diff --git a/History.md b/History.md
index 58ab5940..ddae41bf 100644
--- a/History.md
+++ b/History.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 * Features
   * Add pumactl `thread-backtraces` command to print thread backtraces (#2053)
   * Configuration: `environment` is read from `RAILS_ENV`, if `RACK_ENV` can't be found (#2022)
+  * `Puma.stats` now returns a Hash instead of a JSON string (#2086)
 
 * Bugfixes
   * Your bugfix goes here (#Github Number)
diff --git a/lib/puma/app/status.rb b/lib/puma/app/status.rb
index 19f6d877..3a6518ee 100644
--- a/lib/puma/app/status.rb
+++ b/lib/puma/app/status.rb
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ module Puma
           rack_response(200, GC.stat.to_json)
 
         when /\/stats$/
-          rack_response(200, @cli.stats)
+          rack_response(200, @cli.stats.to_json)
 
         when /\/thread-backtraces$/
           backtraces = []
diff --git a/lib/puma/cluster.rb b/lib/puma/cluster.rb
index fb9b63fa..f68ad151 100644
--- a/lib/puma/cluster.rb
+++ b/lib/puma/cluster.rb
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ module Puma
         @first_term_sent = nil
         @started_at = Time.now
         @last_checkin = Time.now
-        @last_status = '{}'
+        @last_status = {}
         @term = false
       end
 
@@ -94,7 +94,11 @@ module Puma
 
       def ping!(status)
         @last_checkin = Time.now
-        @last_status = status
+        captures = status.match(/{ "backlog":(?<backlog>\d*), "running":(?<running>\d*), "pool_capacity":(?<pool_capacity>\d*), "max_threads": (?<max_threads>\d*) }/)
+        @last_status = captures.names.inject({}) do |hash, key|
+          hash[key.to_sym] = captures[key].to_i
+          hash
+        end
       end
 
       def ping_timeout?(which)
@@ -352,9 +356,26 @@ module Puma
     # the master process.
     def stats
       old_worker_count = @workers.count { |w| w.phase != @phase }
-      booted_worker_count = @workers.count { |w| w.booted? }
-      worker_status = '[' + @workers.map { |w| %Q!{ "started_at": "#{w.started_at.utc.iso8601}", "pid": #{w.pid}, "index": #{w.index}, "phase": #{w.phase}, "booted": #{w.booted?}, "last_checkin": "#{w.last_checkin.utc.iso8601}", "last_status": #{w.last_status} }!}.join(",") + ']'
-      %Q!{ "started_at": "#{@started_at.utc.iso8601}", "workers": #{@workers.size}, "phase": #{@phase}, "booted_workers": #{booted_worker_count}, "old_workers": #{old_worker_count}, "worker_status": #{worker_status} }!
+      worker_status = @workers.map do |w|
+        {
+          started_at: w.started_at.utc.iso8601,
+          pid: w.pid,
+          index: w.index,
+          phase: w.phase,
+          booted: w.booted?,
+          last_checkin: w.last_checkin.utc.iso8601,
+          last_status: w.last_status,
+        }
+      end
+
+      {
+        started_at: @started_at.utc.iso8601,
+        workers: @workers.size,
+        phase: @phase,
+        booted_workers: worker_status.count { |w| w[:booted] },
+        old_workers: old_worker_count,
+        worker_status: worker_status,
+      }
     end
 
     def preload?
diff --git a/lib/puma/single.rb b/lib/puma/single.rb
index a1673a8e..e7a9c482 100644
--- a/lib/puma/single.rb
+++ b/lib/puma/single.rb
@@ -14,11 +14,13 @@ module Puma
   # that this inherits from.
   class Single < Runner
     def stats
-      b = @server.backlog || 0
-      r = @server.running || 0
-      t = @server.pool_capacity || 0
-      m = @server.max_threads || 0
-      %Q!{ "started_at": "#{@started_at.utc.iso8601}", "backlog": #{b}, "running": #{r}, "pool_capacity": #{t}, "max_threads": #{m} }!
+      {
+        started_at: @started_at.utc.iso8601,
+        backlog: @server.backlog || 0,
+        running: @server.running || 0,
+        pool_capacity: @server.pool_capacity || 0,
+        max_threads: @server.max_threads || 0,
+      }
     end
 
