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An old trivia question asks how many days a year there are without any professional major league sports competitions. BLS is not the source of an answer to that question, but BLS can tell you how many people are employed by sports teams and clubs and whether employment may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sports teams and clubs employment normally varies during the year as sports seasons begin and end. Before 2020, sports teams and clubs employment had been growing to over 100,000 during the late spring and summer, then dropping to roughly 70,000 to 80,000 during the winter.
Sports teams and clubs employment, selected metropolitan areas and U.S. total, January 2017–March 2021
Month
U.S. total
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Jan 2017
68,618
3,085
2,977
2,533
3,476
2,525
614
1,932
1,857
1,436
Feb 2017
67,128
2,957
3,102
2,051
3,432
1,699
655
1,987
1,505
1,528
Mar 2017
76,355
3,299
3,775
2,893
3,523
1,323
746
2,859
2,175
1,586
Apr 2017
103,708
3,804
3,961
3,518
5,076
2,613
1,978
2,230
2,327
1,601
May 2017
103,411
4,230
4,087
3,792
4,516
2,590
2,083
2,299
2,301
1,595
Jun 2017
107,910
4,561
3,942
3,848
3,733
2,666
2,084
2,289
2,513
1,710
Jul 2017
109,030
4,281
4,050
3,977
4,160
2,788
2,067
2,177
2,504
1,846
Aug 2017
114,877
5,084
4,071
4,167
4,615
3,185
1,978
2,454
2,520
1,942
Sep 2017
100,070
4,534
4,185
3,528
3,716
3,464
1,819
2,343
2,310
1,999
Oct 2017
84,304
4,145
3,694
3,622
4,081
3,535
833
2,371
2,548
1,766
Nov 2017
75,590
3,642
3,010
2,549
3,279
2,909
730
2,086
2,247
1,721
Dec 2017
73,169
3,361
3,126
2,781
3,351
2,877
758
1,674
2,014
1,707
Jan 2018
69,123
3,464
3,143
2,976
3,994
2,530
879
1,687
1,752
1,786
Feb 2018
69,788
3,295
3,286
2,387
3,920
1,938
965
1,796
1,830
1,682
Mar 2018
83,302
3,727
4,135
3,685
4,405
1,652
995
2,660
2,286
1,766
Apr 2018
104,489
4,140
4,290
3,863
5,532
2,657
2,097
2,188
2,415
1,757
May 2018
105,535
4,546
4,240
4,071
5,029
2,722
2,317
2,392
2,425
1,900
Jun 2018
110,961
4,924
4,148
4,210
5,097
2,765
2,358
2,519
2,493
1,887
Jul 2018
113,197
4,902
4,214
4,346
5,167
2,890
2,263
2,411
2,549
1,958
Aug 2018
116,760
5,156
4,254
4,512
4,479
3,195
2,252
2,849
2,614
2,123
Sep 2018
101,024
4,920
4,141
3,599
4,496
3,500
2,066
2,550
2,370
2,114
Oct 2018
86,474
4,304
3,522
4,008
3,557
3,424
1,705
2,884
2,448
2,122
Nov 2018
79,829
4,142
3,553
2,946
3,696
2,800
996
2,156
2,233
1,802
Dec 2018
77,878
3,614
3,273
2,820
3,840
2,638
1,037
2,115
1,883
1,965
Jan 2019
72,185
3,581
3,551
2,798
4,099
1,750
1,037
1,699
1,791
1,673
Feb 2019
75,480
3,371
3,569
2,997
3,932
1,744
1,304
1,775
1,787
1,712
Mar 2019
90,079
3,882
4,561
3,299
4,458
2,481
1,303
2,769
2,381
1,755
Apr 2019
109,832
4,400
4,561
3,991
5,372
2,827
2,584
2,328
2,528
1,701
May 2019
110,121
4,771
4,500
4,233
5,016
2,913
2,613
2,536
2,512
1,872
Jun 2019
116,503
5,078
4,482
4,802
5,062
2,860
2,720
2,591
2,664
2,033
Jul 2019
115,361
5,326
4,654
4,437
4,578
2,625
2,434
