-AR	15.7	210	34%	60%
53	New York, NY-NJ	15.2	3,065	40%	41%
54	Los Angeles, CA	14.3	1,832	39%	16%
55	San Antonio, TX	10.7	302	26%	41%
56	Fresno, CA	8.1	98	69%	6%

Part of this is simple arithmetic. A metro's court count has to grow as fast as its population to hold its place, and the biggest metros have the most people to keep up with. The result in the data: lots of courts in total, fewer per person.

The list of large metros with the most courts in total looks very different from the per-resident ranking. After New York come Chicago (2,304 courts, 24.4 per 100,000), Los Angeles (1,832, 14.3), Phoenix (1,821, 34.8), Atlanta (1,665, 25.7), Dallas-Fort Worth (1,591, 18.8) and Houston (1,363, 17.2). Of those, only Phoenix also makes the per-resident top 15. Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, the three Texas metros mentioned here, all sit below the large-metro average of 22.5.

Fresno is the odd one at the bottom. It has the lowest court supply of any large metro, 8.1 per 100,000, but the highest free share, 69%. What it has is mostly public; there just isn't much of it. Grand Rapids, at the top, has more than four times Fresno's courts per resident.

A low rank is not the whole picture for a player. New York's 15.2 per 100,000 still adds up to 3,065 courts, so in a big city the useful question is usually which courts are near you, not how the metro ranks.

Best pickleball towns: mid-size metros

The mid-size group, 139 metros between 250,000 and 999,999 residents, is where the numbers jump.

Rank	Metro area	Courts per 100k	Courts	Free courts	Indoor courts
1	Naples, FL	72.6	303	10%	9%
2	Bend, OR	63.8	170	32%	34%
3	Portland, ME	61.1	353	35%	48%
4	Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ	56.6	143	39%	19%
5	Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ	54.6	203	42%	26%
6	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	50.1	439	18%	17%
7	Ogden, UT	49.3	332	67%	32%
8	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	48.6	461	26%	19%
9	Madison, WI	48.5	344	59%	35%
10	Port St. Lucie, FL	46.9	267	43%	10%
11	Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL	46.7	125	56%	22%
12	Provo-Orem, UT	46.7	361	71%	24%
13	Lynchburg, VA	44.6	120	32%	31%
14	Fort Wayne, IN	44.2	206	47%	46%
15	Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	44.1	139	53%	14%

Naples has more than twice the mid-size average of 27.4 courts per 100,000. It's also home to the single largest facility in the dataset, East Naples Community Park, at 65 courts. But only 10% of the metro's listed courts are free, so much of that supply sits at clubs and private communities.

Five of the top 15 are Florida metros, and two are in Utah. The Utah pair, Ogden and Provo-Orem, are the most free in the group at 67% and 71%. Madison, Wisconsin, and Fort Wayne, Indiana, carry the Midwest pattern into the mid-size tier, and Portland, Maine, stands out with nearly half its courts indoors (48%).

Best pickleball towns: small metros

Small metros, under 250,000 residents, produce the most extreme numbers, partly because a single big facility moves a small denominator a long way.

Rank	Metro area	Courts per 100k	Courts	Free courts	Indoor courts
1	Wildwood-The Villages, FL	199.7	315	7%	3%
2	St. George, UT	121.2	259	47%	10%
3	Barnstable Town, MA	91.6	214	55%	23%
4	Punta Gorda, FL	87.9	191	62%	10%
5	Hilton Head Island, SC	81.5	198	19%	14%
6	Columbus, IN	72.3	62	29%	32%
7	Burlington, VT	67.2	153	60%	25%
8	Sebring, FL	65.7	73	30%	7%
9	Niles, MI	61.7	94	65%	28%
10	Coeur d'Alene, ID	61.0	117	49%	48%

The Villages has more than six times the small-metro average of 31.8. It's a large retirement community built around recreation centers, and only 7% of its listed courts are free, so most of that supply is not open public courts. St. George, Utah, is second at 121.2 with nearly half its courts free (47%), and its Little Valley Pickleball Complex lists 33 courts.

Barnstable Town is the Census name for the Cape Cod metro. Columbus, Indiana, is the smallest metro on this list, with 62 courts at 8 facilities, so it's a good example of how a few venues can lift a small place up the table.

Best pickleball cities in Florida

Florida has 22 metro areas in the data, enough to rank on their own. Here are the top 10, across all size groups.

Rank	Metro area	Courts per 100k	Courts	Free courts	Indoor courts
1	Wildwood-The Villages, FL	199.7	315	7%	3%
2	Punta Gorda, FL	87.9	191	62%	10%
3	Naples, FL	72.6	303	10%	9%
4	Sebring, FL	65.7	73	30%	7%
5	Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	50.1	439	18%	17%
6	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	48.6	461	26%	19%
7	Port St. Lucie, FL	46.9	267	43%	10%
8	Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	44.1	139	53%	14%
9	Sebastian-Vero Beach, FL	40.5	70	23%	19%
10	Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL	38.8	290	40%	10%

The southwest Gulf Coast dominates: Punta Gorda, Naples, Cape Coral-Fort Myers and North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota are four of the top six. If you want free courts in Florida, Punta Gorda (62%) and Fort Walton Beach-Destin (53%) are the standouts among these 10. These metros are overwhelmingly outdoor; none on this list has more than 19% of its courts indoors.

The Deltona-Daytona Beach metro is home to Pictona at Holly Hill, one of the largest facilities in the country at 49 courts. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida's biggest metro, lands at 23.3 per 100,000, just above the large-metro average, though it does have The Fort in Fort Lauderdale at 43 courts.

