North Carolina scores 11th in growing pickleball obsession ranking

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — If it feels like everyone you know is suddenly playing pickleball, you’re not imagining it. 

This paddle sport has exploded in popularity across the U.S., and North Carolina is riding the wave.

According to a recent study by Action Network, pickleball participation has skyrocketed by a whopping 223.5% over the past three years. That’s a lot of people picking up paddles—and the Tar Heel State is definitely getting in on the action.

The study looked at three big indicators to figure out which states are the most obsessed with pickleball: how many places there are to play, how often people are Googling pickleball-related terms, and overall interest based on Google Trends data.

So, where does North Carolina stand? The state came in at No. 11 out of all 50 states, earning a score of 3.26 out of 10 on what the researchers call the “pickleball obsession index.”

Here’s how North Carolina stacked up:

• 462 pickleball venues across the state (that’s about 4.2 places to play per 100,000 people)

• 1.71 million Google searches for pickleball terms in the last year (roughly 15,495 searches per 100,000 people)

• Google Trends score of 43 out of 100 for pickleball interest

To come up with the rankings, the study assigned different weights to each of these metrics, basically looking at how easy it is to find a court and how much buzz there is around the sport.

As for the top spots? Vermont leads the nation in pickleball passion, followed by Utah, Hawaii, Maine, and Minnesota.

So, whether you’re already addicted to the game or just pickleball-curious, don’t worry—North Carolina’s got plenty of places to play and a growing community to join.