     def restart
diff --git a/test/test_app_status.rb b/test/test_app_status.rb
index c8cd2af6..2c4b7f1c 100644
--- a/test/test_app_status.rb
+++ b/test/test_app_status.rb
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ class TestAppStatus < Minitest::Test
     end
 
     def stats
-      "{}"
+      {}
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/test/test_cli.rb b/test/test_cli.rb
index 5e75cb2e..a4e8b4c0 100644
--- a/test/test_cli.rb
+++ b/test/test_cli.rb
@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ class TestCLI < Minitest::Test
     body = s.read
     s.close
 
-    assert_match(/{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "backlog": 0, "running": 0, "pool_capacity": 16, "max_threads": 16 }/, body.split(/\r?\n/).last)
-    assert_match(/{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "backlog": 0, "running": 0, "pool_capacity": 16, "max_threads": 16 }/, Puma.stats)
+    assert_match(/{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","backlog":0,"running":0,"pool_capacity":16,"max_threads":16}/, body.split(/\r?\n/).last)
 
   ensure
     cli.launcher.stop
@@ -92,9 +91,9 @@ class TestCLI < Minitest::Test
       body = http.request(req).body
     end
 
-    expected_stats = /{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "backlog": 0, "running": 0, "pool_capacity": 16, "max_threads": 16 }/
+    expected_stats = /{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","backlog":0,"running":0,"pool_capacity":16,"max_threads":16}/
     assert_match(expected_stats, body.split(/\r?\n/).last)
-    assert_match(expected_stats, Puma.stats)
+    assert_equal([:started_at, :backlog, :running, :pool_capacity, :max_threads], Puma.stats.keys)
 
   ensure
     cli.launcher.stop
@@ -137,7 +136,7 @@ class TestCLI < Minitest::Test
     body = s.read
     s.close
 
-    assert_match(/\{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "workers": 2, "phase": 0, "booted_workers": 2, "old_workers": 0, "worker_status": \[\{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "pid": \d+, "index": 0, "phase": 0, "booted": true, "last_checkin": "[^"]+", "last_status": \{ "backlog":0, "running":2, "pool_capacity":2, "max_threads": 2 \} \},\{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "pid": \d+, "index": 1, "phase": 0, "booted": true, "last_checkin": "[^"]+", "last_status": \{ "backlog":0, "running":2, "pool_capacity":2, "max_threads": 2 \} \}\] \}/, body.split("\r\n").last)
+    assert_match(/\{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","workers":2,"phase":0,"booted_workers":2,"old_workers":0,"worker_status":\[\{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","pid":\d+,"index":0,"phase":0,"booted":true,"last_checkin":"[^"]+","last_status":\{"backlog":0,"running":2,"pool_capacity":2,"max_threads":2\}\},\{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","pid":\d+,"index":1,"phase":0,"booted":true,"last_checkin":"[^"]+","last_status":\{"backlog":0,"running":2,"pool_capacity":2,"max_threads":2\}\}\]\}/, body.split("\r\n").last)
   ensure
     if UNIX_SKT_EXIST && HAS_FORK
       cli.launcher.stop
@@ -172,7 +171,7 @@ class TestCLI < Minitest::Test
     body = s.read
     s.close
 
-    assert_match(/{ "started_at": "\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z", "backlog": 0, "running": 0, "pool_capacity": 16, "max_threads": 16 }/, body.split("\r\n").last)
+    assert_match(/{"started_at":"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}Z","backlog":0,"running":0,"pool_capacity":16,"max_threads":16}/, body.split("\r\n").last)
   ensure
     if UNIX_SKT_EXIST
       cli.launcher.stop