Detroit Lions Lose $19,812 Per Game from Empty Seats at Ford Field – Significantly Less Than Other NFL Teams

Article courtesy of Ticket Compare.

Kansas City Chiefs lost over $2.16 million per game from empty seats at Arrowhead Stadium, despite being the reigning Super Bowl champions.
With 21,221 empty seats per game and an average ticket cost of $102, the Chiefs lose more than double the revenue of any other NFL team.
Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks saw the lowest number of empty seats per game at just 78 and 80, losing $19.8k and $10.8k, respectively.

A new study by ticket comparison site Ticket Compare has revealed that the Kansas City Chiefs suffer the highest revenue loss from empty stadium seats in the NFL, despite being the current Super Bowl champions.

The study examined average home attendance figures for the 2024 season and compared them to seated stadium capacity across all NFL teams. This data was then measured against average ticket costs to determine the impact of empty seats.

The Chiefs lose an estimated $2,164,542 per home game due to empty seats, with an average of 21,221 unfilled seats at Arrowhead Stadium. With a stadium capacity of 76,416 and average attendance of just 55,195, over a quarter of the stadium remains empty during home games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rank second with an estimated loss of $803,081 per game. Their stadium, Raymond James Stadium, has 11,311 empty seats on average, with tickets costing $71 each.

The Las Vegas Raiders placed third with a per-game loss of $686,475 despite having the most expensive average ticket price in the NFL at $243. The Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium typically has 2,825 empty seats during home games.

The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers complete the top five, with estimated losses of $590,832 and $574,146, respectively, from empty seats.

NFL Teams with the Highest Revenue Loss from Empty Seats

	Team	Stadium	2024 Season: Empty Seats	2024 Season: Average Ticket Cost	Per-Game Revenue Loss
1	Kansas City Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium	21,221	$102	$2,164,542
2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Raymond James Stadium	11,311	$71	$803,081
3	Las Vegas Raiders	Allegiant Stadium	2,825	$243	$686,475
4	Minnesota Vikings	U.S. Bank Stadium	6,714	$88	$590,832
5	Green Bay Packers	Lambeau Field	3,438	$167	$574,146

At the other end of the scale, of the teams that had empty seats throughout the season, the Seattle Seahawks have the lowest revenue loss, with just $10,800 per game from 80 empty seats at Lumen Field.

The Cleveland Browns follow closely with an estimated loss of $14,534 from 169 empty seats at Huntington Bank Field, where tickets cost an average of $86.

The Detroit Lions have the smallest number of empty seats in the NFL – of those that didn’t fill or exceed their seated capacity – with just 78 at Ford Field, but their higher average ticket price of $254 results in a slightly higher revenue loss of $19,812 compared to the Seahawks.

The Los Angeles Chargers lose an estimated $24,934 from 274 empty seats at SoFi Stadium, with tickets priced at an average of $91. The Jacksonville Jaguars complete the bottom five with an estimated loss of $99,552 from 2,074 empty seats at EverBank Stadium, where tickets cost an average of $48.

NFL Teams with the Lowest Revenue Loss from Empty Seats

	Team	Stadium	2024 Season: Empty Seats	2024 Season: Average Ticket Cost	Per-Game Revenue Loss
1	Seattle Seahawks	Lumen Field	80	$135	$10,800
2	Cleveland Browns	Huntington Bank Field	169	$86	$14,534
3	Detroit Lions	Ford Field	78	$254	$19,812
4	Los Angeles Chargers	SoFi Stadium	274	$91	$24,934
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	EverBank Stadium	2,074	$48	$99,552

Liran Froind, CEO of Ticket Compare, commented on the findings:

“While not all NFL teams struggle to fill their stadiums, with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys consistently exceeding their seated capacity per match last season, it’s clear that some did consistently lose revenue from unfilled seats.

“The Chiefs losing over $2 million per game from empty seats is remarkable considering their recent on-field success – and especially when considering Taylor Swift’s frequent appearances and the low average ticket cost of just over $100.

“What’s particularly interesting is that ticket price doesn’t always correlate with attendance. Some teams with higher-priced tickets still manage to fill their stadiums, while others with more affordable options see thousands of empty seats each game.

“While losing around $2 million won’t break the bank for the Chiefs, it is interesting to see what empty seats equate to. It’ll be interesting to see whether a similar loss will be seen this season, or if average home attendance will pick back up.”

Methodology:

The campaign compared average home attendance for the 2024 season as reported by ESPN to seated stadium capacity. This was measured against the average ticket cost to determine the average cost of empty seats.

Teams that didn’t report any empty seats during the 2024 season, as they exceeded average seated capacity, were excluded from the analysis: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders.

Sources:

Full Dataset: NFL Teams Ranked by Revenue Loss from Empty Seats

	Team	Home Stadium	Seated Capacity	2024 Season: Average Attendance	2024 Season: Empty Seats	2024 Season: Average Ticket Cost	Per-Game Revenue Loss
1	Kansas City Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium	76,416	55,195	21,221	$102	$2,164,542
2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Raymond James Stadium	75,000	63,689	11,311	$71	$803,081
3	Las Vegas Raiders	Allegiant Stadium	65,000	62,175	2,825	$243	$686,475
4	Minnesota Vikings	U.S. Bank Stadium	73,000	66,286	6,714	$88	$590,832
5	Green Bay Packers	Lambeau Field	81,441	78,003	3,438	$167	$574,146
6	Chicago Bears	Soldier Field	61,500	58,649	2,851	$176	$501,776
7	Arizona Cardinals	State Farm Stadium	72,200	63,975	8,225	$58	$477,050
8	Tennessee Titans	Nissan Stadium	69,143	64,820	4,323	$103	$445,269
9	New York Giants	MetLife Stadium	82,500	78,470	4,030	$81	$326,430
10	Denver Broncos	Empower Field at Mile High	76,125	73,969	2,156	$146	$314,776
11	New York Jets	MetLife Stadium	82,500	78,789	3,711	$83	$308,013
12	Carolina Panthers	Bank of America Stadium	74,867	70,612	4,255	$65	$276,575
13	Pittsburgh Steelers	Acrisure Stadium	68,400	66,881	1,519	$147	$223,293
14	New Orleans Saints	Caesars Superdome	73,208	70,012	3,196	$43	$137,428
15	Buffalo Bills	Highmark Stadium	71,608	70,695	913	$147	$134,211
16	Indianapolis Colts	Lucas Oil Stadium	67,000	65,767	1,233	$102	$125,766
17	Houston Texans	NRG Stadium	72,220	71,333	887	$115	$102,005
18	Jacksonville Jaguars	EverBank Stadium	67,838	65,764	2,074	$48	$99,552
19	Los Angeles Chargers	SoFi Stadium	70,240	69,966	274	$91	$24,934
20	Detroit Lions	Ford Field	65,000	64,922	78	$254	$19,812
21	Cleveland Browns	Huntington Bank Field	67,895	67,726	169	$86	$14,534
22	Seattle Seahawks	Lumen Field	68,740	68,660	80	$135	$10,800