On the field, the Mets have struggled down the stretch. But in the stands, you’d have to say it is mission accomplished for 2025.
The Mets, who wrapped up their regular-season home schedule Sept. 21, drew a Citi Field-record 3,182,057 fans this season. That's an average of 39,775, a 38% increase over last season's average of 28,802, according to the club. This year's average was fifth among Major League Baseball’s 30 teams going into the final week of the regular season.
The Mets sold out 19 games and had 48 of their 80 home games with more than 40,000 in attendance, according to the team. The ballpark can fit 42,298 for baseball and was filled to 93% capacity.
This is the first time the Mets have drawn three million fans since 2009, the year Citi Field opened.
Major reasons for the large increase this year include:
- The December signing of superstar Juan Soto to a record 15-year, $765 million contract led to an unprecedented binge of ticket-buying and feeling that owner Steve Cohen will spend whatever is necessary to win.
- Last season's playoff run increased excitement and expectations for 2025.
- There has been a behind-the-scenes emphasis by the Mets to listen to fan feedback while enhancing the ballpark experience.
“It really goes back to three years [ago] and making a shift organizationally under Steve and Alex [Cohen's] leadership,” said Jake Bye, the Mets' senior vice president of ticketing and premium. “To expect a level of success, a level of competitive baseball and an experiential level here in Citi Field that was second to none. That mentality shift led to investing in data and insights and really understanding our fan base and listening to them, what they wanted this experience to be, and then leaning into that for the past three seasons."
The increase in attendance has also led to a rise in ballpark-related revenue, according to filings obtained by Newsday. Through June 30, the Mets reported total ballpark-related revenue of $146.5 million, which is an 11.7% increase over the same period in 2024. The reported revenue includes “admissions, advertising, concessions, parking, luxury suite and club premiums, and other,” according to the filing that provides a window into the team's finances.
Steve Cohen in it to win it
Mets owner Steve Cohen. Credit: Jim McIsaac
In 2024, Mets regular-season home attendance was down 9.5% from the previous season even though the team made an unexpected run to the National League Championship Series. The 28,802 average was 17th in the league.
Cohen said in February that last season's turnout "really bothered me, [17th] in attendance when we're right in the middle of a pennant race."
Barry Javeline of Dix Hills was a former season-ticket holder — “I gave them up because I was a little disenchanted with the team,” the 57-year-old said — but he returned to the fold during the 2024 run with a 20-game package for 2025.
“Since Steve Cohen's come in, I really think they want to win, and he'll spend money that way,” Javeline said. “Even the guys that run the tickets, they're great. We always like when the Mets do well. I’m a baseball guy, so I like going to the games.”
3,182,057
Mets' new Citi Field record for attendance in a season
Steve Cohen declined to be interviewed for this story, but the team issued a statement on behalf of he and Alex Cohen.
"We have the best fans in baseball," the statement read, in part. "We are deeply grateful to every person that came out to support the team this year.”
Juan Soto and increased expectations
New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto acknowledges fans on Sept. 19, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The signing of Soto combined with the good vibes from the unexpected playoff run in 2024 led to increased expectations for 2025, and the Mets seemed to be meeting them when they had baseball’s best record at 45-24 on June 12.
"I cannot take the credit [for the increased attendance]," Soto told Newsday before the Mets’ final regular-season home game. “I feel like it’s a team effort. They see what this team is capable of, and I think that’s why they’re showing up. They’ve been seeing what Steve Cohen has been doing through these past couple years, so I think they’ve been supporting that.”
A long swoon led to the Mets battling for the National League's final wild-card spot entering the last weekend of the season. But the fans kept coming out all season, and the Mets believe they are poised for a long period of success at the box office.
“Certainly an impressive attendance increase by the Mets,” said Mark Conrad, professor of law and ethics at Fordham University and the director of its sports business concentration, who cited the signing of Soto away from the Yankees as a big reason for the spike. The Yankees' home attendance is up 1.3% through Tuesday, from 41,869 per game in 2024 to 42,409 in 2025. The Yankees’ home regular season ends Sunday.
Conrad also pointed to the "feel and attitude of their owner."
