MiLB Attendance Down 2.9 Percent In 2025, Tops 30 Million With Late-Season Surge

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(Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)

Thanks to a furious finish, MiLB once again drew more than 30 million fans in announced attendance. But numbers were still down in 2025.

Combined, the 120 MiLB teams drew a total of 30,360,682 fans in 2025, representing a drop of 2.9 percent from last year. In 2025, MiLB drew 3,847 fans per game on average, compared to 3,962 in 2024.

While that may seem like bad news for Minor League Baseball, compared to where the season was trending back in July, it’s a relatively soft landing. Heading into August, MiLB teams were on pace for a 4.5 percent dip.

From Opening Day until July 31, MiLB teams averaged 3,730 fans per game. From Aug. 1 until the end of the season, that total jumped up to 4,151 fans per game in announced attendance. That 11.3 percent improvement ultimately kept MiLB above the 30 million mark—a number it hadnâ€t dipped below this century. The season-long average of 3,847 fans per game was the lowest of the past 20 years (with the exception of the pandemic-affected 2021 season).

Overall, there were 19 teams that saw increases of 100+ fans in average attendance. Compare that to 57 teams that were down by 100 or more fans, including 10 that lost over 500 per game. Of the 120 MiLB teams, a total of 78 experienced declines in average attendance in 2025.

Here’s a look at yearly attendance over the past 25 years (Note: Because of the reduction of the minors in 2021, there are fewer teams now than there were until 2019):

This type of late-season jump is unusual but not unprecedented. Last year, attendance ticked up 5.2% from Aug. 1 onwards. In 2022 it was a 1.2 percent increase. But in 2019 there was a 12 percent increase. Other recent increases include bumps of 10 percent in 2018, 12.1 percent in 2014 and 11.9 percent in 2013.

Late-Season Attendance Surges

This yearâ€s big bump came in part from fans saying goodbye to teams that are moving. In their final 10 games at Five County Stadium before next yearâ€s move to nearby Wilson, N.C., the Carolina Mudcats averaged 3,585 fans per game. They had averaged 2,083 fans over their first 48 games. The result was a net gain of 438 fans per game compared to last season.

Similarly, the Richmond Flying Squirrels said farewell to The Diamond as they prepare to move into a new ballpark for 2026. On July 31, Richmond was on pace to equal last yearâ€s numbers, but they ended up averaging 173 more fans per game than last year after welcoming 7,334 fans per game over the final 18 home dates.

Other clubs had even bigger late-season surges. Nine of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers’ 10 largest crowds came from Aug. 1 onwards. The St. Paul Saints’ five largest crowds all came after July.

New Locations & Unusual Circumstances

The biggest gainers overall were a pair of teams that moved to new cities. The Low-A Hub City Spartanburgers drew 2,297 more fans per game than the Down East Wood Ducks did in 2024. The Double-A Columbus Clingstones drew 1,483 more fans per game than the Mississippi Braves did last year.

Some of the biggest declines came from teams facing unusual circumstances. For example, Triple-A Sacramento is normally one of the biggest draws in minor league baseball. But they shared their facility with the Athletics†MLB team, attendance was down 1,498 fans per game.

The Tampa Tarpons, meanwhile, were moved out of Steinbrenner Field to a back field because the Rays were taking over as temporary tenants. The result was 645 fewer fans per game.

The Triple-A Salt Lake Bees were one of the rare teams to see an attendance drop after moving into a new stadium. They averaged 1,070 fewer fans per game at their new Ballpark At American First Square than they did in 2024. That was partly unavoidable because of the new park’s capacity. The Bees†old facility was one of the biggest in the minors. In 2024, they drew 13 crowds over 9,500 strong, including 14,455 fans on July 4. The new park maxed out at 7,679 fans on July 4.

MiLB will open new stadiums in Asheville, N.C., Richmond, Va., Wilson, N.C., Ontario, Calif. and Chattanooga, Tenn. in 2026. The Asheville Tourists will move into a massive renovated stadium, as well. The influx of new stadiums gives MiLB a chance to see an increase in attendance next season for the first time since 2023.