Best pickleball vacation destinations in the USA

If you're planning a trip around pickleball, the top of the small and mid-size lists reads like a vacation map: The Villages (199.7 courts per 100,000), St. George (121.2), Cape Cod's Barnstable Town (91.6), Punta Gorda (87.9), Hilton Head Island (81.5), Naples (72.6) and Bend (63.8). Resort and retirement areas lead this ranking.

Two cautions before you book. First, these numbers are flattered by the seasonal population: snowbirds and visitors use the courts but aren't counted as residents, so the per-resident figure overstates how much court there is per person in peak season. Second, check access. Only 7% of listed courts in The Villages metro are free, 10% in Naples and 19% in Hilton Head. Many of the rest belong to clubs, resorts or community associations and may be closed to visitors.

The fix is to look court by court before you go. Our free pickleball courts guide covers how to find courts open to anyone at no charge, and the best pickleball courts rankings help you pick the ones worth the drive. Once you're there, finding open play is the easiest way into a local game.

Where is pickleball most popular?

This ranking can't answer that directly, and it's worth being plain about why. Courts per resident measures supply. It doesn't measure how many people play, how often, or how long they wait for a court. A metro could rank high because its parks department lined a lot of tennis courts, or because one large community built dozens of courts for its residents, and neither tells you how busy those courts are.

What the data does show is where courts are densest relative to population: the Midwest among large metros, Utah in all three size groups, Arizona in the large and mid-size lists, Florida in the mid-size and small lists, and resort and retirement areas at the very top. That's a useful proxy for how easy it is to find a court, not a measure of popularity.

If your area ranks low and you want that to change, our guide on how to get pickleball courts built in your town covers the parks-department side. If your area's courts are mostly indoor and paid, the indoor pickleball membership cost guide covers what to expect, and our indoor pickleball courts page covers how to find them.

How we ranked

Courts. We used the Pickleball Plus court database, the same one behind our count of US pickleball courts, as of November 5, 2026. It aggregates public court directories, operator websites and community submissions. Only US facilities with pickleball courts are included. Listings within about 150 meters of each other were merged as duplicates, keeping the larger court count (374 listings merged). This ranking uses that newer, deduplicated snapshot, which is why its totals run slightly below the September count.
Metro areas. Each facility was assigned to a county by its ZIP code, and counties were grouped into the Census Bureau's metropolitan statistical areas. A metro area includes the suburbs and nearby towns, not just the named city. The 385 metros covered are every US metro with at least one listed facility, holding 72,551 courts at 15,349 facilities. Facilities outside any metro area (rural and micropolitan areas, 3,175 facilities with 12,336 courts) aren't ranked.
Population. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 population estimates for metropolitan statistical areas, as of July 1, 2025.
Metric. Total listed courts divided by population, times 100,000. Metros are ranked within three size groups: large (56 metros), mid-size (139) and small (190).
Free and indoor columns are the share of each metro's listed courts that are free to play or indoors.

What the numbers can't tell you:

This is court supply per resident. It does not measure participation, court quality, crowding or wait times.
These are listed courts, including private, membership and community-association courts. The "Free courts" column shows how much is open to anyone at no charge. Listings can be out of date or miscounted.
Small gaps are noise. A difference of a court or two per 100,000 between neighbors in a table is within the noise. Treat the lists as tiers, not exact places.
Seasonal residents and visitors aren't in the population figures, which flatters resort and retirement areas.

Find courts in your city

Pickleball Plus has a court finder that filters by free, indoor, lighted and public courts, with reviews, events and a chat for each court. Anyone can add a court or fix a listing in the app. Download Pickleball Plus and see what's near you, or browse the court directory by state and city.

FAQ

What is the best city for pickleball in the US?

By courts per resident, Grand Rapids, Michigan, leads large metros at 38.1 courts per 100,000 residents. Naples, Florida, leads mid-size metros at 72.6, and Wildwood-The Villages, Florida, leads small metros at 199.7. Which is "best" for you depends on whether you need free courts, indoor courts or just the most options.

What are the best pickleball cities in Florida?

Wildwood-The Villages (199.7 courts per 100,000), Punta Gorda (87.9), Naples (72.6), Sebring (65.7) and Cape Coral-Fort Myers (50.1) top the 22 Florida metros. Punta Gorda has the highest free share in that group, at 62%.

Which big city has the most pickleball courts?

New York has the most listed courts of any US metro, 3,065, followed by Chicago with 2,304. Per resident, though, New York ranks 53rd of 56 large metros at 15.2 courts per 100,000.

Which large metro has the fewest pickleball courts per person?

Fresno, California, at 8.1 courts per 100,000 residents, followed by San Antonio at 10.7 and Los Angeles at 14.3. Fresno does have the highest free share of any large metro, 69%.

Where is pickleball most popular in the US?

Court data can't measure popularity, since it counts courts, not players. It shows where courts are densest: Midwestern metros among large ones, Utah, Arizona and Florida across the size groups, and resort and retirement areas at the very top.

What are the best pickleball vacation destinations in the USA?

By court supply, The Villages, St. George, Cape Cod, Punta Gorda, Hilton Head Island, Naples and Bend all rank near the top. Check access before you go, because many courts in resort and retirement areas are private or membership-only.

Why are small towns ranked separately from big cities?

Smaller metros average more courts per resident (31.8 per 100,000 for small metros against 22.5 for large ones), and one big facility can move a small town's number a long way. Ranking within size groups keeps the comparison fair.