"It’s a zeitgeist," Conrad said. "It’s a spirit that comes in where you have the owner saying, ‘I’m going to throw huge money on the table because that’s what it takes to win.’ It’s almost a ghost of George Steinbrenner a generation ago.”
Listening to the fans
Cohen, who finalized his purchase of the Mets in November 2020, said he wanted to win a World Series “in the next three to five years.”
This is year five. It hasn’t happened yet. But Cohen’s other goal — to turn Citi Field into a jam-packed place to be — has been met.
Bye said the owner “didn’t need" to tell his executives he was disappointed in last year’s attendance.
“Steve and I are very communicative, and [the Cohens are] very present,” Bye said. “We have a clear understanding of what the expectation is, and that’s to fill the ballpark and be great partners to our fan base and provide them with a great experience. ... So that drove a ton of effort and creativity across the entire organization.”
The Mets over the past few seasons have sent out targeted surveys to their fans to ask about the Citi Field experience. In August 2024, they unveiled a loyalty program called “Mets Connect” where fans can earn and redeem points. In February, the Mets launched “Amazin’ Advisors,” a select group of fans who are invited to tell the club exactly what they think about a host of issues.
Bye, who joined the Mets in January 2023, told Newsday the club had a renewal rate of more than 90% for season-ticket holders before the 2025 season and matched that for next season in a window that closed last week.
“When you start to stack that type of demand and interest and success," Bye said, "it generally allows for what we believe is going to be the norm, which is a full ballpark all season long, every season, and that's what we're committed to deliver.”
Win or lose: A good time
It's easy to quantify how much Cohen is spending on the players ($340 million this season, second in MLB to the Dodgers).
But Bye said the fan-friendly focus is “less about financial resources and just ... being smarter. That is everything from traffic patterns to how our concession stands' queues are programmed so we can get people through lines faster. We created this Mets Connect program that allows people to self-select the things that are most important to them as a fan. ... You have to do the work to understand what's driving somebody to Citi Field in the first place.”
The Mets said they want fans to have a great time whether the team wins or loses. That’s one of the reasons the team has increased the number of theme nights and giveaways and has added between-innings events such as the 5-Borough Mascot Race.
The 5-Borough Mascot Race takes place during the third inning of a game between the Mets and the Los Angeles Angels at Citi Field on July 22. Credit: Jim McIsaac
“The team winning is great, but it's not necessary,” Bye said. “Often you don't even remember the details of what happened on the field because all of the programming and all of the entertainment value around it is so good.”
Fans seem to agree. Lisa Gangi, 49, of Roslyn, attended the Sept. 12 game in which rookie starter Jonah Tong gave up six runs in the first inning of an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.
“Even that game,” said Gangi, a longtime season-ticket holder, “all my friends — and that was when it was like 6-0 in the first inning — we actually made a good night out of it, even though we lost big. You have to have fun.”
Tatiana Snedeker is a 25-year-old Manhasset native who recently returned to season-ticket holder status by purchasing a 20-game plan for 2026 with her brother.
“They added a lot of things for season-ticket holders since Steve Cohen bought the team," she said. "A lot of perks."
More fans, more revenue
The Mets are worth $3.2 billion, which is the sixth highest in baseball, according to Forbes' most recent team valuations. The Yankees are No. 1 at $8.2 billion.
The Mets lease their stadium from New York City’s Industrial Development Agency, which sold the tax-exempt bonds to pay for construction.
The team is required to file quarterly statements with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a regulatory organization that oversees the municipal securities market. The reports provide a window into the team's overall financial picture and are designed to show bondholders that the team has enough money to support the annual bond payment. In 2024, the Mets made a bond payment of $32 million, according to the filings.
The Mets reported a total ballpark-related revenue of $146.5 million through June 30, compared to $131.1 million over the same time frame last season, an increase of 11.7%.
“This year has been different,” Gangi said. “You definitely do see the difference, especially waiting to get into Citi Field on line. The lines are tremendous, and even on a regular weekday, even on days when there’s not a giveaway, there’s just a tremendous amount of fans who are excited and ready to see the game. ... They just want to be with their Mets and cheering them on.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
