RV statistics get copied from page to page long after the source has moved on. The most-quoted number, 11.2 million American households owning an RV, comes from a 2021 industry study. The industry's newer 2025 study puts it at 8.1 million, and plenty of pages still haven't caught up.
This page collects RV statistics traced back to primary sources: the RV Industry Association's own studies and shipment reports, federal data, and the few independent counts that exist. Every figure links to its source. Below are five RV numbers that get repeated everywhere and don't hold up.
Quick take: 8.1 million U.S. households own an RV, roughly 1 in 17. The median owner is 49, not a retiree. Travel trailers were 68% of the 342,220 RVs shipped in 2025. And nobody, federal or private, keeps a national count of stolen RVs.
Table of Contents
RV statistics at a glance
Each row is explained in more detail further down, including the limits of the data.
| Statistic | Number | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. households that own an RV | 8.1 million | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Share of U.S. households (our calculation) | About 6%, or 1 in 17 | 8.1 million of 134.8 million households (Census, 2025) |
| Households with strong interest in buying in the next five years | 16.9 million | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Median age of RV owners | 49 (was 53 in 2021) | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Owners aged 35 to 54 | 46% | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Owners who are first-time owners | 36% | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Median days an RV is used per year | 30 (was 20 in 2021) | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Owners with children under 18 at home | 43% | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Owners who paid cash | 45% | RVIA / Ipsos, 2025 |
| Total RVs shipped to dealers | 342,220 in 2025 (333,733 in 2024) | RVIA shipment report, 2025 |
| Travel trailers shipped | 232,530, or 68% of all RVs | RVIA shipment report, 2025 |
| Fifth wheels shipped | 65,632, up 21.6% | RVIA shipment report, 2025 |
| Motorhomes shipped | 36,029, up 3.3% | RVIA shipment report, 2025 |
| People living full time in an RV | About 486,000 | NBC News, from RVIA 2025 survey data |
| North American households that camped | 52 million in 2025 | KOA camping report, 2026 |
How many people own an RV?
The RV Industry Association's 2025 Go RVing RV Owner Demographic Profile, run by the research firm Ipsos, found that 8.1 million American households own an RV. Another 16.9 million households told the researchers they have a strong interest in buying one within five years. Interest and purchases are very different things, so treat that second number as a ceiling, not a forecast.
Against the Census Bureau's count of about 134.8 million U.S. households in 2025, 8.1 million is roughly 6%, or about one household in 17. That share is our own calculation from the two sources, not a number either one publishes.
The same study series reported 11.2 million RV-owning households in 2021. The 2025 release doesn't explain the gap, so we can't say how much is a real drop in ownership and how much comes from a different survey design. We can say that 8.1 million is the current published figure, and 11.2 million is four years old.
Who owns RVs now
The picture of RV owners as retirees is outdated. The 2025 study puts the median owner at 49 years old, down from 53 in 2021, and 46% of owners fall between 35 and 54. More than a third, 36%, are first-time owners, and 43% have children under 18 living at home.
Retirees are still a big part of the market, and they're who this site writes for. But a 60-something couple with a travel trailer in a storage lot is now the older half of RV ownership, not the typical case.
How people pay is worth knowing too. 45% of owners paid cash, 27% used dealer financing and 20% used private financing, and 71% bought new rather than used.
How much RVs get used
In the 2025 study, owners used their RVs a median of 30 days a year, up from 20 days in 2021. That's still about a month of use and eleven months of sitting, which is why so much RV risk happens while it's parked. Our RV winter storage and security guide covers the months it isn't moving.
RV sales and shipment statistics
The RV Industry Association counts wholesale shipments, meaning units sent from manufacturers to dealers. It's the most reliable national sales measure, although it isn't the same as retail sales to buyers. In 2025, manufacturers shipped 342,220 RVs, up 2.5% from 333,733 in 2024.
Towable RVs made up 306,191 of those units, about 89%. Conventional travel trailers alone were 232,530, or 68% of every RV shipped, even though that number slipped 2.1% from 2024. Fifth wheels grew fastest at 65,632 units, up 21.6%. Motorhomes were 36,029, up 3.3%, and park model RVs were 4,322.
In plain terms, the typical new RV in America is a travel trailer pulled behind a truck or SUV. That matters for everything from storage to theft, since a trailer has no engine, no ignition, and no key to take away.
Full-time RV living statistics
Nobody runs a census of full-time RVers, so every number here is an estimate. The most recent one with a traceable source comes from NBC News in September 2025, which reported that about 486,000 people live full-time in an RV, based on RV Industry Association 2025 survey data. NBC described that as more than twice the number in 2021.
It's a survey-based estimate, not a head count, but it's a lot closer to a real source than the round one million figure that gets passed around (see myth four).
RV theft statistics
RV statistics are least reliable here, and it's the section most readers of this site care about. No national count of stolen RVs exists.
