RV travel spans household ownership, completed and intended trips, vehicle shipments, campground demand, and tourism-related economic activity. The measures below distinguish surveys, modeled estimates, wholesale shipments, and broader camping statistics across the United States, Canada, and North America.
Key RV Travel Statistics
The most useful headline figures include:
- In the 2025 U.S. RV Owner Demographic Profile, 8.1 million households owned an RV.
- In the 2025 U.S. owner profile, the median RV owner was 49 years old.
- U.S. RV owners reported a median of 30 days of vehicle use per year in the 2025 profile.
- In the cited 2014-to-2024 comparison, RV ownership among U.S. leisure travelers was 97% higher than in 2014.
- In fall 2024, about 79% of American RVers, or 27 million people, intended to go RVing.
- In a 2024 survey, 63% of non-owning RV renters with a recent campground stay said they were likely to purchase an RV.
- In 2024, nearly 10 million U.S. households took at least one RV trip.
- In calendar year 2024, U.S. and Canadian RV wholesale shipments reached 333,733 units.
- U.S. and Canadian wholesale RV shipments increased 6.6% from 2023 to 2024.
- Conventional travel trailers accounted for 237,631 wholesale shipments in 2024, up 15.7% year over year.
- All towable RV shipments totaled 298,842 units in 2024, up 11.8% from 2023.
- All motorhome shipments totaled 34,891 units in 2024, down 23.9% year over year.
- RV wholesale shipments rose from about 100,000 units in 1980 to 600,200 units in 2021.
- North American camping trips increased from 68.5 million in 2014 to 105.6 million in 2020.
- In 2020, private campgrounds accounted for 23% of North American camper nights.
- The 2026 U.S. RV industry impact study estimated $159 billion in annual economic output.
- The same U.S. study estimated 643,238 jobs supported by the RV industry.
- In 2022, about 2.1 million Canadian households owned an RV.
- Canadian RV ownership generated 6.3 million RV trips and C$10.3 billion in spending in 2022.
- The Canadian RV sector supported an estimated 104,200 jobs in 2022.
Contents
- RV ownership, participation, and traveler engagement
- RV shipment trends over time
- Travel trailer, motorhome, and RV type data
- RV travel, camping demand, and campground use
- RV travel economic impact, jobs, and spending
- Canadian RV travel statistics and tourism outcomes
RV Ownership, Participation, and Traveler Engagement
Ownership is a useful starting point, but it is not the same as completed travel. The RVIA 2025 profile estimates 8.1 million U.S. RV-owning households, while a separate 2024 annual-report statement says nearly 10 million U.S. households took at least one RV trip during 2024.
The measures use different populations and periods, so they should not be subtracted or treated as a single ownership-to-trip conversion rate. The ownership estimate comes from the RVIA Market Pulse Dashboard, while the participation findings are summarized in the THOR Industries investor presentation exhibit.
| Measure | Figure | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| RV-owning households | 8.1 million | United States, 2025 profile |
| Median owner age | 49 years | U.S. RV owners, 2025 profile |
| Median annual vehicle use | 30 days | U.S. RV owners, 2025 profile |
| Households taking at least one RV trip | Nearly 10 million | United States, 2024 |
The 2025 profile reports a median owner age of 49 years and median self-reported vehicle use of 30 days per year. Those medians describe the profile population; use days do not reveal trip length, mileage, or destinations.
Engagement indicators also show potential demand beyond current ownership:
- RV ownership among U.S. leisure travelers was 97% higher in the cited comparison than in 2014; the exhibit uses KOA data for its defined leisure-traveler population.
- About 79% of American RVers, equivalent to 27 million people, intended to go RVing in fall 2024; intention is not completed travel.
- Sixty-three percent of non-owning RV renters who had stayed in a campground during the prior 12 months reported being likely to purchase an RV in a 2024 THOR campground-experience survey.
RV Shipment Trends Over Time
Wholesale shipments indicate manufacturer market activity, not retail registrations, ownership, or trips. RVIA reported 333,733 U.S. and Canadian wholesale shipments in 2024, a 6.6% increase from 2023, including 23,153 units in December 2024, up 7.6% from December 2023.
The annual and monthly figures come from 2024 RV Shipments up 6%. December comparisons can be affected by seasonality and production timing.
| Period | Wholesale shipments | Change or context |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Approximately 100,000 | Historical RVIA baseline |
| 2009 | 165,700 | Financial-crisis contraction |
| 2021 | 600,200 | Historical high in the cited series |
| 2024 | 333,733 | Up 6.6% from 2023 |
| 2025 | Just above 340,000 | Approximate dashboard summary |
The RVIA historical series rose from approximately 100,000 units in 1980 to 600,200 units in 2021, then recorded 165,700 units in 2009 during the financial-crisis contraction. The dashboard’s 2025 summary places shipments just above 340,000 units, an approximate estimate rather than a precise annual observation.
The product mix has also shifted. Towable RVs represented approximately 75% of shipments in 1980 and have represented 88% to 90% consistently since the mid-2000s, while motorhomes reached nearly 40% at their mid-1980s peak, according to the RVIA Market Pulse Dashboard.
