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The Bouldering Index: Bouldering vs Ropes by State (2026)
Every climber knows the vibe difference between a bouldering gym and a rope gym. Nobody had measured where each one wins — so we did. Across 715 US gyms with confirmed discipline evidence, at least 666 have bouldering walls, at least 430 have ropes (top-rope, lead, or auto-belays), and 285 — 40% — are bouldering-only: no harness in the building. The Bouldering Index ranks states by that ropes-free share.
The index, state by state
Oregon is the most bouldering-first state in America: 68.2% of its discipline-confirmed gyms are pads-and-problems only. At the other end of the dial, Virginia is the strongest rope state on the board — 90% of its confirmed gyms have you tying in or clipping an auto-belay. Neither end is “better”: the top of this table is where you can walk in with nothing but shoes; the bottom is where you'll find the tall walls.
| # | State | Confirmed gyms | Bouldering | Bouldering-only | Ropes | Index |
| 1 | Oregon | 22 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 68.2% |
| 2 | North Carolina | 23 | 22 | 15 | 8 | 65.2% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 58.3% |
| 4 | Nevada | 11 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 54.5% |
| 5 | New York | 38 | 35 | 20 | 18 | 52.6% |
| 6 | Illinois | 21 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 52.4% |
| 7 | Washington | 35 | 34 | 18 | 17 | 51.4% |
| 8 | Alabama | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 50% |
| 9 | Arkansas | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 50% |
| 10 | Colorado | 44 | 40 | 22 | 22 | 50% |
| 11 | Connecticut | 9 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 44.4% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 16 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 43.8% |
| 13 | Ohio | 23 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 43.5% |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 29 | 28 | 12 | 17 | 41.4% |
| 15 | Texas | 34 | 31 | 13 | 21 | 38.2% |
| 16 | California | 98 | 94 | 37 | 61 | 37.8% |
| 17 | Wisconsin | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 37.5% |
| 18 | Arizona | 17 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 35.3% |
| 19 | Missouri | 12 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 33.3% |
| 20 | Florida | 34 | 31 | 10 | 24 | 29.4% |
| 21 | Georgia | 14 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 28.6% |
| 22 | Michigan | 14 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 28.6% |
| 23 | New Jersey | 19 | 17 | 3 | 16 | 15.8% |
| 24 | Utah | 19 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 15.8% |
| 25 | Indiana | 8 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 12.5% |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 25 | 24 | 3 | 22 | 12% |
| 27 | Idaho | 9 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 11.1% |
| 28 | Virginia | 19 | 19 | 2 | 17 | 10.5% |
Why bouldering-only gyms are winning ground
A bouldering gym needs lower ceilings, no belay staff, and zero certification checks at the door — cheaper to open, easier to walk into, and perfect for the after-work hour. That economic logic shows up in this table: newer climbing markets skew bouldering-first, while legacy climbing states carry the big rope walls. New to the sport and not sure which door to walk through first? Our bouldering vs. rope climbing guide settles it in five minutes.
Cite this data
This dataset is free to use with attribution — a link is all we ask. Suggested citation: