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Paintball Statistics
Paintball has been grouped with various sports from In-line skating and Mountain Biking to Artificial Wall Climbing and Snowboarding, and as such has been classified as an “Extreme Sport.” Part of the mystique of the “Extreme” label is the adrenalin rush that consumes the participants of most “Extreme Sports.” These individuals typically push their limits to the edge of their abilities. Now although paintball could qualify “extreme” since it requires each participant to strive toward achieving his or her personal goals, it holds a unique distinction that sets it apart from most of the other extreme sports such as Skateboarding and Windsurfing. Paintball almost always demands “team” cooperation to achieve success. And it is this combination of personal skill and team effort that is making paintball one of the fastest growing sports of any kind throughout the world. | |
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Since SGMA International started tracking paintball participation in 1998, there's been a steady upward climb – 5.923 million participants in 1998; 6.364 million participants in 1999; 7.121 million participants in 2000; and 7.678 participants in 2001. This equates to a 29.6% increase in overall participation from 1998 to 2001. The number of frequent (15+ days per year) participants also increased from 793,000 in 1998 to 1.414 million in 2001 – a 78% increase.
According to SGMA International's Recreation Market Report, wholesale sales of paintball equipment have also been rising – $170 million in 1999; $195 million in 2000; and $225 million in 2001.
The numbers for 2002 should be out soon and they will confirm paintball’s rise to dominance in the Extreme Sport arena. In the mean time here are a few other stats you might find interesting:
Youth reigns.
Nearly 90% of frequent paintball players are aged 12-24. The average age is 17.9.
Financial Factoid.
The average household income is $48,200 for frequent paintball participants.
Where are they?
The South and North Central parts of the country have the most frequent paintball players – 41% live in the South and nearly 35% live in the North Central part of the country.
Small town U.S.A.
Thirty-six percent of all frequent paintballers live areas with less than 100,000 population. The second largest concentration of paintballers lives in metropolitan areas with more than two million people.
*This information has been abstracted from the Superstudy® on Sports Participation conducted by American Sports Data, Inc., which monitors more than 100 sports and fitness activities.
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