Travel Trailer, Motorhome, and RV Type Data
The 2024 shipment mix shows a strong difference between towable and motorized categories. Conventional travel trailers were the largest named category, while all motorhome shipments declined year over year.
| RV type or group | 2024 shipments | Change from 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional travel trailers | 237,631 | Up 15.7% |
| Fifth-wheels | 53,958 | Up 0.5% |
| Folding camping trailers | 3,991 | Down 14.6% |
| Truck campers | 3,262 | Down 7.2% |
| All towable RVs | 298,842 | Up 11.8% |
| All motorhomes | 34,891 | Down 23.9% |
These are RVIA wholesale shipment measures for calendar year 2024, not completed travel or retail registrations. The figures and category definitions are reported in 2024 RV Shipments up 6%.
Within motorhomes, Type A conventional motorhomes totaled 6,706 shipments, down 31.6% year over year. Type B van campers totaled 8,349, down 30.0%, and Type C mini motorhomes totaled 19,836, down 17.8%.
Park Model RVs were reported separately at 3,927 shipments in 2024, down 22.3% year over year. Because Park Model RVs are separate from the total RV shipment line, they should not be added to the headline total without following RVIA’s accounting structure.
RV Travel, Camping Demand, and Campground Use
Camping is broader than RV travel, but it provides context for accommodation demand. The RVIA dashboard cites North American camping trips rising from 68.5 million in 2014 to 105.6 million in 2020, with a reported 7.5% compound annual growth rate over that period.
The same dashboard cites a 3.0% CAGR for camping households and a 7.1% CAGR for active camping households over its seven-year comparison ending in the cited 2021 report. These figures include non-RV campers and use the report’s definitions of camping and active camping.
In the cited 2020 North American camping profile, accommodation preferences were 64% tent camping, 25% RV accommodation, and 10% cabins. These are accommodation preferences, not shares of all RV trips.
Camper-night distribution in 2020 was also spread across campground types:
- Private campgrounds captured 23% of North American camper nights.
- State park campgrounds captured 22% of North American camper nights.
- National park campgrounds captured 21% of North American camper nights.
Camper nights are not unique visitors. The camping-trip, accommodation, and camper-night measures are summarized in the RVIA Market Pulse Dashboard, which cites the 2021 North American Camping Report.
The U.S. campground supply analysis reports that public agencies operated 55% of campgrounds, while private operators provided 71% of campsites. The denominators differ: one percentage concerns campground establishments and the other concerns campsites, so the two shares are not competing measures.
The same analysis says private operators supplied 2.5 times as many campsites as public agencies. That ratio concerns campsite supply, not the number of campground establishments.
RV Travel Economic Impact, Jobs, and Spending
Economic-impact studies measure more than vehicle sales. The 2026 RVs Move America study estimated that the U.S. RV industry generated $159 billion in annual economic output, supported 643,238 jobs, produced $46.4 billion in wages, and generated $19.6 billion in total federal, state, and local taxes.
These are modeled estimates that include the study’s defined direct, indirect, and induced effects. The source is New Study Details The RV Industry’s $159 Billion Economic Impact On The United States Economy.
| U.S. RV impact measure | Estimate | Study period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual economic output | $159 billion | Study released 2026 |
| Supported jobs | 643,238 | Study released 2026 |
| Wages | $46.4 billion | Study released 2026 |
| Federal, state, and local taxes | $19.6 billion | Study released 2026 |
The study’s output segmentation assigned $70 billion to RV manufacturers and suppliers, $38 billion to RV sales and service, and $50 billion to RV campgrounds and travel. It also reported $40.9 billion in additional indirect output for regional suppliers and $45 billion in induced economic activity from worker earnings.
Those segment, indirect, and induced values belong to the study’s accounting framework and should not be added to the $159 billion headline without applying its methodology. Separately, the Department of the Interior cited $1.2 trillion in annual U.S. outdoor-recreation economic output, a broader estimate that includes activities beyond RV travel, in its recreation visitation report release.
Canadian RV Travel Statistics and Tourism Outcomes
Canadian data provide a separate national view. The Canadian RVDA summary of the 2023 economic-impact report uses 2022 measurement data and estimates approximately 2.1 million Canadian households owned an RV, representing 14% of the population in the cited measure.
The Canadian figures are reported in Canadian dollars and are not directly comparable with U.S. dollar estimates. The source is Economic Impact Of The Canadian Recreation Vehicle Industry (2023).
| Canadian measure | 2022 estimate |
|---|---|
| RV-owning households | Approximately 2.1 million |
| Population share in cited measure | 14% |
| RV trips | 6.3 million |
| RV-related spending | C$10.3 billion |
| RV sector jobs | 104,200 |
| RV sector added value | C$12.0 billion |
The Canadian RV ownership estimate generated 6.3 million RV trips and C$10.3 billion in spending in 2022. The study also estimated 104,200 jobs and C$12.0 billion in added value for the Canadian RV sector; these are modeled or reported industry-impact measures, not vehicle purchase revenue alone.
Camping extends beyond RV ownership in the Canadian results. About 4.4 million Canadian households participated in overnight camping trips in 2022, producing 93.3 million person-trip nights, while the broader Canadian camping sector generated 83,600 jobs and C$9.8 billion in added value.
Person-trip nights are not unique people or RV-only nights. The combined Canadian RV and camping sectors supported 141,400 jobs and C$16.2 billion in added value in 2022, a combined figure that should not be attributed solely to RV travel.