The FBI's crime statistics define a motor vehicle as a self-propelled vehicle that runs on land. A travel trailer isn't self-propelled, so a stolen travel trailer doesn't fit the FBI's motor vehicle theft category. We also found no public breakdown of trailer or RV thefts from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The best independent attempt at a count came from RVtravel.com, which spent a little under two years collecting stolen RV reports from owners, police and news stories. In that database, about 82% of stolen RVs were travel trailers, and Class C motorhomes were under 7%. It's a collection of reported cases rather than a random sample, but it matches the shipment numbers: most RVs are travel trailers, and trailers are the easiest ones to hitch up and drive away.
Since the numbers can't tell you your risk, the practical answer is to make your trailer the slower one to take. A wheel or coupler lock and a hidden GPS tracker cover the two jobs that matter: slowing a thief down and finding the trailer afterward.
What these RV statistics mean for a travel trailer owner
Put the numbers side by side and a few practical points fall out of them. Travel trailers are two-thirds of new RVs and about 82% of the stolen RVs in RVtravel's database. Most of the gear and advice written for RVs in general applies to them first.
Owners use their RVs about 30 days a year. The other eleven months are when tires age in the sun, mice move in, and batteries run flat, which is why our storage articles spend as much time on the parked months as the travel ones. If a trailer sits most of the year, a battery maintainer and a basic lock are worth more than any upgrade you'd notice on the road.
And because nobody counts stolen trailers, any seller quoting a precise theft rate is guessing. Buy security gear for what it physically does, not for a statistic on the box.
Camping statistics
RVs sit inside a much bigger camping market. KOA's 2026 camping report, based on 4,088 surveys across the U.S. and Canada, found 52 million North American households camped in 2025. The press release doesn't break out how many camped in RVs, so we haven't guessed.
Five RV statistics myths
These numbers show up on many RV statistics pages. For each one, the original source either doesn't exist or says something different.
Myth 1: 11.2 million households own an RV
That was the RV Industry Association's 2021 figure. Its 2025 study reports 8.1 million. Large consumer sites were still quoting 11.2 million in 2024, and some still are. If you're citing RV ownership, use the 2025 number and name the year.
Myth 2: The typical RV owner is a retiree in their mid-50s or older
You'll still see a median age of 55 quoted. The industry's own figures were 53 in 2021 and 49 in 2025, with nearly half of owners between 35 and 54.
Myth 3: RVs are the fourth most stolen type of vehicle
This claim, usually with a 6% share attached, was traced by RVtravel.com to a database of stolen construction equipment, not recreational vehicles. The trailers in it were most likely equipment and work trailers.
Myth 4: One million Americans live in RVs full time
We couldn't find an original study, survey or government figure behind this round number. The nearest traceable estimate is about 486,000 people, from NBC News's reading of RV Industry Association survey data.
Myth 5: A precise number of trailers are stolen every year
Pages quoting an exact annual count of stolen trailers, or a trailer recovery rate, don't have a national source to draw on. The FBI's motor vehicle theft category covers self-propelled vehicles, and we found no NICB breakdown for trailers. When a figure like that appears on a lock or tracker seller's website, treat it as marketing.
How we checked these RV statistics
For each figure, we went to the primary source: the RV Industry Association's own study pages and shipment reports, Census data through the St. Louis Fed, the FBI's published definitions, and the original news or investigation for the rest. We note who ran each study and what it measured, and we mark our own calculations as ours. If a number only appeared in other roundups, it went in the myths section instead of the table.
Last checked: September 28, 2026. We'll update this page when the RV Industry Association publishes its next owner study or annual shipment totals.
Using these statistics
You're welcome to use any figure or chart on this page in an article, report or presentation. Please link to the primary source for the number and to this page as the place you found it. Suggested citation: Restful RV, "RV Statistics: 15 Verified Numbers and 5 Myths," restfulrv.com/rv-statistics/, September 2026.
RV statistics FAQ
How many Americans own an RV?
8.1 million U.S. households own an RV, according to the RV Industry Association's 2025 owner study conducted by Ipsos. That's roughly 6% of households.
What is the average age of an RV owner?
The median age was 49 in the 2025 study, down from 53 in 2021. In 2025, 46% of owners were between 35 and 54.
How many RVs are sold each year?
Manufacturers shipped 342,220 RVs to dealers in 2025 and 333,733 in 2024. About 68% of 2025 shipments were travel trailers.
How many RVs are stolen each year?
No one knows. No federal agency counts stolen RVs, and the FBI's motor vehicle theft category covers only self-propelled vehicles. In the largest independent collection of reports, about 82% of stolen RVs were travel trailers.
How many people live in an RV full time?
About 486,000 people, according to NBC News's 2025 reading of RV Industry Association survey data. The popular one million figure has no traceable source.