Who Owns RVs? Some Facts & Figures About RV Sales And The People Who Own Motorhomes

These days, the typical RV owner is age 49, married, owns a home and has an annual household income of $68,000.

Across the US, over 7% of households have at least one RV -- 8 million homes with RVs.

In fact, the number of fulltime RVers in the United States now hovers around one million!

The younger market has been fueled by a growing RV rental business. You can try out the lifestyle without having to invest in a vehicle of your own."
-- Tim Champ, marketing director for Airstream

More about renting RVs.

Why Are The Numbers Increasing?

Dr. Richard Curtin predicts the expected growth in RV ownership will be accompanied by a change within the RV industry toward more varied features suitable for more diverse uses, toward more age-friendly features, toward more upscale destination campgrounds, and toward more energy-efficient units." -- RVIA

Yep, there is definitely a trend toward more upscale RVing than there used to be. In part, this has a lot to do with today's lifestyle trends.

Believe it or not, those with more expendable incomes are also increasing the average price of recreational vehicles these days.

At Iowa-based Winnebago Industries, the nation's RV sales leader, the average price of a motorhome rose from $65,000 in 2000 to $85,000 in 2004. Source

Why? Because more and more RV owners are requesting things like cherry cabinets, top-quality countertops, convection ovens, washers & dryers, surround-sound systems, satellite dishes, big-screen TVs and top-of-the-line beds.

See some specific examples from Monaco and Winnebago.

The Future Of RV Sales

Shipments for the remainder of 2007 will continue to be strong, though lower than the record growth levels the industry has seen in recent years, which reached a 30-year high in 2006. Shipments in 2007 are expected to be 9.2% below the 2006 record, but would still be the industry's 4th best year in the last 30." -- RVIA