LAST UPDATED NOVEMBER 3, 2026
POOL &
BILLIARDS
BY THE NUMBERS.
Citable U.S. pool participation figures for writers, players, rooms, and anybody keeping an eye on the game. Every number points back to its source.
SEE THE STATS ↓THE ROOM
IS MOVING.
National participation reporting puts U.S. billiards and pool participation at 20.6 million people in 2025. That is up from 19.6 million in 2024, though still below the 23.1 million high point reported for 2019.
This page is deliberately narrow. It tracks published participation data, not made-up market size, tournament prize-money totals, or social-media hype. That makes it more useful when a story, a pitch, or a conversation needs a number it can stand behind.
CALL THE
NUMBERS.
All participation counts refer to the U.S. and the source's published annual reporting. Calculated changes are shown plainly.
20.6M
U.S. billiards and pool participants in 2025
NSGA's 2026 participation study reports 20.6 million participants for 2025.
SOURCE: NSGA, 2026 Sports Participation in the U.S. ↗19.6M
U.S. billiards and pool participants in 2024
The same annual series records 19.6 million participants in 2024.
SOURCE: NSGA, 2026 Sports Participation in the U.S. ↗+5.1%
Year-over-year participation change
Calculated from the source's 19.6 million in 2024 and 20.6 million in 2025. This is a change in reported participation, not a forecast.
SOURCE: Calculated from NSGA 2026 figures ↗23.1M
Participants at the 2019 high point
The ten-year series shows 23.1 million U.S. participants in 2019, its high point in the published span.
SOURCE: NSGA, 2026 Sports Participation in the U.S. ↗20.4M
U.S. billiards and pool participants in 2022
The annual series records 20.4 million participants in 2022.
SOURCE: NSGA, 2026 Sports Participation in the U.S. ↗−10.8%
Change from 2019 to 2025
Calculated from the source's 23.1 million in 2019 and 20.6 million in 2025.
SOURCE: Calculated from NSGA 2026 figures ↗WHAT THE
NUMBERS SAY.
The published series moves from 22.3 million participants in 2016 to a 23.1 million high in 2019, then down to 20.4 million in 2022 and 19.6 million in 2024, before the 2025 bounce to 20.6 million.
That does not prove why people played more or less in any single year. It does show why a one-year number should be read in context. For pool rooms, league operators, brands, and reporters, the useful signal is both the latest increase and the longer line behind it.
READ THE NSGA PARTICIPATION REPORT ↗SHOW YOUR
WORK.
Primary source: the National Sporting Goods Association's 2026 Sports Participation in the U.S. report, which includes a ten-year billiards/pool participation series through 2025.
Supporting context: NSGA's April 15, 2025 release notes that billiards/pool was among indoor sports with participation increases of 5% or more for the 2024 reporting year.
How this page handles the data: direct participant counts retain the source's reported precision. Percentage changes on this page are calculated from those published counts and are marked as calculated. “Participants” means the source's participation measure, not league members, cue-sport viewers, table sales, or unique pool-room customers.
Refresh cadence: this reference will be checked monthly and refreshed when the primary source publishes a newer annual figure or a source link changes.
STR8 SHOT CLOTHING. “Pool and Billiards Participation Statistics, 2026.” Updated November 3, 2026. https://str8shotclothing.publicvm.com/pool-billiards-statistics
THE NUMBERS
ARE ONE THING.
THE GAME IS ANOTHER.
When the room calls, pull up looking like you belong there.
SHOP THE TEES →