Attendance Leaders At Every Level

• Triple-A Lehigh Valley led all teams with 585,167 in announced attendance, good for an average of 8,242 fans per game.
• As noted above, Richmond said farewell to The Diamond by leading all Double-A clubs with 446,679 fans per game (an average of 6,768).
• As usual, Dayton led Low-A teams with 490,468 fans per game (an average of 7,785).

Overall MiLB Attendance Leaders In 2025

Here’s how all 120 teams (listed alphabetically by default) fared in attendance in 2025 with a look at how their average attendance compared to 2024 numbers:

TeamAttendanceAverageChange
From 2024Aberdeen IronBirds105,0201,667-288Akron RubberDucks274,6864,292395Albuquerque Isotopes493,8496,76551Altoona Curve293,4874,447-183Amarillo Sod Poodles319,6464,843-309Arkansas Travelers256,3743,826-1,133Asheville Tourists163,3802,678-242Augusta GreenJackets243,4923,927-43Beloit Sky Carp112,8081,849195Biloxi Shuckers147,2492,265-161Binghamton Rumble Ponies120,6271,977-341Birmingham Barons228,7553,466-142Bowling Green Hot Rods119,8241,933-362Bradenton Marauders71,5071,13581Brooklyn Cyclones179,3162,80250Buffalo Bisons425,5176,079-575Carolina Mudcats135,8482,342438Cedar Rapids Kernels151,2222,363-20Charleston RiverDogs264,2274,194-84Charlotte Knights425,4615,749-524Chattanooga Lookouts191,3093,356-39Chesapeake Baysox202,7413,218-287Clearwater Threshers168,1992,628-18Columbia Fireflies224,5663,622165Columbus Clingstones235,2513,5641,483Columbus Clippers513,0857,330-256Corpus Christi Hooks278,6534,098-12Dayton Dragons490,4687,785-227Daytona Tortugas109,6061,71398Delmarva Shorebirds147,5472,459-199Dunedin Blue Jays52,1808707Durham Bulls485,0216,467-156El Paso Chihuahuas472,1256,467-84Erie SeaWolves196,0112,92635Eugene Emeralds141,1952,241-172Everett AquaSox144,1112,18464Fayetteville Woodpeckers184,5932,884-166Fort Myers Mighty Mussels85,1261,419-70Fort Wayne TinCaps327,5425,118-472Fredericksburg Nationals201,0653,296-397Fresno Grizzlies241,7093,662-345Frisco RoughRiders383,5155,724184Great Lakes Loons195,3323,151-38Greensboro Grasshoppers254,2324,101147Greenville Drive305,2674,77083Gwinnett Stripers191,2712,69474Harrisburg Senators258,9723,924-131Hartford Yard Goats389,4965,813-327Hickory Crawdads114,6881,820-28Hillsboro Hops174,7772,648285Hub City Spartanburgers233,3623,5902,297Hudson Valley Renegades180,0372,858-154Indianapolis Indians570,6777,817-588Inland Empire 66ers132,1442,002-140Iowa Cubs409,7065,612-241Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp359,6794,99673Jersey Shore BlueClaws216,9693,874-497Jupiter Hammerheads53,292820165Kannapolis Cannon Ballers193,7042,935-77Knoxville Smokies295,4604,617252Lake County Captains170,2332,702-704Lake Elsinore Storm108,9761,65192Lakeland Flying Tigers36,788603-70Lansing Lugnuts275,7134,242-55Las Vegas Aviators491,8896,55948Lehigh Valley IronPigs585,1678,242176Louisville Bats328,4414,692-404Lynchburg Hillcats98,3101,58617Memphis Redbirds204,8622,927224Midland RockHounds229,0563,3686Modesto Nuts87,0081,31827Montgomery Biscuits159,8022,497-65Myrtle Beach Pelicans219,8853,858-100Nashville Sounds500,0027,042-4New Hampshire Fisher Cats207,4253,400-304Norfolk Tides370,5375,530-608Northwest Arkansas Naturals236,6683,480-14Oklahoma City Comets395,0265,411168Omaha Storm Chasers275,2603,771-253Palm Beach Cardinals47,291739-15Pensacola Blue Wahoos270,0293,913-290Peoria Chiefs139,2872,361-172Portland Sea Dogs366,4425,910-174Quad Cities River Bandits153,0422,319-417Rancho Cucamonga Quakes129,0921,956-433Reading Fightin Phils396,4556,007-270Reno Aces352,3754,698-103Richmond Flying Squirrels446,6796,768173Rochester Red Wings431,2656,074-380Rocket City Trash Pandas275,4234,303-260Rome Emperors69,2501,135-264Round Rock Express354,8674,929-155Sacramento River Cats302,9614,039-1,498Salem Red Sox164,7462,792-66Salt Lake Bees395,5345,274-1,070San Antonio Missions269,3833,96265San Jose Giants127,8191,93747Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders261,1273,840-780Somerset Patriots348,7585,449170South Bend Cubs305,3114,7700Spokane Indians264,4164,00686Springfield Cardinals241,6753,662-215St. Lucie Mets69,1311,080-20St. Paul Saints420,4286,183-254Stockton Ports119,1211,805200Sugar Land Space Cowboys270,5713,706-143Syracuse Mets342,9774,764-177Tacoma Rainiers430,8135,744250Tampa Tarpons19,475348-645Toledo Mud Hens452,0496,367-90Tri-City Dust Devils116,7251,796-80Tulsa Drillers322,4524,813-365Vancouver Canadians277,9904,344-315Visalia Rawhide120,3571,824-110West Michigan Whitecaps373,0255,8292Wichita Wind Surge277,7224,084-291Wilmington Blue Rocks162,6112,66636Winston-Salem Dash262,0744,296169Wisconsin Timber Rattlers236,4413,75357Worcester Red Sox455,4676,90149

