Pickleball fever has swept across Canada like a well-placed backhand volley, and the quest to find out which city tops the pickleball charts is on! We set out on a (somewhat) scientific adventure to rank the top 100 most populated cities based on their pickleball engagement—let’s call it the Pickle Score.🥒 d516a
Drawing data from numerous sources including pickleball court locations and Google search interest, this metric transforms cold statistics into the spicy question of preference in Canada’s pickleball utopia. Our team used a comprehensive scoring method, applying weights to different factors like the number of courts, locations, and search interest to calculate the Pickle Score, ranging from 0 to 100.
Toronto, spoiler alert, seems to love racquets and smashes the most, but let’s dive deeper into the nuances that set apart the casuals, from the die-hard pickleheads!
#1 – Toronto Loves Pickleball! 1d5z32
Toronto—where fans scream “Dink responsibly!” louder than Blue Jays fly high, it’s clear that pickleball is now a contender for blue-ribbon sport.
| Rank | City | # of courts | Courts per 10K Population | Search Volume ‘Pickleball’ |
Search Volume ‘Pickleball racket’ |
Pickle score |
| 1 | Toronto | 271 | 1.04 | 22,200 | 880 | 72.0 |
| 2 | Fredericton | 81 | 15.48 | 390 | 20 | 34.9 |
| 3 | Vancouver | 168 | 2.80 | 6,600 | 320 | 34.0 |
| 4 | Ottawa | 172 | 2.12 | 5,400 | 260 | 32.7 |
| 5 | Burnaby | 112 | 5.52 | 2,900 | 140 | 24.4 |
| 6 | Montreal | 63 | 0.39 | 14,800 | 260 | 21.9 |
| 7 | Edmonton | 175 | 2.46 | 3,600 | 210 | 21.5 |
| 8 | Calgary | 93 | 0.91 | 6,600 | 320 | 20.0 |
| 9 | Chatham | 36 | 8.27 | 210 | 10 | 18.3 |
| 10 | Mississauga | 93 | 1.39 | 4,400 | 170 | 17.1 |
| 11 | Markham | 86 | 3.29 | 2,400 | 110 | 15.1 |
| 12 | Grande Prairie | 29 | 6.99 | 170 | 10 | 15.3 |
| 13 | Halifax | 65 | 1.81 | 1,000 | 50 | 15.1 |
| 14 | Dollard-Des Ormeaux | 31 | 6.34 | 170 | 10 | 13.7 |
| 15 | London | 60 | 1.73 | 2,400 | 110 | 14.3 |
| 16 | Victoria | 62 | 2.14 | 1,300 | 70 | 13.4 |
| 17 | Kingston | 51 | 4.47 | 590 | 40 | 12.3 |
| 18 | Burlington | 52 | 3.16 | 880 | 50 | 12.0 |
| 19 | Orillia | 16 | 5.30 | 140 | 10 | 11.6 |
| 20 | Medicine Hat | 36 | 5.70 | 140 | 10 | 12.7 |
#2 – Fredericton Comes Second 631c1s
Fredericton’s pickleball triumph is a formidable tale. With a Pickle Score of 34.9, it proudly clinches silver in our rankings. The city boasts the highest pickleball court density—an impressive 15 courts for every 10,000 residents. Despite its modest population of 52,337, the city offers 81 thriving pickleball locales. Yet, lower search interest at just 390 monthly searches stops Fredericton from posing a serious challenge to the Toronto throne. But hey, residents prefer to net themselves outside, not get courted online!
#3 – Vancouver Holds Third Place r16
Moving to Vancouver, Vancouver’s craving for competitive sport.
#4 – Ottawa Ranks Fourth 6n641k
Continuing westward, Ottawa ranks fourth with a Pickle Score of 32.7 offering 172 courts. 5,400 monthly searches from this city prove that when it comes to pickleball, Canadians stand together, fending off common foes.
The Remaining Contenders 51486m
Burnaby: Burnaby aces its way into fifth place, flaunting an irable court-per-resident ratio. With a Pickle Score of 24.4, it hosts 112 courts. Although search interest clocks in at just 2,900 monthly searches, you know fewer searches mean more court action, right?
Montreal: Quebec might have mastered culinary classics, but it’s clearly warming up to pickleball.
Edmonton: Let’s not forget Edmonton, Alberta, with a Pickle Score of 21.5; its strong court numbers and 3,600 monthly online searches secure seventh place, proving that pickleball and partners have a beautiful symmetry in this city.
Calgary: Next, Calgary follows in position eight with a Pickle Score of 20.0. It serves up a decent number of courts and ends up slightly lower thanks to its court density. Yet, residents won’t be off-footed, showing a keen interest with 6,600 online searches.
Chatham: When it comes to Chatham, size doesn’t define spirit! With a Pickle Score of 18.3, boasting 8.27 courts per 10,000 residents, Chatham punches above its weight, although online curiosity could use a boost with just 210 monthly searches.
Mississauga: Lastly, we swing by Mississauga, rounding off the top ten with a Pickle Score of 17.1. Notable for its 93 courts, its enthusiastic players could be found off-court too, conducting 4,400 monthly searches.
Any pickle-heads in Canada might also want to check out some of the Sports Interaction.
Methodology 3s4i6p
Our pursuit of the ultimate Pickle Score found its foundation in diligent research. Here’s how it played out:
- Data Sources and Tools: We scraped data from Pickleheads for active locations and courts, while population data was gleaned from the World Population Review. Online search behavior was derived using Google Keyword data for “Pickleball” and “Pickleball racket,” evaluating local intrigue over the past year.
- Data Analysis: Integrating the data into a single DataFrame, Python stepped up as our analytical sidekick. We calculated Courts per 10k Population and blended this with a calculated weight to determine each city’s score. Variables from online search volume were wedged into the formula, reflecting city-specific enthusiasm through a combined algorithmic approach.
The weighted formula settled the Pickle Score for all cities:
Pickle Score = (Courts per 10k∗0.3) + (# of locations∗0.3) + (Pickleball keyword search interest∗0.20) + (Pickleball racket keyword search interest∗0.20).
You can find the dataset in full here