The States with the Most Boat Owners

Getmyboat ranked states by their concentrations of registered boats using data from an RTI International recreational boating survey.

The strong bond between humans and water has been portrayed in literature, music, and paintings for centuries. Owning a boat and living close to water is the ultimate life goal of many.

The United States has unparalleled bodies of water that allow inhabitants of each of the 50 states to have, if they wish, a close connection with oceans, lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, or rivers. From Niagara Falls to the picture-perfect beaches of Hawaii, and from the majesty of the Great Lakes to the melody-inspiring banks of the Mississippi River, Americans enjoy a privileged geography when it comes to their proximity to iconic bodies of water.

Getmyboat ranked states by their concentrations of registered boats per 100 residents, using data from a 2018 RTI International survey. The survey, which was funded by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, is the most recent and most comprehensive look at recreational boat ownership in the country.

On average nationwide, there are only 11 registered boats per 100 residents. But in some states, there are many more. It may come as a surprise that Florida, California, and Hawaii are nowhere near the top 10 of the ranking. States on the East Coast, and some in the South and Midwest, rank higher. But the Sunshine State is second only to Michigan in terms of how many boats its residents have registered.

Read on to find out where boating and boat ownership are most common.

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51. Hawaii

• Concentration of boats: 2.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 36,000 (rank: #51)

50. Nevada

• Concentration of boats: 2.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 93,000 (rank: #46)

49. Texas

Concentration of boats: 3.1 registered boats per 100 residents

• Number of boats: 922,000 (rank: #8)
  

48. California

• Concentration of boats: 3.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.3 million (rank: #4)
  
  

47. New Mexico

• Concentration of boats: 3.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 70,000 (rank: #49)
  
  

46. Arizona

• Concentration of boats: 3.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 260,000 (rank: #35)
  
  

45. New Jersey

• Concentration of boats: 3.6 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 334,000 (rank: #31)

44. Illinois

• Concentration of boats: 4.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 566,000 (rank: #15)

43. Ohio

• Concentration of boats: 4.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 573,000 (rank: #14)

42. Utah

• Concentration of boats: 5.0 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 169,000 (rank: #41)

41. Kansas

• Concentration of boats: 5.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 172,000 (rank: #40)

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40. Massachusetts

• Concentration of boats: 6.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 442,000 (rank: #24)

39. Pennsylvania

• Concentration of boats: 6.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 842,000 (rank: #9)

38. New York

• Concentration of boats: 6.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.3 million (rank: #3)

37. Tennessee

• Concentration of boats: 6.8 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 476,000 (rank: #22)

36. Virginia

• Concentration of boats: 6.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 595,000 (rank: #12)

35. Georgia

• Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 783,000 (rank: #11)

34. Washington

• Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 560,000 (rank: #18)

33. Kentucky

• Concentration of boats: 7.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 327,000 (rank: #33)

32. Mississippi

• Concentration of boats: 7.4 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 217,000 (rank: #38)

31. North Carolina

• Concentration of boats: 7.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 799,000 (rank: #10)

30. Indiana

• Concentration of boats: 7.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 523,000 (rank: #19)

29. Florida

• Concentration of boats: 7.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.7 million (rank: #2)

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28. Maryland

• Concentration of boats: 8.0 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 491,000 (rank: #21)

27. Oklahoma

• Concentration of boats: 8.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 330,000 (rank: #32)

26. Alabama

• Concentration of boats: 8.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 419,000 (rank: #26)

25. Colorado

• Concentration of boats: 8.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 507,000 (rank: #20)

24. Missouri

• Concentration of boats: 9.1 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 561,000 (rank: #17)

23. Wyoming

• Concentration of boats: 9.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 54,000 (rank: #50)

22. Connecticut

• Concentration of boats: 9.3 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 339,000 (rank: #30)

21. Louisiana

• Concentration of boats: 9.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 446,000 (rank: #23)

20. South Dakota

• Concentration of boats: 9.8 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 89,000 (rank: #47)

19. Rhode Island

• Concentration of boats: 10.6 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 116,000 (rank: #45)

18. Iowa

• Concentration of boats: 10.6 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 340,000 (rank: #29)

17. North Dakota

• Concentration of boats: 10.8 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 84,000 (rank: #48)

16. Arkansas

• Concentration of boats: 11.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 342,000 (rank: #28)

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15. Idaho

• Concentration of boats: 12.8 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 249,000 (rank: #36)

14. Delaware

• Concentration of boats: 13.4 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 136,000 (rank: #42)

13. Oregon

• Concentration of boats: 13.6 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 577,000 (rank: #13)

12. West Virginia

• Concentration of boats: 14.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 264,000 (rank: #34)

11. Michigan

• Concentration of boats: 17.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.7 million (rank: #1)

10. Alaska

• Concentration of boats: 17.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 131,000 (rank: #43)

9. Minnesota

• Concentration of boats: 17.9 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.0 million (rank: #7)

8. Montana

• Concentration of boats: 18.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 204,000 (rank: #39)

7. Vermont

• Concentration of boats: 18.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 118,000 (rank: #44)

6. Wisconsin

• Concentration of boats: 18.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.1 million (rank: #6)

5. South Carolina

• Concentration of boats: 20.7 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 1.1 million (rank: #5)

4. Nebraska

• Concentration of boats: 28.8 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 566,000 (rank: #15)

3. New Hampshire

• Concentration of boats: 29.0 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 405,000 (rank: #27)

2. Maine

• Concentration of boats: 31.5 registered boats per 100 residents
• Number of boats: 436,000 (rank: #25)

1. Washington D.C.

• - Concentration of boats: 36.2 registered boats per 100 residents
• - Number of boats: 243,000 (rank: #37)

Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.