There are more than 12,000 RV-related businesses in the U.S. with combined annual revenues of more than $37.5 billion. Here are some other notable facts and statistics:
In 2009, Michigan RV sales totaled 8,718 units.
According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, there are over 1,200 licensed campgrounds, which represents more than 80,000 campsites. Nationwide, there are more than 16,000 public and private campgrounds.
A study by Michigan State University shows that 10 percent of all pleasure travelers in Michigan are campers.
National RV shipments in 2009 totaled 165,700, down 30.1% from 2008. Shipments reached their lowest point in the first quarter of 2009, but improved steadily during the last half of the year.
Approximately 8.2 million American households now own an RV—a 16 percent increase since 2001 and a 64 percent gain since 1980.
Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) estimates there are as many as 30 million RV enthusiasts nationwide, including RV renters.
RV parks and campgrounds across the country report reservations in 2009 to be 8 percent better than in 2008.
The RV rental business is a $350 million industry, according to the U.S. Census of Retail Trade and the RV Rental Association. According to a survey by RVIA, RV rentals were up 12 percent in 2009.
In 2010, the RV industry celebrates its 100th anniversary. A century ago, the popularization of the automobile, improving roads, and America’s passion for exploration gave rise to mass-produced, manufactured recreation vehicles, and the RV industry was born. Through war and peace, booms and busts, fuel lines, fads and the cyber revolution, the RV lifestyle has endured.