2,448
2,407
1,929
Aug 2019
120,578
5,652
4,779
4,741
4,411
3,649
2,475
2,776
2,497
2,273
Sep 2019
105,298
5,118
4,307
3,783
4,262
3,516
2,221
2,836
2,442
2,163
Oct 2019
88,290
4,322
3,706
3,007
4,560
2,763
1,839
2,701
1,943
2,016
Nov 2019
83,441
4,227
3,620
3,447
3,895
2,959
1,185
2,301
1,925
1,982
Dec 2019
82,444
4,338
3,321
3,071
3,813
2,979
1,140
2,063
1,858
2,063
Jan 2020
80,357
4,114
3,421
3,356
4,067
3,369
2,444
1,890
2,085
1,961
Feb 2020
82,330
4,001
3,803
2,971
4,086
2,482
2,470
1,858
1,944
1,824
Mar 2020
87,459
4,177
4,095
3,155
3,965
2,840
2,669
2,600
2,019
1,809
Apr 2020
62,489
3,421
3,066
2,340
2,617
2,585
2,418
1,456
1,294
1,354
May 2020
57,779
3,371
2,864
1,893
2,344
2,463
2,141
1,634
1,216
1,314
Jun 2020
54,099
3,328
2,557
1,901
2,131
1,861
1,718
1,520
1,199
1,271
Jul 2020
54,533
3,262
2,495
1,914
2,356
2,266
1,351
1,271
1,317
1,343
Aug 2020
59,161
3,548
2,632
2,444
2,590
1,816
1,383
1,441
1,383
1,517
Sep 2020
56,910
3,385
2,404
1,931
2,604
1,820
1,311
1,667
1,452
1,357
Oct 2020
56,755
3,359
2,820
1,826
2,379
2,073
1,366
1,714
1,498
1,412
Nov 2020
53,032
3,190
2,684
1,748
2,400
1,766
1,238
1,577
1,455
1,443
Dec 2020
53,319
3,169
2,421
1,788
2,354
1,920
1,504
1,439
1,386
1,244
Jan 2021
52,257
2,896
2,273
1,855
2,304
1,895
1,598
1,250
1,407
1,266
Feb 2021
52,441
3,020
2,425
1,804
2,250
1,767
1,652
1,345
1,409
1,292
Mar 2021
58,373
3,092
2,813
2,567
2,490
2,133
1,709
1,600
1,548
1,322
Sports teams and clubs employment, selected metropolitan areas and U.S. total, January 2017–March 2021 (continued)
Month
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL
Raleigh, NC
Pittsburgh, PA
Salt Lake City, UT
St. Louis, MO-IL
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Reading, PA
Worcester, MA-CT
Jan 2017
2,299
367
1,756
1,016
727
1,274
750
719
96
15
Feb 2017
1,966
694
1,768
1,053
731
648
986
683
98
23
Mar 2017
2,038
911
1,785
1,185
790
768
789
716
83
35
Apr 2017
2,701
545
1,353
1,893
860
1,710
1,030
791
224
31
May 2017
2,547
458
769
1,948
780
1,853
986
804
220
38
Jun 2017
2,729
431
733
2,009
669
1,962
1,037
806
219
77
Jul 2017
2,627
495
1,061
1,736
761
1,748
1,052
869
228
59
Aug 2017
2,677
420
693
2,043
751
1,811
1,065
907
194
50
Sep 2017
2,339
311
1,329
1,743
762
1,745
925
937
76
25
Oct 2017
1,537
331
1,505
1,114
889
1,445
946
759
104
41
Nov 2017
1,185
328
1,577
1,015
952
761
846
771
78
42
Dec 2017
1,157
327
1,528
902
932
705
704
820
146
42
Jan 2018
1,076
385
1,523
1,008
883
682
734
575
110
84
Feb 2018
1,085
686
1,566
1,144
916
715
920
625
108
93
Mar 2018
1,107
982
1,548
1,175
1,003
1,151
910
771
112
96
Apr 2018
2,028
575
1,403
1,659
1,083
1,791
946
776
267
99
May 2018
1,819
502
990
1,701
915
1,902
1,033
797
269
77
Jun 2018
1,925
465
1,243
1,595
821
2,012
954
859
256
93
Jul 2018
1,773
505
573
1,598
829
1,883
989
839
257
96
Aug 2018
1,869
426
1,073
1,756
849
1,814
1,023
839
240
94
Sep 2018
1,835
351
1,407
1,619
814
1,832
935
872
110
57
Oct 2018
1,828
342
1,518
1,100
907
869
913
850
134
77
Nov 2018
1,315
339
1,534
