State of US Comedy Clubs 2026: Data From 455 Venues Across America
We analyzed 455 US comedy clubs to find the most comedy-dense states, how many clubs are actually 21+, what the average ticket costs, and which cities lead the country in live stand-up.
We run ComedyClubFinder, a directory of comedy clubs across the US. Our database currently tracks 455 active comedy clubs across 44 states and Washington DC. We decided to actually look at the numbers — and some of what we found surprised us.
Here's what the data shows.
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The Big Picture
455 active US comedy clubs across 44 states and DC. Six states have no dedicated comedy club at all: Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming. If you live in one of those states and want to see live stand-up, you're driving.
California leads with 57 clubs, followed by New York (46), Texas (34), Florida (30), and Illinois (29). Together, those five states account for 43% of all comedy venues in the country.
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Most Clubs Per Capita: Nevada Wins by a Lot
Raw club count isn't the full picture. When you adjust for population, the rankings shift.
| State | Clubs | Clubs Per Million People | |-------|-------|--------------------------| | Nevada | 16 | 5.2 | | New York | 46 | 2.3 | | Illinois | 29 | 2.3 | | Colorado | 11 | 1.9 | | Massachusetts | 13 | 1.8 | | California | 57 | 1.4 |
Nevada's number is entirely driven by Las Vegas — a city with more comedy clubs per square mile than anywhere else in the country. New York and Illinois tie because Chicago punches well above its population weight, the same way New York City does.
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The 21+ Myth
A lot of people assume most comedy clubs won't let you in if you're under 21. The data says otherwise.
- 21+ only: 35.8% of clubs
- 18+ admission: 28.1%
- All ages: 15.6%
- 16+/13+ for specific shows: 4.6%
- Not specified: 15.8%
The majority of comedy clubs in the US are accessible to people under 21. The 21+ assumption likely comes from the most famous clubs — Comedy Cellar, Comedy Store, Laugh Factory — which are all 21+. But they're not representative of the broader industry.
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The Drink Minimum: Less Common Than You Think
The two-drink (or two-item) minimum is a comedy club cliché. It's also not as universal as people assume.
- Has a drink/item minimum: 28.8% of clubs
- No minimum required: 56.7%
- Unknown: 14.5%
Only about 1 in 3 clubs enforces a purchase minimum. That said, the clubs most people have heard of — the major rooms in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — tend to be in that 29%. So the perception is more widespread than the reality.
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How Much Do Tickets Cost?
We have ticket price data for 407 clubs. Prices represent the typical range for a regular show (not holiday specials or major headliners).
- Average max ticket price: $34.85
- Median max ticket price: $30.00
- Under $20: 76 clubs (18.6%)
- $20–$40: 266 clubs (65.4%)
- Over $40: 65 clubs (16%)
The majority of comedy shows in America cost between $20 and $40. The "comedy is expensive" narrative usually comes from weekend headliner shows in major cities — not the typical club experience. Connecticut ($62 avg), Virginia ($47), and New Jersey ($47) have the highest average top-end ticket prices in our dataset.
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Open Mic Nights: Nearly Half of All Clubs Offer One
224 clubs — 49.2% of our database — offer open mic nights where comedians can perform or audience members can sign up to try stand-up. States with the highest open mic availability among clubs with 5+ venues: Tennessee (71%), North Carolina (70%), California (67%), Washington (67%), and Oregon (67%).
Open mic nights are how most working comedians get started. The fact that nearly half of all comedy clubs host them suggests a healthy amateur pipeline feeding the professional circuit.
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The Typical Comedy Club: Smaller Than You'd Expect
We have seating capacity data for 233 clubs.
- Average capacity: 204 seats
- Median capacity: 170 seats
- Under 100 seats ("intimate" venues): 42 clubs
- 100–300 seats: 155 clubs
- Over 300 seats: 36 clubs
The median comedy club seats 170 people. That's smaller than most movie theaters and smaller than most people picture when they think of a comedy show. The rooms that get covered in the press (Gotham's 300 seats, iO Chicago's 1,000-person capacity) aren't typical. Most comedy happens in rooms where the performer and the audience can actually see each other's faces.
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Independent vs. Chain: 78% Are Independents
- Independent clubs: ~354 (77.8%)
- Chain-affiliated clubs (Improv, Funny Bone, Helium, Laugh Factory, Zanies, etc.): ~101 (22.2%)
The comedy club industry is overwhelmingly made up of independent owner-operated venues. Chains represent the visible, bookable-online tier, but independent clubs — many of which have been running for 20+ years in the same location — make up the majority of the landscape.
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Audience Ratings: Comedy Clubs Rate Well
Among the 397 clubs in our database with 50 or more Google reviews, the average rating is 4.55 out of 5. For context, the average Google rating for US restaurants is around 4.0–4.2.
Comedy clubs rate significantly higher than most entertainment and hospitality businesses. This likely reflects a combination of selection bias (people who go to comedy clubs tend to be there by choice, not obligation) and the nature of the product (live performance is memorable and gets reviewed more generously than a meal).
The most-reviewed comedy club in our dataset: ROAR! Comedy Club in Springfield, MA with 13,236 Google reviews. The Comedy Cellar, Village Underground, and Fat Black Pussycat in NYC follow with 7,736 reviews each (they share a listing). The Riot Comedy Club in Houston has 5,504 reviews and a 4.9-star rating — the highest average of any heavily-reviewed club in the country.
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Accessibility: 69% Confirmed Wheelchair Accessible
315 clubs (69.2%) in our database are confirmed wheelchair accessible based on venue-provided information. That number likely understates the real figure — many venues don't publish accessibility details even when they're compliant — but it represents what's verifiable from public venue data.
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What This Tells Us
A few things stand out from this data:
Live comedy in America is more accessible than its reputation suggests. Most clubs don't require you to be 21. Most don't have a drink minimum. Most tickets cost under $40. The median room seats 170 people.
The industry is also geographically concentrated. California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois together account for 43% of all clubs. Six states have none. If you're not near a major metro area, your options are limited.
And the business is still overwhelmingly independent. Chains are a visible minority. Most comedy clubs are owner-operated local businesses that have been running for years on word of mouth and loyal local audiences.
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Methodology
Data sourced from the ComedyClubFinder database as of May 2026. The dataset includes 455 active US comedy clubs verified through venue websites, Google Business listings, and direct data collection. "Active" means the venue is currently booking and selling tickets for live comedy performances. Capacity and ticket price data are available for a subset of venues (233 and 407 respectively) where the information was publicly available. Age policy classification is based on venue-published policies; venues without published policies are classified as "Unknown." Chain affiliation is determined by brand name matching against known comedy club chains. Per-capita figures use 2020 US Census population data.
The full dataset is available on [ComedyClubFinder](/clubs). Individual venue pages include address, capacity, age policy, ticket prices, open mic schedules, and accessibility information.