10 Top In Average MiLB Attendance

TeamAverageLehigh Valley IronPigs8,242Indianapolis Indians7,817Dayton Dragons7,785Columbus Clippers7,330Nashville Sounds7,042Worcester Red Sox6,901Richmond Flying Squirrels6,768Albuquerque Isotopes6,765Las Vegas Aviators6,559Durham Bulls6,467

Top 25 MiLB Attendance Gainers In 2025

TeamATTENDANCEAVERAGECHANGEHub City Spartanburgers233,3623,5902,297Columbus Clingstones235,2513,5641,483Carolina Mudcats135,8482,342438Akron RubberDucks274,6864,292395Hillsboro Hops174,7772,648285Knoxville Smokies295,4604,617252Tacoma Rainiers430,8135,744250Memphis Redbirds204,8622,927224Stockton Ports119,1211,805200Beloit Sky Carp112,8081,849195Frisco RoughRiders383,5155,724184Lehigh Valley IronPigs585,1678,242176Richmond Flying Squirrels446,6796,768173Somerset Patriots348,7585,449170Winston-Salem Dash262,0744,296169Oklahoma City Comets395,0265,411168Columbia Fireflies224,5663,622165Jupiter Hammerheads53,292820165Greensboro Grasshoppers254,2324,101147Daytona Tortugas109,6061,71398Lake Elsinore Storm108,9761,65192Spokane Indians264,4164,00686Greenville Drive305,2674,77083Bradenton Marauders71,5071,13581Gwinnett Stripers191,2712,69474

Top 25 MiLB Attendance Decliners In 2025

TeamATTENDANCEAVGCHANGESacramento River Cats302,9614,039-1,498Arkansas Travelers256,3743,826-1,133Salt Lake Bees395,5345,274-1,070Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders261,1273,840-780Lake County Captains170,2332,702-704Tampa Tarpons19,475348-645Norfolk Tides370,5375,530-608Indianapolis Indians570,6777,817-588Buffalo Bisons425,5176,079-575Charlotte Knights425,4615,749-524Jersey Shore BlueClaws216,9693,874-497Fort Wayne TinCaps327,5425,118-472Rancho Cucamonga Quakes129,0921,956-433Quad Cities River Bandits153,0422,319-417Louisville Bats328,4414,692-404Fredericksburg Nationals201,0653,296-397Rochester Red Wings431,2656,074-380Tulsa Drillers322,4524,813-365Bowling Green Hot Rods119,8241,933-362Fresno Grizzlies241,7093,662-345Binghamton Rumble Ponies120,6271,977-341Hartford Yard Goats389,4965,813-327Vancouver Canadians277,9904,344-315Amarillo Sod Poodles319,6464,843-309New Hampshire Fisher Cats207,4253,400-304

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