999
915
799
787
673
103
91
Dec 2018
1,166
371
1,471
1,022
910
802
770
701
99
87
Jan 2019
1,097
512
1,543
917
906
710
788
632
102
62
Feb 2019
1,118
799
1,559
1,177
860
733
765
678
102
69
Mar 2019
1,238
1,096
1,650
1,235
1,062
1,239
800
827
103
67
Apr 2019
1,911
879
1,768
1,577
1,136
1,896
876
896
234
104
May 2019
1,827
648
1,718
1,389
894
1,965
1,000
923
245
62
Jun 2019
1,885
543
1,407
1,432
892
1,914
1,143
926
236
117
Jul 2019
1,610
631
1,368
1,528
851
1,925
1,107
865
262
110
Aug 2019
1,755
535
1,446
1,778
819
1,753
1,094
1,000
247
78
Sep 2019
1,679
380
1,436
1,506
819
1,946
1,030
954
225
54
Oct 2019
1,530
466
1,667
1,227
912
1,783
918
935
85
53
Nov 2019
1,511
486
1,617
1,134
951
963
885
751
80
55
Dec 2019
1,414
508
1,583
1,071
884
849
823
813
79
66
Jan 2020
1,498
551
1,619
837
910
800
829
715
94
59
Feb 2020
1,504
1,002
1,705
852
901
830
1,056
669
90
61
Mar 2020
1,509
1,154
1,744
1,097
946
1,101
1,165
934
81
59
Apr 2020
1,706
579
309
1,633
538
592
697
950
41
28
May 2020
1,613
566
261
1,507
439
537
693
955
41
35
Jun 2020
1,648
511
307
559
430
587
571
641
40
33
Jul 2020
930
504
286
679
482
611
555
628
41
47
Aug 2020
1,035
556
303
833
491
718
573
781
39
52
Sep 2020
1,022
310
283
776
499
791
610
617
41
36
Oct 2020
976
426
289
636
493
620
616
641
38
38
Nov 2020
949
293
263
590
565
525
567
530
39
35
Dec 2020
1,014
405
255
586
584
513
551
586
38
21
Jan 2021
767
441
361
495
564
537
547
573
39
19
Feb 2021
811
520
419
562
612
560
565
560
39
24
Mar 2021
860
794
706
701
699
616
582
554
39
20
Note: Total includes areas not shown separately. Data for the most recent quarter are preliminary.
Sports teams and clubs employment reached a recent peak of 120,578 in August 2019. In 2020, employment reached a maximum of 87,459 in March. After the COVID-19 recession ended in April 2020, employment in sports teams and clubs was only 59,161 in August 2020, before declining to a low of near 52,000 during January and February 2021.
In the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area, employment peaked at 5,652 in August 2019 and dropped to 2,896 in January 2021. In Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, employment peaked at 4,779 in August 2019 and decreased to 2,273 in January 2021. In Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, sports teams employment peaked in June 2019 at 4,802 and in November 2020 dropped to 1,748.
These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Data for 2021 are preliminary. Employment data for the nation, states, counties, and metropolitan areas are available in the QCEW Data Viewer tool. The sports teams and clubs industry is made up of professional or semiprofessional sports teams or clubs primarily engaged in participating in live sporting events, such as baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and other sports, before a paying audience. These businesses may or may not operate their own arenas, stadiums, or similar facilities.
United States Department of Labor
