Top 3 Markets to Launch a Pickleball Club in 2026

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America — and it's no longer just a recreation trend. With 36 million active players and a market projected to exceed $1.3 billion by 2028, the business opportunity is enormous. But where should you open a pickleball club?

We crunched the numbers from CourtSource's database of 18,342 venues and 76,589 courts across all 50 states, cross-referenced with U.S. Census metro population data, median household incomes, and population growth rates to find the most underserved markets in the country — cities where demand is high, but court supply hasn't caught up.

Our Methodology

We evaluated every major metro in the U.S. using four key metrics:

• → Courts per 100,000 residents — the single most important indicator of supply vs. demand
• → Median household income — pickleball club memberships typically run $100–$300/month; the market needs disposable income
• → Population growth rate — growing metros mean growing demand and a longer runway for new businesses
• → Existing competitive landscape — fewer existing venues = more whitespace for your club

We focused specifically on metros with populations over 5 million where the court-per-capita ratio is significantly below the national average. Here's what we found.

The National Picture

First, some context. Here are the top states by total venue count in the CourtSource database:

Nationally, the U.S. averages roughly 26.5 courts per 100,000 residents. But that number masks massive disparities. Some smaller metros (like Naples, FL with 366 courts for a metro population of ~400,000) have 90+ courts per 100K — while major metros with millions of residents hover in the single digits.

That gap is where the opportunity lives.

#1: Dallas–Fort Worth, TX

The most underserved mega-metro in America

Dallas–Fort Worth is the fourth-largest metro in America — and it has just 3.1 pickleball courts per 100,000 residents. That's roughly 8x below the national average.

To put this in perspective: Naples, Florida — with a metro population under 400,000 — has more total courts (366) than the entire Dallas metro (248). A city 20x smaller has more courts.

The opportunity here is staggering. DFW is adding roughly 170,000 new residents per year, median household income is strong at $78,400, and the climate allows for year-round outdoor play with indoor facilities extending the summer months. Corporate relocations from California and the Northeast are bringing pickleball-obsessed transplants who expect high-quality facilities — and aren't finding them.

The play: A premium indoor/outdoor hybrid facility in the northern suburbs (Frisco, Allen, McKinney) or the rapidly growing southern corridor (Mansfield, Cedar Hill) would face minimal direct competition. Oasis Pickleball in Rockwall (52 courts) is the region's standout — but it's an outlier, and it's 30+ miles from most of the metro's population center.

#2: Houston, TX

America's most populous underserved market

Houston is the fifth-largest metro in America, and despite being home to some excellent dedicated clubs (Elite Pickleball Club, Pickle Point USA, Casa Pickle, Rallies), the math simply doesn't work: 267 courts for 7.3 million people is a court-per-capita ratio of just 3.7 — one of the lowest among top-20 U.S. metros.

What makes Houston especially interesting is the proven demand signal. The clubs that do exist here are thriving. Elite Pickleball has 24 indoor courts and is already expanding to two new locations. Pickle Point is building a three-location network. When existing operators are expanding aggressively, it tells you the market isn't saturated — it's starving.

Houston's sprawling geography is both challenge and opportunity. The metro covers 10,000+ square miles, meaning a club in Katy doesn't serve players in Clear Lake. Every submarket is effectively its own market. With 57 venues spread across that enormous footprint, most neighborhoods are still 20+ minutes from a quality facility.

The play: Target the underserved inner-loop neighborhoods (Montrose, the Heights, Midtown) where disposable income is highest and commute tolerance is lowest, or the booming master-planned communities along the Grand Parkway (Bridgeland, Sienna, Harvest Green) where 50,000+ new homes are being delivered to exactly the demographic that plays pickleball.

#3: Atlanta, GA

The Southeast's biggest untapped opportunity

Atlanta rounds out our top three with the highest median household income on this list ($82,600) and one of the strongest population growth trajectories in the Southeast. With 6.2 million metro residents and just 312 courts, the 5.0 courts-per-100K ratio puts it well below the national average of 26.5.

What makes Atlanta unique is its demographic diversity. The metro spans everything from ultra-affluent Buckhead and Alpharetta to the booming mixed-use developments along the BeltLine. It's a young metro — median age of 36.8 — which means the player base skews toward the 25–45 demographic that's driving pickleball's second wave of growth beyond the traditional 55+ crowd.

Atlanta also has a massive corporate presence (Coca-Cola, Delta, Home Depot, UPS, NCR) that drives demand for corporate event venues, league sponsorships, and membership perks. A well-positioned pickleball club in Atlanta could tap into corporate wellness budgets that most operators completely overlook.

The climate is another advantage. Atlanta's mild winters and moderate summers make it a 10-month outdoor market (with indoor serving the hottest and coldest weeks), compared to Sun Belt markets where summer heat drives everyone indoors from June through September.

The play: The northern suburbs (Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek) have the highest household incomes and the fastest growth — but relatively few dedicated pickleball facilities. An indoor/outdoor club positioned along GA-400 or I-85 North would serve 2+ million affluent suburbanites within a 20-minute drive.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Honorable Mentions

A few other metros that almost cracked our top three:

• → San Antonio, TX — 2.1 million metro residents with virtually no dedicated pickleball clubs. The Latino population (65%+) represents a massive untapped player base. Watch this market closely.
• → Denver, CO — Strong pickleball culture (55 venues, 179 courts) but the 2.9M metro is growing at 6.8%, and the court-per-capita ratio of 6.2 still trails the national average.
• → Portland, OR — Just 169 courts for a 2.5M metro (6.8 per 100K). High household incomes, strong health-and-fitness culture, and terrible weather half the year make indoor pickleball a no-brainer.
• → San Diego, CA — 199 courts for 3.3M people (6.0 per 100K). The year-round outdoor climate is a double-edged sword — great for play, but harder to justify indoor membership fees.

How to Evaluate a Market Before You Invest

Court-per-capita ratios tell you where to look. But before you sign a lease, you need to go deeper:

All court counts sourced from the CourtSource database as of March 2026. Population estimates from U.S. Census Bureau (2024 estimates). Median household income from American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Population growth rates calculated from 2020 Census to 2024 estimates.